How to Make Leash Sleeves

This zip file contains the following artwork drawn to the quick-ref dimensions (not my shrunk dimensions which was done when creating the silkscreen):

• One sleeve - (9-1/2" x 5" fabric)
• Two sleeves - two up (9-1/2" x 10" fabric)
• Three sleeves - three up (9-1/2" x 15" fabric)
• Six sleeves - three up, two across (19" x 15" fabric. Note: drawing's print field is 18x15, the sleeve uses a little fabric outside the print field.)

That artwork was created using the free Inkscape program. The 6-sleeve drawing is what I printed. It contains some "INFO" layers documenting measurements, my thoughts. The other drawings don't have that. (Note: the print area of the 6-sleeve is 18x15". But, the flags use 19x15 of fabric. This means 1/2" of the flag falls outside the print area on each side. The "INFO" layers won't make sense unless you keep that in mind.).

When the silkscreen was created, I had the drawing shrunk 4%. But, shrinking the 6-sleeve artwork isn't optimal because it contracts into the center. I should've shrank the 1-sleeve & created a 6-sleeve from that. The shrinkage would've been spread around the whole fabric they're printed on. The way I did it, it gets a little tight between the sleeves. (The proper way is to reduce the font size 4%. Move the text & dots where they should be. Then make 2-, 3- & 6-sleeve from that. Shrinking is a lazy way to do it. But, "svg" stands for "scalable vector graphics." A benefit f this graphic format is that it can be shrunk/enlarged infinitely without degradation. So, either way should be the same.).

Clarification: I said that I didn't shrink the snap holes in the y - vertical direction. Actually, they did shrink with everything else. I compensate by piercing the holes 1/32" below the printed dots. (I use a template to mark the holes. This correction is in that template.).

I created the 6-sleeve artwork because I found a commercial (wholesale-only) contract printer willing to do this for me [I can't say who; they don't want to work with the public]. Their print area is 18x15 (for t-shirts). They required a minimum 19x16 fabric. I designed the 6-sleeve artwork for that.

Cutting 60" fabric (16" long) gave me three 20x16" pieces. That gives 2" excess fabric in the x - horizontal direction (and the required 1" excess in the y - vertical direction. I drew the artwork to use 1" (of the 2" excess) for the sleeve. I.e., 1/2" outside the 18" print area (each side) is used for the sleeve. (I.e., two 9-1/2" pieces are 19". The extra inch gave the silkscreener some wiggle room. I.e., they didn't have to perfectly center the printing on the fabric.). In the 15" direction, I only use 15". It turned out well. It was cheap! ($0.76 per piece. Each piece has 6 sleeves. That's $0.13 per sleeve @ 2023 prices.).

If I did this again, I would print them myself. You can find videos showing how to silkscreen. It doesn't seem complicated. Start with one at a time, then 2, then 3. (I think 2-3 would be easy to work with, less potential for stretching the fabric, skewing the print.). Printing a few at a time gives you a chance to modify the artwork's dimensions. The way I did it was "big bang" (printing thousands all at once. That was scary.).

You can find local retail silkscreen printers who do low-volume promo jobs for local clubs & businesses. They can adapt the artwork for you. You'll pay more than I did, but have more of a relationship, flexibility to do small runs (make changes along the way). If you watch videos about silkscreening (educate yourself, showing you're serious) they might let you watch what they do (in support of your cause). Finding a wholesale silkscreener as I did would be useful for group-buys where one person makes it happen, parcels out the result to the group. You should be able to expect 1-2 small runs from a wholesaler so you can see how it will come out before committing to a large job. They don't want a lot of little jobs as you figure out the artwork. It would better to experiment using DIY silkscreening (or a retail silkscreener).

Fabric

I use 100% polyester poplin. The front is neon yellow (aka "hi-vis yellow," "safety-fabric yellow"). Some people call it green (but there is a hi-vis/safety fabric that's more green, called neon green. It could look good for this too.). This color is hard to find because sellers often call anything yellow "neon yellow" (when its not). Or, I saw someone call it green when it was yellow. (And then, online photos rarely look like what the fabric will in person. I buy a sample. If it's right, I buy everything they have. I bought 200yds that way. No regrets. Whereas, I bought 5-10 yards of other fabric I was optimistic about, and ended up wishing I only bought one yard.). Almost everything I found that was the right color was close-out fabric the seller couldn't get more of. So, there's an incentive to buy it when you find it. But, be careful to see it first. Most of the time what's called neon yellow isn't. (You can use the disappointing samples for the back fabric.).

