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: the drawing's print field is only 18x15. The sleeves use 1/2" fabric outside the print field on each side.)

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 "INFO" layers won't make sense unless you keep in mind that the sleeves use 1/2" fabric outside the left & right edges of the artwork. This artwork was made for a screenprinting press whose print area is 18x15" printed on a 20x16" piece of fabric.).

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 shrunk the 1-sleeve & created a 6-sleeve from that. The shrinkage would've been spread around the whole fabric. 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 of this format is that it can be shrunk/enlarged infinitely without degradation. So, either way should be the same.).

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

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 1" excess in the y - vertical direction required by the printer). 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 additional inch gave the silkscreener some wiggle room.). 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 the way 6 does). 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, show 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 be better to work things out first 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. That could look good 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. (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 a 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 color 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 worth playing with these 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 the long edges of the 926 as "boning." With only 926, the edge between the snaps isn't as rigid as I'd like. It can spread open a little too easily. 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's also Pellon 40 midweight. It's thinner. 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 fleece interfacing (discussed below as batting. It's almost indistinguishable from some things called batting, like Fairfield's 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 inexpensive at Walmart. (It comes in different sizes. Calculate the cost per square-inch to see which is cheaper. Usually the "medium/twin" 72x90" size is the best value.). The packaging I've seen looks like this:

Fairfield says it's 2oz/sq yd. The loft is about 1/4", but it's very light/silky/wispy. It compresses very easily. There can be a lot of variation in one sheet, and between different sheets (manufacturing lots). I've acquired some different back fabric. Some is thinner (some heavier). I use the heavier back fabric when this batting varies toward lighter/thinner. (I use the thinner back fabric when the batting varies toward heavier.).

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" (48" x 60yd roll. SKU: RSF-48-60YR-1. 2.25oz/sq yd. 3oz/linear yd) is almost exactly the same as the "Low Loft" product. Since you buy this in bulk, it costs half as much per-sleeve. Being thermal bonded, it's a little more consistent and stable. 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 "Low Loft" with Pellon 40 strips could be better. It's good to experiment. Get a feel for how these things go together. See Fairfield's product page for more info. I've seen this 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 a little heavier/firmer than the prior two. The sleeve was a little too firm. Pellon 40 strips might go better with this. This batting comes 48" x 45yd (SKU: RSL-48-45YR-1. 3oz/sq yd. 4oz/linear yd). Like the Featherweight, one side has a slightly crusty feel (I face 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 scale 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"). This 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, officially it's "interfacing." It's worth having some.

There's also Fairfield Project Fleece batting which is very easy to find, 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 & match these different materials to see how it comes out. I've ended up where 926 is the right stabilizer for the fabric I use. That + "Low Loft" + Pellon 50 or 40 edge strips is right. Or, "Featherweight" + 926 + 50 strips. Or, "Lightweight" + 926 with no 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 among those variations. Thinner fabric goes better with "Low Loft" + 926 + 50 strips, or even "Lightweight" + 926 + no strips (or 40 strips). Heavier fabric might be better with "Low Loft" + 50 + 40 strips, or "Lightweight" and nothing else. Small differences like the weight of the rear fabric can make those combinations better or worse. (Also consider the no-loft products too. 988 with "Low Loft" can be a little like stabilizer. Add some 50 strips for the edges. But, I almost never use those anymore. If you play with all these, you'll get a feel for what each adds, when something might work.).

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 walking-foot machines are made for heavy work (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 this 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]

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 fingers 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 letting the foot travel. (Your thumb will contribute to holding the material taught.). You want to flatten & tighten 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 flattening the fabric near the line to sew, steering the fabric so it sews on the line - but not creating drag nor pushing it.

Similarly, it helps if you clip the material so it's taught across the top (like a drum). I.e., after clipping the material, it will be poofy, loose, slack. Flatten the material with the palm of your hand, and open/close each clip taking the slack out of the material. This makes the technique above work better while sewing.

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. Pins should be the ultimate solution, but they're slower to install. You have to remove them as you sew.

Juki DU-1181N

Now I use a Juki DU-1181N which is a real walking-foot machine, and made for lighter thread & materials. 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^[3] to get it dialed in for no puckering (then it's great).

Oiling

This machine uses an oil pan & pump, and is designed to operate at high-speeds. There's a sight bowl on top where you should see oil splash (but won't until a certain speed). I sew at the motor's slowest speed. I never see splashing. Because of this, I wait to wind the bobbin until it runs out. (Normally, I would wind while sewing.). I wind it with the motor speed-knob turned to 1600 so I can see some splashing & know oil circulated. (If you go to the next higher speed, you'll see more splashing. But, don't go over 2000 because that's the machine's max sewing speed.). Since this machine is self-oiling and designed to be used high-speed, I think it's better to wind the bobbin at speed to make everthing 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? But, it seems wise to operate the machine at high speed occasionally to see the oil flow. Winding the bobbin is the perfect opportunity.).

