Sewing Merit Badge

[topshot]

It baffles me why Textiles exists and Sewing doesn't. The ability to make your own clothing, backpacks and tents could be both rewarding and thrifty(er) for many Scouts.

[AquilaNegra2]

My boys did textile, and I thought it was very worthwhile. They learned the difference between fabrics and why different ones work better for different purposes. They learned a LOT about tensile strength and waterproofing, both valuable skills in Scouting. The instructor helped them choose the best fabrics for tenting, tarps, backpack covers, and cold-weather vs. warm-weather clothing for camping. They also learned about "green" technology, chemical waste and cleanup, labor, economies of scale, price points, and business.

Maybe it's not the BADGE that needs revising, but the instructor. Just a thought.

I would be hard-pressed to get many boys to proudly wear a sewing badge.

[topshot]

My boys did textile, and I thought it was very worthwhile....

Maybe it's not the BADGE that needs revising, but the instructor.

I wasn't saying textiles shouldn't exist, but it doesn't go far enough. What's the point of learning which fabrics you should use for stuff if you don't know how to construct it? The instructor has nothing to do with it in this case since there's no requirements for sewing.

[Cowboy]

Or instead of making it an optional Merit Badge that the boys won't have to take unless they "want" to do girly stuff.........Why not add it into the requirements for Scout or Tenderfoot. Something to the effect of:
Sew your rank, position, unit and patrol patch/badges on your uniform.
This could be accomplished in a Troop meeting during the patrol time (most Troops have the "new" patrol) and the boys can get the basics of hand sewing.

BTW: I do most of the sewing and cooking in our house, girly is a figure of speech.

[alex gregory]

Why not add it into the requirements for Scout or Tenderfoot. Something to the effect of:
Sew your rank, position, unit and patrol patch/badges on your uniform.
This could be accomplished in a Troop meeting during the patrol time (most Troops have the "new" patrol) and the boys can get the basics of hand sewing.

I like it! Great idea, particularly for Tenderfoot which already has the patrol name and yell requirement.

[Quailman]

Excellent suggestion. My youngest scout has a motor skill issue related to CP, so I sew his on, but I taught his older brother early on, and he did all his sewing after that. He made a few bucks (a dollar per patch) sewing on patches for fellow scouts, but most kids just had their mom's do it for them.

SM "Why are you still wearing that Second Class patch? Where's the First Class patch I gave you last month?"
Scout: "My mom didn't sew it on yet."

[kwildman]

both of my boys can sew but i have a standing agreement with them that if they earn it I will sew it. Momma gave up sewing very early on in their cub scout days after fighting with those darn arrow points.

[ams]

I have always thought there should be a basic sewing MB. Some hand sewing, some awareness of sewing machine care and function.
Where do we lie with such a concept?

[smtroop168]

Dead issue.

[Chuppecat]

In all the years I have been in Scouting (20 to be exact) I have never heard a youth say he wished there was a sewing merit badge. I only hear it from the parents, mainly the mothers who have to sew all those patches. If the youth are not interested, the BSA will not make one. It does not matter how many parents lobby for it.

It costs the BSA money to produce and maintain merit badges, which is why there are not a million different ones. The BSA must do market research to find what boys are interested in earning, find an expert who can write the MB pamphlet, consult with educators who must make sure the requirements are challenging enough yet not overly difficult for youth to earn, and find an illustrator who can draw the line art. The BSA must also print the pamphlets, design and produce the cloth badges, and finally market the badge. I am sure many other steps are in-between that I missed.

Looking at the Philippine Boy Scouts Tailoring MB above, I do not see any requirement that says you have to know how to sew patches on a uniform. Now is that not interesting?

[BartHumphries]

Why not add it into the requirements for Scout or Tenderfoot. Something to the effect of:
Sew your rank, position, unit and patrol patch/badges on your uniform.

Those may not be sewn on a uniform -- they may be sewed to velcro strips, and the other half of the velcro strip may be sewn to the uniform. I don't see a way to describe attaching patches to a uniform, and covering all the ways that they might be sewn, which also excludes things like BadgeMagic.

Why velcro for unit numbers which never really change? A boy may have bought his tan shirt as a Webelos II, and the Den/Troop numbers may not be the same. Position should be changing every six months or so, and rank will probably change at least once a year. Patrol patches may or may not be permanent, depending on the patrol.

This also makes it a lot easier to hand a shirt down. Nobody cares if you get a shirt with velcro on it. People care if you get a shirt with old patches on it.