You don't have to use neon-yellow for the rear (and since that color's hard to find, there's more reason to use a different color). My favorite color for the rear is in the range of mango, amber, saffron or creamy Orangesicle color. I think it goes well with the neon-yellow front. Something more orange than gold color. But, not too orange (like Home Depot orange). This is more available than neon-yellow, but still hard to find online because people call it yellow, gold, orange (when those names cover a lot of colors that aren't this). It doesn't matter since it's the back. But, when I find something that's right, I buy as much as they have (or confirm that it's something they can get more of).

Pre-shrink

Polyester shouldn't shrink. But, I soak my cut pieces in hot water for a few minutes, then hang on a rack to dry. You should do this with the front pieces before printing, and the back pieces before sewing.

Stabilizer, interfacing & batting

These three things work together. I've used high-loft batting without anything else. Medium-loft with interfacing to add some firm body to the sleeve. I've used stabilizer and very low-loft (fleece) batting which had very firm body, not much poofy'ness. It's worthwhile playing with this to see how they work together. You can use any color fabric to experiment with these things, without wasting the good colors.

Stabilizer

I use Pellon 926 extra firm stabilizer. You can find 20"-wide by 10-yd bolts on Walmart's website (online-only purchase).

I also use Pellon 50 heavyweight (thinner than 926). I use a 1" strip along each long edge of the 926. With just 926, the edge (between the snaps) isn't as rigid as I'd like. It would spread open a little too much. Adding a strip of 50 gave that edge a bit more stiffness. I had the idea to do this after thinking about "boning." Real boning is too rigid for this. But, thinking about that topic caused me to think about adding a strip of additional stabilizer along this edge for more firmness there.

There's also Pellon 40 (midweight). It's very thin. If your fabric is heavier like denim or canvas, then you might use Pellon 50 instead of 926. And then you could use Pellon 40 for the 1" edge strips. Or, if you use heavier or loftier batting, you might make the edge strips out of this midweight stabilizer.

I have some back-fabric that's tennis-ball material (thick, heavy with a fuzzy surface). I use Pellon 50 with that, and Pellon 40 for the edge strips.

Interfacing

There's also "interfacing" which adds a little loft which stabilizer doesn't (and some rigidity which lofty batting doesn't). I haven't looked at it much. The only one I've used is Pellon 988 interfacing discussed below as batting. It seems almost indistinguishable from some things called batting (like Project Fleece or Warm Company's Soft & Bright). There may be interfacing that's thinner like the stabilizer above. I haven't looked into it.

Batting

You should always use 100% polyester batting. I use "Fairfield Poly-Fil Low-Loft". This batting is very cheap at Walmart. (It comes in different sizes: crib to king. Calculate the cost per square-inch to see which is cheaper.). The packaging I've seen looks like this:

click for fullsize

The loft is about 1/4", but it's very light/silky/whispy. There can be variation in one sheet, or between different sheets (manufacturing lots). I've acquired some different back fabric. Some is thinner (some heavier). I use the heavier back fabric when the low-loft batting varies toward lighter/thinner/whispier. (I use the thinner back fabric when the batting's varies toward more substantial.).

For me, this batting is perfect with Pellon 926 stabilizer (and 1" Pellon 50 strips to give the long-edge more stiffness.). This combination of batting & stabilizer feels really good to me.

Fairfield "Poly-Fil Featherweight thermal bonded" is almost exactly the same as the "Low Loft" product. (48" x 60yd roll. SKU: RSF-48-60YR-1. 2.25oz/sq yd, or 3oz/linear yd). Since you buy this in bulk, it costs half as much per sleeve as "Low Loft." Being thermal bonded, one side has a slightly crusty feel (I face that side against the stabilizer. The other side seems softer, plusher. I face that toward the leash so it might conform/grip the leash better.). This batting may be slightly less lofty than "Low-Loft," but a bit more firm/rigid. I like this batting as much as "Low Loft." I like this a little better with the Pellon 50 strips than "Low Loft" with 50 strips. Comparing the two, I sometimes feel like I like "Low Loft" with Pellon 40 strips. It's good to experiment this way. Get a feel for how different things go together. See Fairfield's product page for more info. I've seen it on Amazon (ASIN B00YNZ7V78). Also QuiltBatting.com, but they're pretty expensive.

