Sewing Instructions for Trade Show Name Badge Holders

Print your own name tag or use one provided by the trade show organizers.

Trade shows and public conventions are a great place to make connections with other professionals within your industry, particularly if you work from home or are based in a remote region of the country. But standing out and making your product seen in a crowd of thousands can be challenging. Tackle the problem creatively, by finding unusual ways to draw attention to your table and yourself, such as wearing a hand-made name tag holder. This type of wearable art is particularly appropriate if you are marketing creative products such as jewelry, purses or clothing.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton fabric
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Button
• Needle
• Thread
• Ribbon
• Cording or cotton string
• Clear vinyl
• 1/4-inch Double-fold bias tape
• Fabric glue

Instructions

Cloth Base

1. Measure and cut out a 10-by-4-inch rectangle of fabric.

2. Hem the four-inch sides of the rectangle. Lay the material right-side down and fold the edge of the material over 1/4 inch twice. Sew a straight stitch across the innermost fold.

3. Flip the fabric over right-side up. Fold the rectangle in half along the 10-inch side to form a 4-by-5-inch rectangle. Sew along the raw sides of the rectangle. Turn the pouch inside out.

4. Sew a small button in the center of the upper edge about 1/2 inch down. Place the button on the fabric. Thread a needle and knot the loose end of the thread. Push the needle up through the fabric and through the buttonhole. Reverse the needle and push it down through the buttonhole and fabric. Repeat and knot the thread on the interior side of the pouch.

5. Cut a two-inch length of ribbon. Overlap the ends of the ribbon forming a loop; fold over the raw edge of the ribbon so that it can't be seen. Place the middle of the loop over the button and pull the cut end of the ribbon to the back side of the pouch. Sew the ribbon to the back of the pouch. Be sure to keep the ends overlapped as you sew.

6. Cut a 16-inch to 20-inch length of cording for the neck cord. Knot the ends of the cord. Sew the knotted ends of the cord to the upper corners of the pouch. You can hide the knot inside of the pouch or make the knot visible on the front panel.

Vinyl Pocket

1. Measure and cut out a 3-by-4-inch rectangle of vinyl. Cut a 16-inch length of bias tape.

2. Open the bias tape so that it resemble a long folder. Place the vinyl in the bias tape so that the edge of the tape is enclosed. Place a thin stream of fabric glue in the bias tape and press it closed so that the glue is spread evenly, sealing the vinyl inside. Continue to glue the bias tape, stopping 1/2 inch before each corner to form a miter.

3. Miter the corner. Lace glue on the edge of the vinyl and press the bias tape down so that the center of the folded tape is glued securely but the sides of the bias tape are free. Pinch the excess bias tape at the front and back of the vinyl and fold the tape down to form a neat triangular corner. Repeat for each corner.

4. Dry the glued bias tape overnight.

5. Lay the vinyl on the table and place glue along three sides of the bias tape, leaving one of the four-inch sides unglued. Press the vinyl piece down on the pouch base with the unglued side pointing towards the neck cord. Hand sew along the folded edges of the bias tape to secure the vinyl and adorn the pouch.

6. Write your name on a 3 1/2-by-2 1/2-inch piece of paper. Slip the card into the vinyl pocket. Keep spare business cards, spare change or a good luck charm in the pouch portion of your badge holder.

References

• "Sew On: All You Need to Know to Start Sewing and Serging Today!"; Elissa K. Meyrich; 2008
• "Sew & Stow"; Betty Oppenheimer; 2008