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Wonder if this will go south.....


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Our Trek sells, as a program option, shirts that are replicas of the late fur trade era ( to see what these shirts look like, see the May issue of Boy's Life which features our trek). My problem is that I think that they are a little pricy.

One of my solutions to cut price is to have the partiscipants make thier own shirt. I figure that if they buy their own fabric, thread, needle, and three buttons, they can make a mid 18th century long shirt for about 5 to 8 bucks. For myself, I can handsew these shirts in about five hours....here's the questions

 

- do you think scouts/scouters would be interested in learning how to handsew.

 

- do you think scouts/ scouters would be willing to put in the time for such a project after a long day of canoeing to work on such a project (at least an hour every evening)

 

- do you think that this is just to much of a craft project to be attempted during a week long summer camp program....

 

thoughts, comments........

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A few quesitons,

 

You said it takes 5 hours for you to make one, how long have you been doing this? Do you estimate it would take a neophet 50% longer? Twice as long? if it takes 5 hours, thats one hour a day, anything longer maybe a stretch to complete.

 

Then again, could you offer the do it yourself kit and sell the finished product as well? I think after they see what the raw materials look like and what they have to do, the finished product may not seem as pricey as all that

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"do you think scouts/scouters would be interested in learning how to handsew."

 

I don't know if they'd be interested but they should know. I learned to do simple handsewing waaaaay back when. The skill has saved me numerous times when things happen like the seat of my trousers split (very embarassing when you're in high school), buttons fall off suits, or I needed to sew patches on my uniform.

 

 

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LV

Was that the May 2002 issue of "Boy's Life"? I couldn't find anything in that one. Or was it May "Scouting Magazine".

If your boys find some of things you describe in your posts as fascinating as I do, they may want to take on the project. It probably may have to do with the age of your scouts also. Those attention spans for the younger scouts aren't very long.

Doug

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Attention span and fine motor skills, for the younger ones, might be a problem -

 

But I'm guessing that most of the boys on such a trek would be first class and older anyway - maybe 13 + ?

 

I've always wondered why there isn't a badge that has emphasis on sewing skills - it wouldn't have to be elaborate - They still have Basketry! it could be as simple as that!

 

At least something that covers basic sewing - so the boys would be equipped to at least sew on their own badges and do emergency repairs, like buttons and hems.

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ASM7, I stand corrected, it's the June issue of Boys Life, not May...

 

OGE, lots of great questions of which at this point I;m just not sure...here's a link to see the type of shirt I'm talking about...

 

http://www.ghostforge.com/pics/trade_print.jpg

 

some simpler items I'm considering are gourd canteens, or possible bags, or haversacks, or ???

 

 

 

 

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ASM7, I stand corrected, it's the June issue of Boys Life, not May...

 

OGE, lots of great questions of which at this point I;m just not sure...here's a link to see the type of shirt I'm talking about...

 

http://www.ghostforge.com/pics/trade_print.jpg

 

some simpler items I'm considering are gourd canteens, or possible bags, or haversacks, or ???

 

 

 

 

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"Attention span and fine motor skills, for the younger ones, might be a problem - "

 

There you go again, selling your young ones short. In days of yore, kids learned to sew at an early age. As for the attention span, this might be good to develop that since most kids do little to enhance attention paying abilities (video games and cartoons do nothing to improve ones ability to pay attentiona).

 

 

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Laura,

I agree 100% with your idea. I have long thought that we do a diservice to our boys by not exposing them to the "home economics" skills. Most of these guys will go on to college without mom to wash or clean or mend for them. Some may remain bachelors for a long time. And others may become "Mr Moms", or take an equal role in running a household. To allow them to get to those points in their life without teaching them to wield a needle of add the right amount of soap to a washing machine is a crime.

I have written National trying to convince them to add a mb for these skills, or at least add requirements to Family Life mb. No luck yet. Bet we provide four weeks of optional training away from troop meetings at people's homes where guys can get this trianing. It's amazing - the guys who aren't old enough to drive end up coming. Their moms drop them off. And the ones who do drive, well, they get there too. Must actually recognize that mom won't be in their dorms in a year or two.

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ASM7

 

No, those are my buds in crime....we do get a little wild looking, but we do clean up nice..LOL

 

[on a side note, we're starting a reenacting Venture crew in which this style of dress will be the field uniform...everything homemade if possible]

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