Before using Pellon 50 edge strips, I liked Fairfield "Poly-Fil Lightweight Thermal Bonded" (with 926 stabilizer). It's just a little more (1/8") loftier than the prior two. The sleeve was more poofy. That poofiness translates into some rigidity when the sleeve's snapped onto a leash. But, as I said before: the spaces between the snaps tended to open up. Using Pellon 50 edge strips makes this batting too much. But, Pellon 40 strips are worth trying just to see how that is. You'll get a little more of a firm edge. But, I don't think this is the right combination. This batting comes 48" x 45yd (SKU: RSL-48-45YR-1. 3oz/sq yd, or 4oz/linear yd). Like the Featherweight, one side has a slightly crusty feel (I faced that against the stabilizer. I think the softer side would conform to the leash better, grip it better.). See Fairfield's product page for more info. (Be aware that the photo with the dime is incorrect. It's not nearly that thick.). I've seen it on Amazon (ASIN B002PIOMAE). Quiltbatting.com too (same link as above)

Other batting

I played with the following which you might want to be aware of, try it yourself:

Fairfield Poly-Fil "Basic Batting" (it was called "Soft & Crafty" on Joann's website, but the bag says "Basic Batting") is almost the same as the Lightweight bonded mentioned above. It's not bonded. It came as 48" x 10yd roll in a plastic bag. It's a little more firmly lofty (springy, wiry) than the "Lightweight" above. As I said about the Lightweight: I liked this with 926 stabilizer before I started using Pellon 50 edge strips. But, I think this was a Joann-only product. I don't think it's sold anymore.

Sometimes I added Pellon 988 fleece interfacing to the "Low Loft" batting. 988 has almost no loft, very thin, adds weight (substance, but not as rigid as stabilizer). The sleeve felt like a heavy jacket. I think of 988 as being batting. But, offically it's "interfacing." It's worth having some.

There's also Fairfield Project Fleece batting which is very easy to find like "Low Loft," sold at Walmart. It's a little more soft/fluffy (loftier) than 988. Warm Company Soft & Bright batting is no-loft like 988, but a little heavier somehow, adds more substance than 988. I used these before I discovered stabilizer. They gave some rigidity without loft. But, it was never right.

It's good to mix and match these different things to see how it comes out. I've ended up where: 926 is the right stabilizer for the fabric I use. "Low Loft" with Pellon 50 or 40 edge strips is right. Or, "Featherweight" with Pellon 50 strips. Or, "Lightweight" with no edge strips, or maybe Pellon 40 edge strips. I make my sleeves in that realm of materials. But, again, it depends on your fabric. Depending on the rear fabric I use, I chose one of those variations. Thinner fabric goes better with "Low Loft" and 50 strips, or even "Lightweight" and no strips (or 40 strips). Heavier fabric might be better with "Low Loft" and no strips, or "Lightweight" and no strips. Small differences like the weight of the rear fabric can make those variations better or worse.

Thread

I use Gutterman Mara-70 poly (tex-40) neon yellow #3835. You can find this on Wawak, or RipstopByTheRoll. This is the only tex-40 I've found in neon yellow. (They have neon green too, #3836). You can find lots of neon yellow in tex-70 on Amazon. But, to me that's too heavy for this. It could work depending on the heaviness of your fabric. My fabric is thinner, prone to puckering. I think heavier thread would make that worse. But, I haven't tried it.

You'll probably need a walking-foot sewing machine to sew 5 layers (2 stabilizer, 1 batting, 2 fabric). Most real walking-foot machines are made for heavy work like upholstery & leather. Many home machines can use a "walking-foot" attachment. It's not a real walking foot (the top foot isn't powered, it simply pinches the fabric down against the bottom feed dogs, and moves with them.). I used such an attachment with a vintage Singer 201-2. It was definitely better than not using it. I got the impression there are different versions of this attachment; not all work as well.[2] This may have to do with how the attachment's feet align with the machine's feed dogs. Some of these attachments may claim to fit a machine, but not as well as other attachments.

Pinning the material together worked better than clips (more solid, less puckering). But, I think I've learned to sew better since then. If I still used that machine, clips might work better now.

Using clips, there's a technique which can help reduce puckering. Lay the palm of your left hand flat on top of the material (your index finger pointing to the rear, your thumb pointing to the right. You want your index finger and palm as close as possible to the sew line while being able to travel past the foot as the material moves to the rear. (Your thumb will contribute to holding the material taught.). You want to flatten the fabric, but not interfere with its movement. You don't want to "help" it move either. This takes some practice. There's a sweet spot where you're flatening the fabric near the line to sew, steering the fabric so it sews on the line - but not creating drag or pushing to help it move.

Similarly, it helps if you clip the material so it's taught across the top fabric. I.e., after clipping the material it will be poofy, loose, slack. You can flatten the material with the palm of your hand, and open/close each clip taking the slack out of the material. This makes it easier to do the technique above while sewing (the material will be already flattened).

Lower-loft batting is less problematic. Higher-loft "Lightweight" and "Soft & Crafty" are prone to more puckering. It's more important to use the flat-hand technique to flatten the material as you sew. Or, pins.

