Boy Scout Badge Display Tutorial

My seven year old son just finished his first year of Cub Scouts.  I was very good about sewing on his badges that went on his uniform but was unsure what to do with all of his miscellaneous badges from camping trips, popcorn sales, etc.  They do not go on a uniform, but I wanted to display them somehow so that they did not just wind up as a pile of badges in a drawer.  I decided to make a simple display for his badges and took some pictures along the way so you could make one too if you would like.

For the display you will need:

• A large poster sized picture frame (I had one old one in my closet but you could buy one from JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, or the like).  The one shown below is 16" x 20"
• Batting at least as big as the frame plus 2" on each side
• Fabric at least as big as the frame plus 2" on each side.
• Duct tape

For my batting I just used some bamboo batting leftovers from a recent quilt.  Because I work at a textile company, I have an entire roll (so heavy I can't really lift it) of a dark blue twill fabric used in Dickies garments.  It was free and looks very similar to the dark blue of a Boy Scout uniform so it fit the bill (though any quilting cotton or decor weight fabric would work just fine).

Step 1 - Disassemble the frame keeping the actual frame, the backing material (usually corrugated cardboard), and the hanging hard wear.

Step 2 - Arrange on the floor in order:

1. Fabric right side down
2. Batting
3. Frame backing

Step 3 - Wrap the batting and fabric around the cardboard and tape in place with duct tape (similar to recovering a chair cushion).  I first taped down a first pair of opposite sides, then the second pair of opposite sides, then put duct tape all along the fabric edge to keep everything smooth and the front free of wrinkles.

Step 4 - Place the wrapped frame backing into the frame, secure in place and attach hanging hardware. Congrats, you now have a great display for all of those Boy Scout badges (or any other badges or other display items).  

You can use any of your favorite methods to attach the badges.  I used duct tape on some and fabric glue on others and both methods seem to work just fine.

In another variation, you could wrap a cork board instead of the frame backing for a custom fabric covered cork board where you could attach badges and pins.

I am linking up to Link a Finish Friday, Whoop Whoop Friday, Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday, Finish It Up Friday, Fabric Frenzy Friday,  Sewjo @ My Go Go Life, and Show Off Saturday @ Sew She Can.