It was time to buy a new Scout uniform. The one I have been using I have probably been wearing for ten years. The sleeves are starting to fray at the edges. Some of the patches are coming loose. The worse problem with the shirt is that it seems to be shrinking. It was fine when I bought it but during the last couple years it just does not fit as well any more. I just don’t understand it.

So I bought a new uniform shirt along with a new batch of patches. I did not want to go through the work of taking the patches off the old shirt. Many of them were applied with Badge Magic and I do not think they would come off easily. I will hang the old shirt at the end of the closet with the other old shirts from the last 38 years that may one day find their way to the Scouting display at our local museum.

Anyway, like I was saying, I bought a new uniform shirt. That was ten months ago. It has been sitting in a bag on my bedroom dresser since I bought it. Along with all the new patches. It appears the patches will not apply themselves to the shirt even if you wait ten months.

A couple weeks ago I decided to do something with the new shirt. I spread it out nicely on the family room table. I sorted through the collection of patches that need to be applied to the shirt. There would be eighteen patches, three of which I still had to order from somewhere. I dug through the closet and pulled out the Badge Magic I had left over from preparing the old uniform. I then cut pieces of Badge Magic and started applying some of the patches to the new uniform. I was using the adhesive strips to place the patches, not as the permanent application method. My goal was to bring the shirt and patches to Judy, a seamstress in town, to sew them onto the shirt. She is very reasonable with her fees.

The shirt laid on the family room table in the basement for a few more days since I forgot to grab it on my way to work. One day I went home for lunch, remembered the shirt, grabbed it on the way out, and brought it to Judy. She said she would call me after she finished sewing the ten patches. Yeah, ten patches. I could not do the left shoulder yet because I was waiting for the 40 year patch. I also needed a 2001 Jamboree patch for over the right pocket. The new Journey to Excellent patches have not arrived.

Within thirty minutes of arriving back at work I received a phone call from Judy to let me know my shirt was ready. As I drove up the next day to pick up the shirt I was wondering how much she was going to charge me for sewing ten patches. The Scout Shop charges $4.00 per patch. I was hoping she would be less than that. She was. The bill was less than $8.00, and she did an excellent job.

Once the final three patches arrive I will place them on the shirt and bring it back to Judy for another round of sewing. The Jamboree patch has arrived but I am still waiting for the other two.

I hope I get another ten years or more from this new uniform. I hope it does not shrink like the last one did.