Juki DU-1181N

Now I use a Juki DU-1181N which is a real walking-foot machine, and made for lighter materials & thread. It works very well for this. It's almost too much machine for tex 40 thread & the light fabric I use. You'll have to fiddle with its adjustments to get it dialed in for no puckering (then it's great). The adjustments are: 1) inner & outer pressor-foot pressures; 2) thread tension (including bobbin tension. Too much tension seemed to cause puckering); 3) stitch length (longer seems better. Mine measures 6-1/3 stitches per inch); 4) takeup spring tension (less worked better for me); 5) takeup thread length (this is the silver thread-guide above the thread-tension disks which slides left/right. Moving the guide 1/4" to the right worked better for me.). There are other adjustments that I didn't need to change. I use NM: 100, size: 16 needle (needle size might affect puckering). I struggled getting the thread tension light enough and balanced. I think I'm at the limit of what this machine can do. If the thread tension is any lighter: I get missed stitches (any stronger: more prone to pucker). Perhaps related to being this close to the limit, I found that if my knee even lightly touched the lifter, I got missed stitches. (That took some time to figure out. I chased thread tension adjustment when the problem was my knee touching the lifter.).

Oiling

This machine uses an oil pan & pump, and is designed to be used at high-speeds. There's a sight bowl on top which you you should see oil splash against, but not until a certain speed. I sew at motor's slowest speed. I never see splashing. Therefore, I wait to wind the bobbin until it runs out. Then I wind the bobbin with the motor speed-knob turned to 1600-1900 to see some splashing & know oil circulated. Normally I would wind a bobbin while sewing. But, since this machine is self-oiling and designed for high-speed, I think it's better to wind the bobbin independently (at speed) to make sure it gets oiled. Sewing at the lowest speed doesn't need much lubrication. The pump may be spreading oil at a low speed (I just don't see it flinging onto the sight bowl at that speed?). But, it seems wise to operate the machine at high speed occasionally to make sure.

There are some external locations behind the machine that require manual oiling. See pg 8a of the instruction manual. (This is an english-only instruction manual. Juki's manual is difficult to read with 8 languages mixed together.). This machine uses Juki #1 oil which is lighter than the #2 oil used by the LK-1900 for collars & leashes. The external oiling points might be ok with ordinary zoom-spout oil or #2. But, the pan should have #1. There's a felt pad underneath a rubber plug on the top of the machine. If you don't use the machine for awhile, the manual says it's good to apply some oil to that pad. (That should probably be #1 since it will mingle with the oil in the pan.). Note: You don't want to tilt the machine open too much. That can let dirt get into the oil pan. When you do tilt it open, do so carefully, look for junk trapped in the crack between the table and base of the machine. Use q-tips to carefully clean that ledge without knocking anything into the pan. When the machine's not in use, cover it with a plastic bag large enough to cover the crack (prevent dust from collecting in that crack). I cut a large 35-gallon yard/leaf trash bag to be about 18" long. That makes a good cover which goes past the crack around the machine. (If you don't use the machine for awhile, wipe the table for dust, but don't wipe any into the crack.)

Everything is cut 9-1/2 x 5" (except the Pellon 50 or 40 stabilizer edge strips which are 1"). I stack the material in the following order for sewing (mentioned top to bottom):

• Front fabric (printed-side down)
• Rear fabric (finish side down)
• Poly-Fil "Low Loft" batting (or Fairfield bonded "Featherweight," or "Lightweight")
• (When I've used Pellon 988 interfacing, it would go here)
• Pellon 50 stabilizer 1" strips laying flush along the long edges. (Or Pellon 40 if I need less rigidity along this edge)
• Pellon 926 extra-firm stabilizer (or Pellon 50 if I need less rigidity for the whole sleeve)

Note: When you turn the sleeve inside-out, the rear fabric's top side will be the exposed side. Fabric has a "finished" side which looks nicer (the unfinished side can look coarser). I like the unfinished side to be the exposed side on the back of the sleeve. It looks more like "the back," and the coarser finish might grip the leash better?

My reasoning for that order: 1) I always want the loftier batting to be against the back fabric (after it's turned inside-out). I feel like that will conform around the leash and grip it better. 2) I never want anything between the stabilizer and the front fabric. There's no reason to. 3) If I used 988 for a heavier/stiffer sleeve, I'd put that between the stabilizer and any loftier batting ("project fleece" or "low loft"). If put between the loftier batting and the leash, it wouldn't conform around the leash as well as the low-loft.

I draw the horizontal sew lines 13/16" from the bottom edge of the text (the font's "O" & "!" descend a little compared to the other letters. I align to the other letters).

I draw the vertical lines relative to the printed dots. For the end that's sewn closed: I draw the line 1/2" to 9/16" from the dots. (This end can be short due to the way I shrunk the 6-sleeve artwork. The two rows of three sleeves shrunk closer together. I can often mark the line at 9/16" or a little more. Sometimes I mark closer to 1/2". It depends on how much fabric I have on this end.).

