Fountain Pen Day Pen sleeve ~

[earthdawn]

FPD pen sleeve. Each year I learn to make something new to give out for Fountain Pen Day. This is my project for this year. I think there's a lot to be said about something handmade. It took a little more time than I thought but i should be able to speed it up some I hope. I am going to make a few to start and send them randomly for testing.

The first thing i made were the Faux Midori covers, then last year I did the Fieldnote size notebooks. Both of which I still make as time permits. I think the pen sleeves will be a great addition and hope you do as well.

Understand they are FREE. I don't make & charge. I make & share. For now I would appreciate critique from you.
Orange felt is stiffened, black liner felt is not.
Share your passion with others....

That being said I need some ideas as well to brand them. The button I put on where I would like to put the logo. While the button is OK it is a little bulky and I would rather see something more flush like a clothing type tag I can sew on. while I looked them up and they can end up being pricey I am open to ideas. Obviously I am trying to minimize cost and maximize quality.

Its a great sleeve to pen a couple of pens in and drop in a backpack or pocketbook while protecting them. Its stiffed felt not carbon fiber so they are not bullet proof.

Thanks for looking and remember I do take criticism well and in the end it will only help make for a better item to give away.

[kaisnowbird]

I'm not very handy so I cannot offer constructive criticism, only praise and encouragement. :clap2::clap2::clap2:

I think as a prototype it's looking great! The button, the black stitching and the black felt lining look great together with the orange felt. the simple S shape lining as a separator is ingenious.

[Crazyorange]

Maybe you could ask Michael? He's got a great eye and ideas.

I think the prototype is a great start. Could you get a stamp with your logo and stamp the material? Someone must make a permanent ink stamp?

[caribbean_skye]

Have you considered putting the logo on the flap (near the top and above the piece that holds it down )?

[mhguda]

I like it a lot as it is, and that's saying something, because I don't like orange. So when the time comes I'd love to have it in red, a close color.
One idea I had: if the logo would be totally flush with the band that holds the flap, maybe even be integrated, and not a separate button, I think I would prefer the look of that, and it would also make the sleeve less vulnerable. If you do this, it would be a use item for years to come, so have to think about how durable it could be made...
Keep up the good work! I love the divider. And if you don't make it in red I will ask for an orange one...

[Flounder]

It's bright, fun, and functional. With floppy felt, it might be less fiddly in use to have a string attached to the top flap, that you wrap around the button.

[MY63]

Hi Earthdawn
Nice work. I would be happy to help you in your endeavours.
I would make a template from thick card for the body and a seperate one for the tab that holds the flap.
When you have done that Mark and punch the stitching holes in the card this will even up your stitching, when you come to put everything together use a little pva glue to hold it in place then use you template an a marker pen to lay out the stitching then sew it together.
The logo is another problem what about a rubber stamp on some material might workout cheaper than printing.
I hope this helps in some way.

[Sammyo]

Ilove it... but then again orange and black is my favourite colour combination :)
As for the the logo, you can buy standard printer sheets That print as iron on images. I made some t-shirts for a funny team competition 10 yrs ago and the image looks the same today as it did when they were printed and ironed on. The other advantage is that you can resize the image to what you need and possibly print 30-40 to a sheet! Just a thought :)

[RayCornett]

I am a graphic designer, perhaps we can discuss all this sometime. As for a logo on the felt material I think a simple rubber stamp could go wonders. You could then spray Scotchgard on it to protect it from wetness.

[RayCornett]

As for tags to sew on, one thing you *could* do(for start up only since this would be time consuming) is go to Zazzle.com, make a t shirt with the small size logo literally all over it. Order one shirt at cost. When it arrives cut all the logos out in little squares and sew those on.

[earthdawn]

Thank you for the input and feedback.

I tried this version ... stitching on over the edges. I used a guide to set the stitching holes so it came out more even. There is extra stitching as I forgot to put the tab holder on lol. But this gives an idea of the overall effect.

The first one has been sent out so I can see how it holds up.

Thanks again for looking and helping. I really do appreciate hearing thoughts and ideas.