Sewing

[alexiv 10]

From a scout that sews most of his own patches (mom usually does the round ones because they tend to roll away on me) but heres a tip for sewing onto the pocket. Cut up a plastic milk jug or similar substance roughly into the size of the pocket and slip it into the pocket when you sew. Make sure it is something that your needle cannot pierce, this is why milk jug is good. This way the only thing that your needle can contact is the patch and the front side of the pocket.

Its kind of a crude method, but it was invention from nessesity after i sewed my pockets shut a couple times. (which is a viable option if your son doesnt use his shirt pockets)

Hope that helped

[scoutmom 10]

Last year at our Family Camping Weekend, the very kind Campmaster at our Council Camp passed along this wonderful tip to some of us Cub Scout Moms who didn't knoe any better:

 

All the BSA patches with the shiny backing are IRON ONS!!! Who Knew? I poked so many holes in my fingers sewing on my son's patches and then my own. The last patch my son got I decided to try this out. It worked. You need a really hot iron and a cloth (I used a towel) to put over the shirt so you don't burn it. It takes a while so don't get discouraged. When you start to see the patch outline coming through the wrong side of the shirt, you turn the shirt over and use your cloth again and iron from that side for a while. It really works. A couple of other Moms from our Pack did the same thing and they swear by it. The Campmaster suggested a couple os stitches on the corners of the Arrow Points, because of their small size, they tend to come off easier.

[dwightc 10]

Actually, at least for Cub Scouts, it is probably a good idea to sew the rank patches (or temporary insignia on the right pocket) all the way through the shirt. This keeps the shirt hanging nicely and prevents the boys from cramming things in their pockets which would tend to detract from their appearance, not to mention the longevity of the shirt itself. After all, who knows what a boy will try to fit into their shirt pockets.

 

By the way, I've been sewing, machine and hand, since I was a Tenderfoot...that was back when Wilson was presiden, if I recall correctly.

[FScouter 24]

Wow! Have you been it Scouting continuously these last 80+ years?

[dan 10]

Sign in the Scout Shop I go to.

Patches are not IRON ON.

With a melted patch hanging under it!

New patches this year?

I use tacky glue to hold it in place and than a few stitches to really hold it.

 

[dwightc 10]

Sometimes it seems like it's been at LEAST 80 years...

[ExperiencedUniforms 10]

Hi All:

 

Please don't glue or iron on the patches. It ruins the shirt.

 

If you absolutely cannot sew, there is an iron-on product found at all sewing stores, Wally Mart, and most craft stores that carry cloth. It is a low-temperature sheet of plastic that can be trimmed to the size of your patch. It will hold the patch well, and even through a few years washing. The nice part is that it can be peeled off with minimal damage to the shirt.

 

Of course, the best method is to sew them on. Machines are nice, make quick work of the job, but good sewing can be done with needle and thread. It only takes a few stitches to keep the patch in place, maybe 6 per inch, or even four per inch.

 

I learned from another list that you can use a machine to sew patches on pockets by turning the pocket inside out. Of course, I prefer to sew the pocket shut, it keeps the boys from putting stuff in the pocket that shouldnt go.

 

Keep on Scoutin'

 

ora

[halobrown 10]

Okay, ridicule if you will, but I used the badge bond to put the badges on our uniforms (4 total) in my household. Sorry, but I just don't have the time to sit and hand-sew badges. And I don't know which badges/patches you get, but they are thick and stiff and when I do sew the occasional one on (usually after the glue didn't work), it was WORK pushing a needle through the badge. It's a good thing I check my blood regularly so all the blood from my fingers didn't go to waste (ha!).

 

So please help the lame mother get the badge bond stuff off the uniform please. My son just received his arrow of light and the glue from under his cub scout rank badges is not coming off.

[Bob White 20]

The plastic backing IS NOT iron on material. There was a short time in our history when it was but those days have been gone almost 20 years now. The reason it sticks is becasue you melt the plastic back ito the fabric of the shirt. You're right experiencedUniforms, it ruins the shirt. The backing is part of the manufacturing proces and has nothing to do with mounting the patch.

 

Bob

[Weekender 10]

This isn't going to help get the badges unstuct but there is a product called stitch witchery which is very handy. It comes in a role like tape. You cut a few inches and put it between the shirt and patch. Iron with steam and let dry and it will hold fairly well. I would still recommend putting a few stiches through the patch. This stuff works great for hems and cuffs and will stand up to washing.

[Quixote 10]

Weekender - i use the same stuff, except the way i use it is when my wife comes home with new pants for the boys that need to be hemmed, I hem the cuff, but instead of cutting off material, i use the tape to hold up the excess material inside the pant leg so next year when the pants are too short, they can be let down, then maybe again in year 3. I've got about 3-4 inches left in his scout pants - hoping not to have to buy another pair.

 

won't hold up for a long time by itself usually in a hem, but beats the alternative.

[yaworski 10]

As other have said, BSA patches are not iron on. You have to get them hot enough to melt that plastic which melts the patch. That CubMaster was talking through his hat.

 

I'm in the bad situation that my cleaner melted my patches patches to one of my shirts and now I'm changing units. Life is interesting.

 

It's also been my experience that most iron on patches don't stay on the shirt. They come off after a few washings.

 

 

 

 

[Wallace 10]

Stapling the patches on with one or two staples works well for the temporary holding problem.

It is more secure than the glue and does not stain the cloth underneath. And if the patch does not get sewn in time for the meeting, the patch will not fall off(short term solution only).

[scoutmom 10]

Sorry to disagree, but I have ironed patches on my son's shirt and they have stayed where I put them for over a year. I haven't tried taking them off the shirt and I don't anticipate taking them off, so I don't really care what it does to the shirt. He will get a new shirt when he moves to Boy Scouts. Maybe the patched for Boy Scouts are different, but I can tell you form personal experience, the Cub Scout patches iron on just fine.

[ExperiencedUniforms 10]

Hi Scoutmom:

 

In reply to your statement: "I haven't tried taking them off the shirt and I don't anticipate taking them off, so I don't really care what it does to the shirt. He will get a new shirt when he moves to Boy Scouts."

 

I would like to affirm that ironing the patches on your son's uniform will work well for him. What are you going to do with the shirt when he outgrows it? If you are a conscientious Scouter, you may recycle it and donate it to a unit or boy who is in need. When patches are sewn on, they come off relatively easily, and don't leave a residue. When they are bonded with glue or by heat, the glue is very difficult to remove, and most often cannot. The new wearer is stuck with discolored places on his shirt.

 

If you are not planning to recycle your shirt, we havent done well in teaching you proper Scouting 8).

 

Keep on Scoutin