Are you a glue lover or not? Today, we’re diving into the sticky world of badge attachment for scout blankets. No, not wood glue, but badge glue. Yes, it’s a thing. You may have seen the recent email from the Scout Store, where they’re surveying leaders on their preferred methods for attaching badges. The big question: Do you use Badge Glue, or do you stick with the traditional Needle and Thread?

I’ll admit it: I’ve dabbled in badge glue. If you’re a regular viewer of Big Man of Woods, you know my sewing skills leave much to be desired. Over the years, my badges have slowly but surely fallen off my blanket. Sewing is one of those skills I desperately need to improve. My wife, who teaches sewing, could probably help me out, but in the past, I’ve often reached for the glue to speed up the process. It works… for a while.

Before we dive deeper into the pros and cons of badge glue, let’s take a quick break. Grab a brew, and let’s chat about the adhesive allure of badge glue.

**The Quick Fix That Fails**

We’ve all been there. A box of badges waiting to be attached to your blanket, and never enough time to sew them all on. Badge glue seems like a brilliant solution. A quick dab, a press, and voilà! Your badge is affixed. For the first few uses, it looks perfect. But then reality sets in.

I’ve glued many badges onto my blanket. Each badge tells a story: the first YouTube Scout group during lockdown, the “1 hour a week” badge reminding us that scouting only takes an hour a week, and many more. They looked great… at first. But then, as time went on, they started to peel off.

**Why Badge Glue Fails**

The problem with badge glue is that it’s a temporary fix. When you use your blanket regularly, the glue begins to break down. The badge becomes stiff and brittle, and eventually, it snaps off. Washing the blanket makes it worse. The heat from the washing machine loosens the glue, turning it back into a liquid, and the badges come off again. Temperature fluctuations do the same. If you store your blanket in the loft, where it gets hot and cold, the glue weakens, and your badges will fall off.

**The Old-Fashioned Way is Best**

Unfortunately, there’s only one reliable way to attach badges to your blanket: the good old needle and thread. I’ve experimented with different glues and iron-on sheets, but nothing works as well as sewing. It’s not the most exciting task, and I often find myself bored after an hour. That’s when I enlist the help of my mother-in-law, paying her to sew on some badges. It’s a task I know I should do myself, but sometimes you need a little help.

“Sew” ( Do you get the pun?!), Scout Leaders, my question to you is: are you a badge glue user or not? If you are, you might want to reconsider. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself frustrated, wasting time gluing badges that will eventually fall off. Instead, spend that time sewing them on properly.

Now, guess what I’ll be doing for the next hour? That’s right, sewing on the badges that have fallen off. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of camp blankets and how to get your badge layout just right, check out this video here.

Watch the vlog version of this blog post

Happy sewing, and may

your badges stay put on your Camp Blanket!