Travel Journal for Field Notes

[particle]

I made this cover a while back to fit a field journal insert, a few credit cards, receipts, and a pen, etc. I used English Bridle leather leftover from a previous project. Wish I had more of that stuff!

[JLSleather]

How big are those notebooks?  I've been thinking about making a pattern for something like this to put on my site.

 

[particle]

I'm not sure I want to tell you if you're going to give the patterns away for free...

http://www.adamsleatherworks.com/shop/pattern-leather-travel-journal-pen-lock/

Edited May 24, 2016 by particle

[JLSleather]

Well, yeah -- free is good, right?  But i understand.. no worries.

 

[chrstn53]

The notebooks are 3.5" x 5.5"

There are several companies who make the same style and size

Edited May 24, 2016 by chrstn53

[JLSleather]

Thanks   Checkin' over at Ebay (sad that I check that before Staples or OfficeMax?) I see they have a 6x9" vertical bound version too.

 

[chrstn53]

Moleskine makes identical size notebooks and you can usually find them at Barnes and Nobles if you have one

[Double Daddy]

As usual, Eric...excellent work!...very clean and useful design.

JLS...I'm looking to make some of these leather covers myself.  MUJI is a specific brand alternative to Field Notes for the note books...lower price point, stitched together instead of stapled and, from the reviews I've read, have "fountain pen friendly" paper (if one is into that sort of thing). I've ordered some from Amazon to test.

Now...to settle on a cover pattern...Hmmm? Decisions, decisions...

Chris

[JLSleather]

There's a simple 'walk thru' up on the site on how to lay out the shape.  This is way simple stuff, and honestly takes longer to write the article than it does to plan the design

This one is pocket notebook style in general, but I'll put up some actual patterns from actual projects as they are made (i didn't have one of those cheap little books).

http://www.jlsleather.com/diy/pattern-making/leather-pattern-notebook-layout/

SNIKEYS!  A simple search returns a BUNCH of this type of thing (who knew people wanted to pay for something this simple).  One guy wants $6.00 for a pattern of a piece of leather with a fold and a pocket.  Well, I guess they "get" you if you don't know, or don't do some simple research ...

Next simple project, maybe I should tag onto that article, something clear about how to add a snap flap to the design.  Free is good, right?

Edited May 31, 2016 by JLSleather

[Double Daddy]

Info is most appreciated...at any price!...at least in my mind :-)  Thanks for the tutorial, JLS...very useful...as always!

[JLSleather]

Finally remembered to order those silly little notebooks, so when they arrive it won't take long to lay out teh FULL SIZE pattern for this.

Long as I'm at it, I guess I'll make one for the passport case as well.  Really no idea why a fella would pay for both, when they're so much the same, but maybe I'll just lump 'em into one section.

 

[JLSleather]

Man, those arrived QUIK.  Pattern gone through with actual numbers now, but I'll have to make one. I originally thought 3/4 oz leather, but these things are even more flimsy than I thought, and 3/4 might be a bit much for this..... guess I'll know soon

 

[JLSleather]

Oh.. worth noting, your passport booklet is nearly the same size (1/2" shorter vertically), so this could just as easily be used for either or both.  Or you could reduce the height of this by that 1/2" for the passport folder.  Get it...worth "note" ing ..

This is a picture, not intended to be full scale. I'll make it prettier (and verify the use of 3/4 oz) before uploading the 'done deal', but this will work.  

Edited June 9, 2016 by JLSleather

[particle]

Here is a couple other variations I made of the same travel journal. The first version had no built-in option for holding a pen. The second one included the pen holder. The third (originally posted) had a locking tab to keep the cover closed when the pen is inserted.

[JLSleather]

Those look pretty good, but you might back off the presser foot just a tad.  Got an inconsistent "witness mark" along your edges (maybe you could crease it right there so it's consistent), and it looks like maybe your pocket got hung up on the machine (first photo pocket booger).

 

Edited June 9, 2016 by JLSleather

[particle]

If memory serves (I made these over a year ago), the one without a pen holder was made in one evening over the course of about an hour to test my pattern. I'm sure the leather was still damp from the dye when I sewed it. My machine is setup for sewing holsters and since I rarely make anything else, I don't like changing the settings unless absolutely necessary. I should have hand sewn them, but these were all just one-off mock-ups to test patterns prior to going on my website.