There are some external locations behind the machine that require manual oiling (see pg 8a of the instruction manual. Note: this manual is modified to be english only. If you prefer another language, see the official manual which has seven languages side-by-side through the entire manual - which is hard to read in any language.). 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 shouldn't tilt the machine open too often. 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 that's large enough to cover the crack around the machine's base (prevent dust from collecting in that crack). I cut a large 35-gallon yard/leaf trash bag to be 18-20" 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.)

There is also a brochure and engineer's manual for this machine.

Marking the lines to sew

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 for me 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 5/8" to 3/4" from the dots. 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. In that case, 3/4" doesn't leave enough excess fabric. 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, 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.). I think drawing the line less than 3/4" always looks better. I never go over 3/4. I think 5/8" to 11/16" looks better, more balanced with the other end.

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 look at those lines to see how they align with the letters further back.

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.

I use a water-erasable pen. I've learned to pay attention to how heavy (strong) the line is because they'll bleed when ironing 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 when 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. 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. Air-erasable lines may not last that long.

Order of materials for sewing

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." If using bonded batting, I face the crusty side down toward the stabilizer)
• (When I've used Pellon 988 interfacing, it went here either as the last item or some stabilizer beneath it)
• 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 even 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) If using a bonded batting, I want the softer (not crusty) side facing the back fabric. I think it will conform to the leash better than the crusty side. 3) I never want anything between the stabilizer and the front fabric. There's no reason to. 4) 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 it between the loftier batting and the leash, it wouldn't conform around (grip) the leash as well as the low-loft.

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 (crusty side down if bonded), then the rear fabric (unfinished side up), and the front fabric on top of that (printed side down). I position the materials so their will be an even amount of excess all the way around.

Next, I clip the center of the long-edge facing me; rotate the material 180 degrees & check the positioning from that side. (Clip that center, then proceed to re-apply the first four clips. Check the positioning again. Then palm-flatten 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:

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 stitch 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:

The stitch length is 6-1/3 stitches per inch. I start sewing 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 (clockwise). I end the same way I started: going to the text (C), then reverse a little past the dot (D) to lock the stitch.

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 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, lift 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 for me due to the way I shrank the 6-sleeve artwork.). I trim the other short edge (left open) to 3/8" or a hair (1/32") motr. 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 too. This should be 1/16th to 1/8th" from the stitch. Be careful to judge the distance from the stitch, not the drawn corner (this is important if you sew past the corner. 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 not to push too hard on any that you cut too close to.).

Note: On the end not sewn closed (which has the longer fabric remaining), it's tempting 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 which can be misleading because it's longer on one side.).

Two-thirds of one end open. After trimming the edges, cutting the corners off: turn the sleeve inside out like a sock. Use a corner "pointing" tool to push the corners out. I use a 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 even lightly rubbed the point of this tool against a file to make it a little less sharp.).

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 (waiting to be sewn). I don't iron the other short edge. I don't see any reason to. Maybe it 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. I iron only 1/4 to 1/2" into the sleeve. You have to play with the heat. It seems 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 where the batting didn't melt. 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; size 20, regular 5.6mm stem length). They make a hand & professional table press. I've only used the table press (DK93) to install snaps.^[4] It's worth the money to buy two presses so you don't have to change the dies. (They make a no-change die which works with both male & female snaps. I haven't used it. The pros and cons sounded like dedicated dies work better.).

They make a snap-removal die for use with the hand press (KX8J). 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. (It's convenient to have two hand presses & two dies so you you don't have to remove & flip the die for gender. But, you shouldn't have to remove snaps very often. It's not hard to use just one hand press for both.).

Quality control: The snaps can crack during install. Sometimes I hear a crunch when pressing down. 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. (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: That 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 few 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 the two vulnerable fingers. I do it without thinking now, and haven't stabbed myself for a long time.).

Marking the snap locations using a template

The snaps should be positioned squarely to each other (and centered within the sleeve). If the snaps aren't square to each other the space between snaps will pucker. (If the snaps aren't centered on the sleeve, one edge will hang past the other when snapped together. Maybe lopsided at each corner.).

