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Dorky Patch Placement Questions


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OK, so we have some miscellaneous patches, for example, my oldest was Scribe and now he's not.  He also is First Class now, yeah! 

Should I sew his old Scribe patch and 2nd class patch on his patch blanket?  Should I sew the old 2nd class on the back of his MB sash?

I should put these things somewhere.  

It seems any of these options are OK, I usually don't see anything on the back of the MB sashes but it's permitted.  If they get the same POR again, I'd just take it off the blanket and put it back on the uniform.

Any thoughts? 

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I have yet to do this but I plan to line the back of my scout's MB sash with the same color Velcro and then let him decide what he wants on the back of it. That will allow him to change, add, remove items as he acquires them and allow him to take them off for any future memory book or Eagle display he may have.

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1 hour ago, HashTagScouts said:

Get a three ring binder and some plastic photo sheets, and start setting up a memory book for him to display at his Eagle COH. You can include photos from events, any newspaper clippings, any leaflets from places visited, as well as wristbands or ticket stubs, etc. 

We like, don't have any photos printed out, and will need to work on making a scrap book at some time for sure.  The only thing I've been "helping with" is keeping a file with baseball card size slots for completed blue cards, and we keep that in the fireproof safe (and take photos of the completed blue cards and upload a copy for cloud storage.) 

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35 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Answer:

!!!!!!!!!!!! NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!

He should sew his own.:mad:

I need to teach them to sew, soon.  It's not that hard.  I think they don't really care about all the camp patches and whatnot, so I have been putting them on these red blankets since they were cubs.  All 3 boys have decent collections.  I would like them to start sewing their own MBs.  

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53 minutes ago, WisconsinMomma said:

I need to teach them to sew, soon.  It's not that hard.  I think they don't really care about all the camp patches and whatnot, so I have been putting them on these red blankets since they were cubs.  All 3 boys have decent collections.  I would like them to start sewing their own MBs.  

This is likely the hardest battle you'll ever have to pick with a post-modern nomad. Keep on it. Soon enough there will be a tent to patch, or an area rug to mend, etc ... (or, a re-entry shield to fabricate acd13-0138-013.jpg)

The camp/event patches are really intended for trading. So think of a container as opposed to a keep-sake.

The boys should use the back of their sash for their favorite temporary patches.

Edited by qwazse
Just saw tech story from NASA
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I wish I had a picture to share.  I worked in a local scout shop, and a grown man brought in his old merit badge sash.  One of the merit badges had fallen off.  He wanted me to sew it back on, but "make it look like the rest of them - like they way I did it when I was 16, using my mom's old machine".  It was one of the most heartwarming things I've ever seen; with black, uneven stitching showing all around the insides of the badges.

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I believe rank patches are one of the few items that are normally NOT permitted on the back of the merit badge sash. If you must put anything besides merit badges on the back of it (a practice of which I have never been a fan), then keep it to temporary patches, not official badges of rank or office.

And I will add my voice to all the others - teach them to sew and let them do it themselves. My dad does professional costuming and tailoring, but we always had to sew on our own badges - he was (and is) however kind enough to help now and then with particularly difficult patches, such as the Messengers of Peace emblem, which is a PAIN to sew on by hand. And since I do all my stitching by hand, I need professional, mechanical intervention now and then. :laugh:

But again - don't be like me. Teach them to do it all themselves!

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12 hours ago, The Latin Scot said:

I believe rank patches are one of the few items that are normally NOT permitted on the back of the merit badge sash. If you must put anything besides merit badges on the back of it (a practice of which I have never been a fan), then keep it to temporary patches, not official badges of rank or office.

Don't rely on belief or "normally". Either there is a prohibition in the Insignia Guide, or there is not. So lessee ...

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Miscellaneous patches may only be worn on the back of the sash. 

The use of "miscellaneous" is intentionally vague. Any scout with a needle, thread, patches for past leadership positions or ranks, and ambition should decorate his sash knowing his uniform inspection score will remain untarnished.

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Apparently this is more open to debate than I realized. Here's another thread exclusively devoted to this topic:

It's from a few years back, but it demonstrates the variety of opinions on the issue, and I for one find it superfluous and excessive to put rank patches on the back of the sash. The badge on the shirt will automatically signify that the past ranks have been earned, so adding them to the back of the sash just feels like an excuse to put more swag on display. I don't like the message that teaches young people. Naturally some will disagree, but I hold to my original post.

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11 hours ago, The Latin Scot said:

Apparently this is more open to debate than I realized. Here's another thread exclusively devoted to this topic:

It's from a few years back, but it demonstrates the variety of opinions on the issue, and I for one find it superfluous and excessive to put rank patches on the back of the sash. The badge on the shirt will automatically signify that the past ranks have been earned, so adding them to the back of the sash just feels like an excuse to put more swag on display. I don't like the message that teaches young people. Naturally some will disagree, but I hold to my original post.

Yep. This isn't our first rodeo with this nuance in the IG. The National Uniform and Insignia Committee has been informed of the "liberties" taken with the back of the sash. From http://www.scoutinsignia.com/tmppatch.htm:

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(In the 2013 printing of the BSA's Guide to Awards and Insignia, the BSA refers to "temporary" insignia as "miscellenous" insignia. The terms are interchangable, and intended to widen the scope of the types of insignia which can be worn on a temporary -- not permanent -- basis on the right uniform pocket; on personal activity items like vests, jackets, or jac-shirts; on blankets or as equipment decoration. I have been told that subsequent guides will make this distinction clearer.)

Nevertheless the IG continued to use "miscellaneous" for the back of the sash as opposed to "temporary" for the right pocket.

Oh snap! I just did a broader search of the current IG. On page 11 ...

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Boy Scouts may wear only temporary patches (no badges of rank) on the back of the merit badge sash.

@The Latin Scot, along with Mike Walton, are vindicated. I will now put on my uniform police hat and personally castigate every scout I know whose old rank patches have been affixed to the back of their sash.

Full disclosure: I've never seen a scout with any insignia, let alone ovals, on the back of their sash. Maybe it's not an Northeast thing?

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