For the end that the sleeve turns inside-out through: I mark it 3/4" from the dots. But, it's important for there to be enough excess fabric to fold inside and sew closed. If the excess is too short, it's hard to fold & sew closed. Sometimes my gang of 6 sleeves weren't printed as centered as I hoped for. In that case, 3/4" doesn't leave enough excess fabric (for 3 sleeves on one side of the gang). The excess can be shorter than ideal; it's a balancing act. I might mark the line closer to 5/8", maybe even 9/16". (I could do 1/2" if I had to. That almost never happens.). If the excess is large (the 3 sleeves on the other side of the gang), I never draw the line further than 3/4". Instead, I'll use more of that excess to fold inside. I talk about that topic when I trim the excess below.

The reason I draw the vertical lines from the printed dots is because it's difficult to align to the text edge on the sides (made worse due to the exclamation point being a smaller font size). I use a clear ruler made for sewing (4" wide with measuring lines inside the ruler). I can align the edge of the ruler to the dots, and look at the lines to see how they line up with the text characters.

The printed fabric is sewn upside-down, so you need to draw the lines on the back of the fabric. Poplin is lightweight, I can see the printed text from the back. If you use heavier fabric, you may have to draw on a surface with a light shining from underneath, or poke a pin through and use that location to draw the lines.

I use a water-erasable pen. I've learned to pay attention to how heavy (strong) the line is because they'll bleed when I iron the edges (which involves spraying water on the edges). It's not a big problem. It easily wipes off with a damp cloth (I do this as I bag the sleeves). But, when a pen's new, I try to press lightly. When it's older, I drag the pen twice to get a stronger line. (But, if I did that when the pen's new, I'd get a lot of bleed). There are air-erasable pens (disappearing ink). They could be better. I like to mark a couple dozen sleeves at once, and take a couple days to sew them all. Those lines may not last that long.

The first step is to lay the 1" strips of (Pellon 50 or 40) stabilizer along the edge of the Pellon 926 (extra firm) stabilzer:

I lay the batting on top of that, then the rear fabric (unfinished side up) on top of the batting, and the front fabric on top of that (printed side down). I position the materials so the stitching will be evenly around the edge of all the material. I clip the center of the long-edge facing me; rotate the material 180 degrees & check the positioning from that side. (I clip that center, then proceed to re-apply the first four clips. Check the positioning again. Then flat-palm the material & re-apply the long-edge clips to take the slack out of the material - make it "taught" as described in the sewing machine section above. Finally, I apply the short-edge clips.):

The red "X" shows the approximate location to start sewing, and where to end.

Using pins

If you have trouble with the fabric shifting, puckering, then you may need to use pins to hold it together more securely:

click for fullsize

That goes slower. You can sew over the pin, but they'll bend & become hard to reuse (I used the thinnest pins I could find, for lace or appliqué? Thicker needles might not bend, but might leave holes in the face of the sleeve?). Your machine's needle may break if it hits a pin. It goes slower removing them compared to removing the clips. But, this should work no matter what kind of machine you have, or how dialed-in it is.

You probably need a walking foot for this, even if it's just the "attachment" type. How well that works (doesn't shift, pucker) has a lot to do with the pressor-foot pressure, the thread tension, the stich length. Your technique (holding the fabric down flat with your palm and fingers extended) as it sews. I suggest that you buy some random/cheap poplin fabric & experiment sewing these materials (layers) for practice, play with the adjustments I mentioned until you get it working well. No reason wasting actual sleeve fabric figuring this out. You might have to pay an experienced sewer to show you how to do it. This kind of sewing (layers) is similar to quilting. They struggle with the same thing. Seek them out. See the sewing machine section above.

This shows the sleeve sewn:

I start a little lower than the printed dot (A), going in reverse up to the text (B, to lock the stitch). Then forward all the way around. I end the same way I started: go to the text (C), then reverse a little past the dot (D).

It's important to drop the needle exactly in the corners. If you stop short, you'll get rounded corners when you turn the sleeve inside out. Sometimes it's best to go one more stitch past the corner. I rotate the material 45-degree so the corner stitch lands behind the drawn corner. (Then I rotate another 45 so the next stitch lands on the sew line in the new direction. (Often, I will push the reverse lever a little before the needle sinks into the fabric. In this way I can reduce the length of this stitch to be closer to the drawn corner.). Or, if I'm short just a tiny distance, I back the needle out, the foot & nudge the material so the needle comes down where it should. You should only use that method for a very short distance. If you go too far, you might create a gap between two stitches that the corner-pointing tool could poke through.).

