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Commodore Logo Mark Patch

I've got something a little special for you today. I've been hard at work building C64 Luggable. You can read all about the project, my progress and how to build one yourself on this site's C64 Luggable page.

It's really great. I'm enjoying the challenge of working with physical materials, and also the intellectual fun of figuring out how to construct something that's modular, self-contained and has everything you'd want in a full Commodore system.

A couple of weeks ago I had a sudden realization that once C64 Luggable is complete I'll want to take it with me to friends' houses, parties, the cottage, and most of all, Commodore Expos such as this year's Commodore World.¹ Who builds a custom luggable Commodore all-in-one and then doesn't take it to tradeshows to show it off?

The problem is that it's going to be somewhat vulnerable to nicks and scratches, or much worse, damage to the open flat screen or front speaker cones. Especially if I started lugging it around to shows and taking it in and out of my car. What I really need is a padded cover. It just so happens that my mother is an experienced and very talented quilter. She's an esteemed member of the Napanee Heritage Quilter's Guild. So I recruited her to help me make a custom fitted cover. I'm picturing it like one of those artsy Kleenex box covers, if you've seen those. It slips on over the top. Covers all four sides but leaves the button open so the computer will remain standing on its own feet. And the top cover will have a slit opening sized for the handle to pass through. It will be very handy.

But, we don't just want a generic-looking cover. It's gotta have some style and advertise what it is. So I came up with the idea of getting a custom embroidered patch made up that can be stitched to the front of it.

I looked around the internet and compared prices. The best price I found was from a company in the U.S. called CUSTOMPATCHES. You send them artwork, they mock it up graphically, and follow up with you to make sure it's what you want. Then they create a single proof piece and show you a picture of it. After you approve the proof they make as many as you want in fixed batch sizes. The smallest order is 25. But you can also order 50, 100, 200, 300, 500 and more. The price per unit drops substantially the more you order.

I only want 2 or three for myself. One for the C64 Luggable cover, and a couple more, maybe for a bag or a hoodie. The rest, well, I figure I'll sell them off for a few dollars (+shipping) a piece, mostly to recoup the upfront cost, and to share the love. They've been ordered but I haven't received them yet. They'll probably be available by the end of August 2017.

Here's the artwork I put together in my experiments, and the patch mockup they sent me. The dimensions are, as shown on the mockup, 3.5" by 2.4". They are backed with an iron-on adhesive. This means they can be applied to a bag, or a backpack, (or a luggable computer cover), with just an iron press. They promise me the adhesion is extremely good, and sewing them on isn't absolutely necessary, but they do recommend a single outer stitch to increase the longevity.

Contact me if you're interested in buying a few of these. Supplies available until they're all sold off. I'll update with final price when I know for sure what they'll cost me.

Update: I'm still working through the proof process with them. The final version may not have the black outer border.

Update 2: This is the final proof. With some feedback from twitter, and my personal opinion, I opted to get rid of the black border. Some border is necessary to prevent fraying, but they've switched it to a white border.

1. I had a blast at last year's Commodore World 2016. If you haven't read my review of the event, you can find it here. We had the pleasure of hanging out with Bil Herd, legendary designer of the Commodore 128. [↩]