Patch display book / scrapbook

[Horizon]

My son came home from Jambo with a ton of patches, including several "sets." We are trying to come up with the best way to display all of them in a fashion that he can keep for awhile.

 

I was thinking of a large book of some sort with protected pages, but I wanted to see what this group might have come up with.

[Eagle92]

For normal sized CSPs, go with the CSP holders. For the larger CSPs and Sets, check out Michaels' craft store and look in scrapbooking. One serious collector I met goes everyweek, with her 50% off coupon, and buys supplies

[Trevorum]

Patch collectors will advise to NEVER staple a patch, glue a patch, or tape a patch.

[Frank17]

The CSP holders are nice for storage, not for display.

 

Lay your patches out in an attractive pattern on the floor and figure out what size frame they will all fit in. Use one of those 40% off coupons for the craft stores and get a nice poster frame to display them in. Most will have hard cardboard or fiberboard backs. Pick up some cheap colored fabric to make a background; stretch & hot glue / tape it in place on the backing. Then arrange the patches on the backing and sandwich them between the glass and the backing. If done properly, they will not move and can be hung with no problem. Or you can use double sided tape to help hold them in place, although that can devalue some patches (probably not a problem for most modern patches though, which are mass produced).

 

I have made several of these displays for myself, my son, and other scouters, and they hold up well and look attractive.

[ScoutBox]

A box frame would work perfectly. I like to display some of mine with either red or green felt behind them...

[Twocubdad]

I have my collection of jamboree patches framed in a conventional frame and held in place with one stitch through the mat board. I'm very careful to catch the patch in a location where the stitch won't do any permanent damage or be seen.

 

Unless you want a house full of patch displays, your best bet for the others is to store them in notebooks using the various-sized sleeve pages.

 

If your son has any of the big, multi-patch "halos" that all the boys were nuts for, I don't know how you display those things.

[CalicoPenn]

I use a polyester double sided tape (mine is from 3M - it's a thick, white poly foam - the backing is green - I get mine from Home Depot) to attach patches to Avery Translucent Durable Write-on Plastic Dividers (available at good office supply stores) which are put into 3-ring binders. I use 3/4" tape, cut the length I need, then cut that lengthwise in half - one half for the top of the patch, one for the bottom of the patch. The plastic dividers are semi-stiff which means they hold up well and can take the weight of the patches. Paper or cardboard dividers just don't hold up.

 

I really don't worry about future collectors - my patches are for me to look at and jog my memory - they aren't an investment.

[sam&john'smom]

i know the true patch collector will cringe at this idea, however--i purchased very good quality full size fleece blankets and have been sewing the kids patches on there. my intent was for them to take it off to college with them, but they love them so much they use now. they really enjoy reliving all the great times they had. they have even have said--wow mom, you do a lot of stuff for us!

[desertrat77]

Love the old school patch blanket, Mom! Very cool. Seeing those memories every day beats hiding the patches in a shoe box.

 

The blanket concept was more common years ago, as were patch vests.

[ctbailey]

I am also of the mind the old school patch blanket is the way to go. I am "collecting" my own memories - not a patch collection.

 

I've even been using red wool blnakets for mine, so they are functional at camp outs, camp, etc.

 

I saw a real interesting method of collection this summer at Philmont: a gentelman was wearing some sort of blanket with a hole cut out for his head, and this blanket was covered in 50+ years of patches!

[Eagle92]

CT,

In the UK, they call them Camp or Campfire blankets, and they were very common. Considering I was wearing a sweatshirt and GI field jacket in July, those blankets were worn year round.

[moxieman]

sam&john'smom, I guess I'm not a "true patch collector". (chuckle) My collection of roughly 2,000 patches/crests/badges are sewn on 6 blankets--2 for things I've done/earned, the rest trades/gifts over the years--one of them is camp-blanket style (as Eagle92 described).

 

Some collectors I've met do take it way too seriously. They react like a baseball card collector when you bend the corner of a card. How dare I "rape" my patches by taking thread and needle to them! What? It's my collection to do with as I please. And it pleases me to be able to display them the (IMO) easiest way possible at scout events to get others interested in the hobby.

 

I'm glad your sons are excited over the work you're doing for them. Teach'em how to sew those patches on themselves and see the pride they display when they next earn one and put it on themselves. Every one of those in my collection I hand-sewn.

[ctbailey]

Ahhh.. "Camp Blankets." nice to put a name to it. It certainly was functional. The one I saw definitely had a "South western USA" sort of coloration to it, possibly with some Mexican influences? The guy wearing it was from Las Vegas, and Philmont in June was about as chilly to me as September is here in NH. So I was in short sleeves, but some folks from the desert, and the South Texans' were all bundled up in their camp blankets and jac-shirts.

 

Man, I can't wait to get back out to Philmont... but I digress.

 

Patch blankets are some of the best tradition Scouting has, and I am glad to see the concept is still alive and kicking.

 

Craig