After sewing, I trim the two long edges to be 1/4" + a bit more (1/32" to 1/16") past the stitches. I trim the short edge (sewn closed) to be 1/4" (a hair more depending on how much there is to work with. Sometimes this end is a little short due to the way I shrank the 6-sleeve artwork. The space between the two groups of 3 sleeves shrank.). I trim the other short edge (left open) to 3/8" or a hair (1/32") longer. Being a little longer helps with folding it inside & sewing closed. 1/4" works if that's all you have. But, if you have more, it's easier to fold and sew closed:

Trim the corners off. You should be 1/16th to 1/8th" from the stitch. Be careful to judge the distance from the stitch, not the drawn corner (pay attention to the corners you sew past or you might cut through the thread, or so close that the fabric is prone to unraveling. It's good to have some clear nail polish. If you go too close, you can apply some polish to protect it from fraying. Once turned inside out & the snaps installed, the corner stitch won't get much stress. You just have to be careful while pointing the corners.).

Note: On the end left open (which has the longer fabric remaining), for some reason it's tempting for me to angle the cut further into that larger excess fabric. That doesn't seem to produce the best result. I feel like it's best to get the same 45-degree cut like the two other corners. (Pay attention to the drawn corner, not the fabric's corner).

I leave two-thirds of one end open. After trimming the edges, cutting the corners off, then I turn the sleeve inside out like a sock. Use a corner "pointing" tool to push the corners out. I use Dritz 636 Point Turner (ASIN: B00CI571LQ). Be careful: the tip can poke through the gap between the stitches. It can even poke through the fabric. (I lightly rubbed the point against a file to make it a little less sharp. After doing that, there's less risk of it poking through the fabric, but it could still poke through the stitching. You have to watch what you're doing.).

I clip the open-end with 3 clips:

It seems that leaving it clipped for a while can help it stay folded when ironing. I don't know how long. But, going straight to the iron doesn't work as well. 30 minutes might be enough. I'm in the habit of giving it a few hours.

When you turn the sleeve inside out, the order of materials will be (listed front to back):

• Front fabric (printed side up)
• Pellon extra-firm 926 stabilizer
• Pellon 50 or 40 stabilizer strips
• (When I used Pellon 988 interfacing, it was here)
• Poly-Fil "Low Loft" batting (or Fairfield "Featherweight")
• Back fabric (unfinished side facing down)

Finally, I iron the two long edges, and the one edge clipped closed. (I don't iron the other short edge. I don't see any reason to. Maybe that end will grip the leash better if its fatter.). I lay the sleeve on the ironing board with the back-side facing up. I spray water along an edge to iron, and then iron. You have to play with the heat. It seems to me the batting can melt inside the sleeve (and that the bonded "Featherweight" and "Lightweight" bonded battings can do this at a lower temperature than the "Low Loft". I try to get it as hot as it can be without melting.). If you don't get melting, you'll have a pretty flat surface around the edge, compressed. If it melts, you'll notice it feels harder, and you may feel a hard ridge inside the sleeve which corresponds to the transition between the batting that was ironed, and wasn't. It might be useful to lay a piece of fabric over a piece of batting, and find what temperature causes melting. (Iron it, examine it; turn up the heat; do it again.).

The remaining photos show the ironed sleeve. It has a sharper edge.

I use Kam Snaps (B36 - Neon Yellow). I use Size 20 regular length (they make different sizes and lengths. I think this is considered the standard size and length.). You can find these online. They make a hand & table press. I've only used the table press to install snaps. It's worth the money to buy two presses so you don't have to change the dies.

They make snap-removal dies for the hand press. I have the hand press for that. I highly recommend buying this because you'll occasionally do something wrong, crack a snap and need to remove it. It's much easier to do with the tool. (Like the table press, it's useful to have two hand presses - one for each gender. Otherwise you have to flip the die to the other end. But, you don't have to remove snaps very often.).

Quality control: The snaps can crack during install. Sometimes I hear a crunch when installing. I examine the snap with a magnifying glass and usually see a crack (remove and install a new one.). You should snap them together at least once. I've seen the barrel part of the male pull off when I do that (something during the install weakened it, or it was a manufacturing defect). You won't know unless you're in the habit of snapping/unsnapping once as a matter of quality control.

Snap holes

Kam-Snap kits include an awl to poke a hole through the fabric. WARNING: The awl is very sharp, and painful when you jab yourself. I haven't jabbed myself for a long time. But, when I started, I did it a dozen times. It's very painful. I guess like a hot-stove, you learn quick. Be prepared. You may have to endure it a few times. (You could make leather covers to go over your two vulnerable fingers. But, you might have to use those forever if you don't suffer the jab and learn the hard way. I do it without thinking now, and haven't stabbed myself for a long time.).