I added dots to the silkscreen thinking this would be simple & and timesaving. Unfortunately, the fabric can shift when silkscreening & sewing. (I screened multiple sleeves onto a large piece of fabric. Printing just 1 or 2 with a small screen might work better. But, even if the printed dots came out perfectly positioned, you'd still have to draw the sew lines perfectly square to the printed dots, and perfectly spaced around them.). I realized trying to use printed dots is starting at the wrong place. Only the snaps need to be perfect. The sleeve can be a little off (and will be. It won't be noticed if the snaps are position squarely & centered on the sleeve.).

Instead, I created a template to mark the snap locations onto the finished sleeve:

I position the template in the y (vertical) direction so it's straight with the sleeve's long edges (and proportionally spaced between them):

That ensures when the sleeve is snapped together, the long edges will line up well with each other.

In the x (horizontal) direction, I try to distribute the difference between each printed dot & template hole so they're all equal. I.e., the template is centered horizontally using the average of all the printed dots. The marked sleeve looks like this:

You can see 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. (The above also shows how the template increases the distance between the snaps in the y-axis. Remember that I had the artwork srunk 4%, but I wanted to retain this distance so the sleeve would have the same grip around the leash. If the snaps were installed on the dots, it would grip the leash tighter. I corrected for that in the template.).

Marking

To mark the hole positions: 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 this 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. (You shouldn't move your hand until all the holes are marked. If the drilled holes are too snug, the template may lift with the pen. Either can cause movement.).

Note: I still like using the printed dots for x-axis positioning. I feel like that takes some guesswork out of it. (Plus, I use the corner dots for marking the short-edge sew lines.). But, the snap caps are a little translucent. You can vaguely see something's there. If I printed mine again, I'd try making the dot smaller. Or, not print them at all (the short-edge sew lines could be measured from the upside-down D's vertical edge and the vertical "M" & "E" edges below it.).

Making the template

The template is 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. (I.e., if the drill isn't straight, it will come out a little off center. That side should be where you insert the marking pen. The pen should make contact with the fabric on the side you started the hole.).

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 each 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 either). 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 the cutting tool 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 change direction 3-4 times you'll get a good cut all the way to both edges.). I lay that 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 started your drilling on) will be the bottom of the template. Where you start drilling will be the most accurate (i.e., 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 those two sides, especially with thin plastic like this. Or, especially if you use a drill press which should drill perfectly vertical holes. But, it's good to use the bottom of the plastic (where the drill bit comes out) as the top of the template as you mark. It may be unnecessary, but this 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:

Using a program ensures perfectly square alignment. You can download that as a PDF and print it (with or without dimensions). If you need different dimensions, you can download the source and edit it. For some people who need different distances, it may be easier to draw this the old-fashioned way ("graph paper" & 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 remain 3-1/4" (the same as the quick-ref dimension). I kept the y dimension for the snap holes because I want the same grip around the leash.

Cut the printed-paper template to a little less than 8x4" (it shouldn't hang over the edge 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. That will help with positioning the plastic template on the sleeve.

Tape the paper template to the plastic (using scotch tape). This is why you don't want the paper to be larger than the plastic. It would have to fold over the edge, and be taped onto the back. That would cause some movement. (If the paper is smaller than the plastic, the scotch tape will easily fold around to the back of the plastic. You don't want any movement after positioning the paper template on the plastic.).

Drilling the holes

You should use 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 (nor too tight). 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. (The closest household fractional bits are 3/32" (0.0938) & 1/16" (0.0625). "Wire-size" bits give you nine sizes in between, but you may not need them.).

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 Freight 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 (then 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 all that without the motor running.

Without a drill press

If you don't have a drill press (don't want to spend the money to do this just 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 is 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 (on the paper). 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. Construction paper would be good.). I wore a 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. Harbor Freight has some things like this.

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). This is the reason to pierce the paper dot's center first. That will help you hit the center quickly without having to judge it (while you're in a hurry as the pin cools).

Don't rush at first. You can re-heat the pin while you get used to this. This melted hole will be your pilot hole. Doing it this way (with the paper pre-punctured, looking at it closely with hands-free magnifying glasses), will be perfectly positioned compared to a handheld drill. Try to hold the pin straight so you get a vertically straight hole. But, this really doesn't matter with thin plastic. 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 against the fabric, 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 more reason to use a drill press.).

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, it can get stuck. (Also, you don't have to go all the way through the plastic. You just need something to guide your first drill bit in the next step.).

3. Using the smallest drill-bit size (that's larger than the pin hole): rotate the bit between your index finger & thumb to slowly "drill" through the melted hole, enlarging it. Try to hold the bit vertically straight. Then do it again with a larger size (then the final size).

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 a larger bag:

The larger bag is 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."