The silkscreen artwork has dots where the holes should be pierced. But, silkscreening & sewing can shift the fabric. To the extent the printed dots aren't square, the sleeve will be puckered when snapped together. I made a plastic "template" with the snap-hole locations drilled through:

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I lay the template on the front of the sleeve:

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I position the template with two things in mind: 1) its long edges should be parallel with the sleeve's long edges, and centered vertically on the sleeve (the edges of the template should be equally distant from the sleeve's edges). 2) I position the template horizontally using the printed dots as a guide. I distribute any "offness" between the template's holes and the printed dots so it's distributed equally.

Using one hand, I press down firmly on the template so it won't move (spreading my fingers to distribute the pressure over more area). I push a LEONIS Water Erasable pen (ASIN: B00IWEAPSS) into each hole, rotate it a bit for a good mark. (The template's holes are drilled to a size that's snug to that particular pen.). It's important that the template not move as you do this. Be sure to position your hand so you can access all the holes while spreading the pressure as far around the template as possible. You shouldn't move your hand until all the holes are marked. If the drilled holes are too snug, and the template may lift up as you pull the pen out. That can cause movement.

The marked sleeve looks like this:

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That photo shows the significance of getting the snaps square to each other. If I installed the snaps at the printed dots they wouldn't be square, could be puckering when snapped together. I like having the printed dots. They're useful for positioning the template horizontally. I can see how "off" the dots are from square, and center the template within that frame of reference. (But, it's more important to align & the plastic template's two long edges with the fabric's long edges. If that's off, it won't look good when snapped together. The sleeve edges won't be aligned together, straight and flush with each other.).

Making the template

That's made from 8" square clear-plastic (.035" thick, which is about 1/16") (Amazon ASIN: B0CG8PLF3N. This is thinner & cheaper than you'll find at the hardware store. If you use something thicker, you have to drill the holes more-perfectly vertical (or be sure to use the side you started the hole from as the bottom side facing the fabric. I.e., where you start the hole should be accurate compared to where it comes out. This is good to do even if it's thinner plastic.).

Cutting the plastic to size

I cut the 8x8 sheet in half (you'll need an "acrylic-sheet cutting tool" and a straight edge. I used the steel ruler from a 12-inch "t-square."). I removed the protective plastic from one side of the plastic. I mark or scratch the center (4" from either side). I lay the plastic on a piece of "1x4" wood, and use two c-clamps to secure the steel straight-edge down on top of the plastic (onto the wood). Then, I firmly drag the cutting tool along the straight edge (not super hard, but not too light). You'll see some curly shavings come up. I do that 2-3 times in one direction, then rotate the entire clamped assembly 180-degrees and drag it the opposite direction. (The reason to cut both directions is because where you start dragging won't be exactly on the edge. You'll get a broken corner when you cut all the way through the rest of the sheet. If you cut a few times in each direction (changing direction 3-4 times), you'll get a good cut all the way to both edges.). I lay the clamped structure across a piece of "2x6" to elevate it so the c-clamps hang off each side of the 2x6, and the clamped assembly lays flat on top of the 2x6 (creating a stable surface to work on).

When you have your 8x4 piece, the first thing to do is write "top" on one side. Then do all your drilling from the other side. When you're done, that side (which you did your driling on) will be the bottom of the template. The idea behind this is that where you start drilling will be the most accurate (where the drill comes out could be a little off if the drill isn't perfectly straight up and down. ). Where the pen exits the hole and touches the fabric will be exactly where you started drilling the hole, and should be the most accurate. (There shouldn't be much difference between where the sides, especially with thin plastic like this. Or, especially if you use a drill press. But, it's good to use the bottom of the plastic (as you drill) as the top of the template as you mark. It may be unnecessary, but can only work in your favor.

Marking the holes to drill

Now you need to mark where to drill the holes. You need these holes to be perfectly distanced (square) to each other. I drew the dot locations in LibreOffice Draw so I can print it & transfer the locations to the plastic:

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printable PDF with or without dimensions
or zipped .odg source

Using a program ensures perfectly accurate distances & square alignment. You can download the PDF and print it. If you need different distances, you can download the source & edit it. For some people who need different distances, it may be easier to draw this the old-fashioned way ("graph paper" and a pencil). If you do that, do your best to make the dots perfectly square to each other. Photocopy your drawing before going further (you may wreck your first attempt. You don't want to have to draw it again.).

Note: Those paper dimensions are an example of how I shrank my artwork ~4% for printing. The x (horizontal) distance between corner snaps is 7-3/8". The quick-ref dimension is 7-3/4 (3/8 (.375)" longer). But, my y (vertical) distance between snaps remains 3-1/4" (the same as the quick-ref dimension. I kept the y dimension for the snap holes because I want the same fit around the leash.).

Cut the printed template to a little less than 8x4" (it shouldn't hang over the edges of the plastic). Try to cut the paper square with the printed dots. The holes in the plastic should be square with the plastic's edges, and also centered in the plastic. This will help with positioning the plastic template on the sleeve.

Tape the paper template to the plastic (using scotch tape). This is where you don't want the paper template to hang over the edge of the plastic. You can easily fold the tape from the top of the paper to the underside of the plastic without disturbing the paper's position. If the paper hangs over and has to bend over the edge with the tape, that could cause some movement. (You don't want the paper to move at all during this process.).

Drilling the holes

You need a set of "wire size" drill bits. These give you many more size choices compared to typical fractional-sized drill bits for use around the home. This is important because you want the holes to be sized closely to the marking pen you'll use. You don't want a lot of "play" between the pen & hole. For the pen I use (discussed above) I used a size #43 .089" wire-size drill bit. But, first I used a #53 (0.0595), then enlarged that hole with the larger bit.

You need to decide how to drill the holes. The best way is to use a drill press. You can find small (8") drill presses that aren't expensive. Harbor Frieght has one. This will let you put the hole exactly where it needs to be & drill straight (which is more important if the plastic is thick). Don't press hard as you drill, the plastic cracks very easily. (I think you want the drill to operate at a higher speed for less risk of cracking. The speed will help it melt through as it cuts.). I'd recommend using the smallest drill bit. then maybe a drill bit that's half the size of the final size. If you get the first hole off a little, you could correct that as you drill through it with larger bits. With a drill press, you can slowly lower the bit to the paper, verify the position. You can let it touch the paper to further see if it's centered before going further. You can do that without the motor running, then with the motor running. You can't do any of that with a hand drill.

Without a drill press

If you don't have a drill press (don't want to spend the money just to do this once), I suggest NOT using a handheld drill. It won't come out well; won't be square. You can't control a handheld drill enough for this. I didn't use a drill press. I did it the following way which was tedious, but breaking it into gradual steps to get to the final hole size ensures the holes will be where they should be.

1. Before taping the paper template to the plastic, I used a straight pin to poke a hole through the exact center of each printed dot. To do this, I laid the paper on a piece of cardboard (you want a firm, solid surface, but something that will let the pin push through. Styrofome would be good.). I wore hands-free magnifying glasses so I could use both hands while seeing a closeup to make sure the pin was in the center of the dot. You could use one of those circular florescent lamps with a magnifying glass in the center (on a folding arm that clamps onto your table). Or, you can probably hold a handheld magnifying glass. That will take a little more coordination.

2. Use a lighter to heat the end of a straight pin (wear a glove so it doesn't get too hot to hold. The end of the pin will glow red pretty quickly.). Push that hot pin through the pierced hole in the paper. It will melt through the plastic. The pin will cool in 5 seconds, so you have to go fast (or heat it again, not a problem). This is the reason to pierce the paper dot's center. That helps you hit the center quickly without having to consider if you're on center (as the pin cools).

Don't rush at first. You can re-heat the pin while you get used to doing this. This melted hole will be your pilot hole. Doing it this way, the paper pre-punctured, looking at it closely with hands-free magnifying glasses, will be perfectly positioned compared to a handheld power drill. Try to hold the pin straight so you get a vertically straight hole. Bur, this really doesn't matter with thin plastic like this. And, it matters less if you make the side you start the hole from the bottom of the template when you mark the sleeve. I.e., if your hole isn't vertical, it should at least start at the correct location. If that side is the bottom of the template when used, then the pen may enter the template at the wrong place, but exit onto the fabric where it should. With thin plastic this shouldn't amount to much difference. With thicker plastic it could (and you should use a drill press for that).

You may find that the needle cools and sticks in the hole. Using a "t-pin" gives you some leverage to rotate it free. If you don't use one of those, if you feel the pin start getting stiff/stuck, pull it out (heat it again). Don't wait to see what happens. (Also, you don't have to go all the way through the plastic. You just need something to guide your drill bit in the next step. Something better than the hole in the paper template.).

3. Using the drill-bit size that's larger than the melted hole, you can rotate the bit between your index finger & thumb to slowly "drill" through the melted pilot hole, enlarging it. Try to hold the bit vertically straight. Then do it again with the final size bit (or another intermediate size if you want to go slower).

The above is a little tedious. But, you'll probably only need to do this once. It's worth getting it right. If the above is too tedious, then invest in the drill press. (Don't try to do this with a handheld drill.).

I found 5x10" 1.0mil flat poly bags at a good price. These work well for the sleeves. I close the bag with 1" stickers found on Amazon (paw print). I package a dozen of those into an larger bag:

That larger bag 10" wide x 14" deep. It seems like a common size (found at Kroger & Walmart: 75 bags in a box. I've seen a 500-bag roll online.). I've seem them called "twist-tie bags" or "bread bags."