SHEdesigns Velvet-Lined Pen Sleeve Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

Want to keep your pens AND your heart cozy and warm? Then you need to check out SHEdesigns Nepal—a women's empowerment business devoted to enriching the lives of women through the crafting of beautiful local textile goods.

The business began with an effort to sew sanitary products for girls who were missing school at an alarming rate due to menstruation. The pads allowed them to remain in school, resulting in higher test scores and better overall education outcomes. With the success of this effort, more women were employed to create even more products, from placemats to bags to pen cases. The company now employs ten women who are able to support their families and find independence.

But they aren't just a good cause! They're good at what they do!

All the products they offer are made from high quality traditional Nepali dhaka fabrics. These densely woven, colorful patterns are made using a traditional process mastered thousands of years ago by the indigenous Limbu people of eastern Nepal. It is a fine woven cotton fabric characterized by intricate geometric shapes in a broad range of natural colors.

The original cotton-producing plant that supplied dhaka artisans with the fiber they used to produce what was once the finest and most expensive fabric in the world (follow me down an amazing textile rabbit hole with this article from the BBC,) has since gone extinct. While the fiber is gone, the wisdom of its weavers has carried on, and while the emperors of the world are no longer wearing dhaka muslin, my pens are getting the royal treatment.

The SHEdesigns pen sleeves are available in 4-pen or 6-pen varieties and in six gorgeous fabric options. The pre-order for the sleeves is limited, due to the limited quantities of the woven fabric, and it is only open for a while longer. Sleeves will be made to order and ship at the end of August.

The pen roll shown here is the six-pen design. It has soft cotton outer fabric with a plush red velvet lining. The central flap folds down to cover the tops of the pens so there's no risk of scratches. The case rolls easily and is secured by a red cord with a decorative bead on the end. Each of the pen pockets is sewn 1.5" wide and accommodates even thicker fountain pens. The pockets are deep enough to cover a pen up to 6" long.

The stitching is well done, with no loose threads or crooked seams. It was clearly made with care and pride, and holding it, you can't help but feel a connection to its maker.

As a fiber artist myself, I have an inherent love of handmade textiles and fabric goods, and there's nothing better than a well-crafted item with an inspiring story behind it. Frankly, I'm a bit envious of my pens' new threads, so I'll be visiting the SHEdesigns site for some accoutrements of my own. And as a bonus, with every order you place, you can add on a donated sanitary pad kit for women and girls in Nepal. You can make a difference AND spoil yourself at the same time. And your pens will feel spoiled, too.

(SHEdesigns Nepal provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Five Pen Case Review

(Jeff Abbott is a regular contributor at The Pen Addict. You can find more from Jeff online at Draft Evolution and Twitter.)

There's always room in my collection for new bags and cases, even if I seem to run out of space to store these things every so often. It's difficult to decline new cases and bags that fit a single purpose because of course we want to be prepared for that single eventuality. In practice, you can never be sure if a bag or case will truly fit the purpose you have in mind until you've had some time to try it for yourself. Sometimes, you discover that the bag or case just doesn't work like you had hoped, and you have to rotate it out of your collection. But for the times where the new bag or case fits that need perfectly, it's all worth it.

The Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Case is a well-crafted addition to any pen storage collection. What caught my eye most is the fact that this case has an individual pen slot for each pen inside the larger case. This means you get a little more protection for each pen since they stay nice and cozy in their little area.

The next thing that caught my attention is the magnetic closure design. I'm a big sucker for magnets, and I'm always interested in something includes magnets as part of the open/closing mechanism. For this case, there's a strong magnet that holds the flap against the front of the case. It's strong enough to keep the flap in place when other objects come in contact or move across the case, but it still only requires a little effort to actually open. Closing is a snap, since the magnets are obliged to follow the laws of physics.

The materials used with this case are the same level of quality you'll find in other Galen Leather products, which is to say the quality is excellent. I'm a big fan of the Crazy Horse Green colorway that they offer, but there are plenty of other great colors to pick from for this case.

This colorway uses a leather with a dark green hue, and then it's also been distressed a bit to look more worn in. Even with this effect, you can expect even more character to develop as you use the case. All of the seams and joints are strong and neat. When you handle this case, it feels like an object that was made by hand (because it was) with a high level of care and attention to detail.

Being a leather product, you can expect a bit of "breaking in" as you start using it. For me, this mostly meant that the individual pen slots were a little tight on some pens at the beginning, but they loosened up a bit with use. The cool thing about magnets is that they won't wear out any time soon, so the closing mechanism on this case should hold up much longer than the case.

For me, this case is for carrying fountain pens. For that purpose, I think it works great. There's enough room for five full-size fountain pens to fit snugly while still being easy to remove them or stow them back in their pockets. I have found that this case works much better if you position the pens so that the clip (if the pen has a clip) isn't attached to the leather sleeve. I just store the pen with the clip facing the open space of the sleeve where it connects to the larger case assembly — the clip is just tucked into the corner.

While you can use any case in the way that makes sense for you, I don't think this case will work well for gel pens, pencils, or other small diameter pens. Wood case pencils won't fit unless they're about a third used, and other small diameter pens won't stay put, diminishing the value of a case that keeps pens separated while stored. Sure, you can use the pen clip to ensure it won't move, but that adds effort to the process of stowing or removing the pen from the case. In my use, this case fits the purpose of carrying several fountain pens in a stylish, protective fashion.

The Galen Leather Magnetic Flap Five Pen Case is a great case for carrying around a few fountain pens, and it will keep them nice and secure in the process. I love the strong magnetic closure mechanism and the distressed look of the leather material. It's something that I'm sure will last longer than me, and I love the warm hand-made feel that elevates it something more than just an inanimate object. For $74, you can pick up your own case in Crazy Horse Green or any of the other excellent colors that Galen Leather offer.

(Vanness Pens provided this product at a discount to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Kokuyo ME Stand Tool Pouch Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Bluesky. And her latest book, The Atropine Tree, is now available!)

We have a new, robust member of the "stationery cases that turn into phone stands" family, and that is this Kokuyo ME Stand Tool Pouch, which is not nearly as fun to say as SMAND, but is infinitely more useful (fight me).

This case is made from padded soft nylon fabric that is reinforced to help it keep its shape. It has a quilted surface, which I understand is in style these days. The case zips open like a clamshell, though the zip goes diagonally across the side edges and the front folds back on itself, creating a shelf upon which to lean your phone or notes. There is a wee snap tab that secures the front piece to the spine-base to keep it folded down.

Inside, the case is lined with grey nylon fabric. The main compartment is spacious and would fit bulkier tools, or even an e-reader or notebook. Along the back wall of the case, there is a strap you can clip pens to or slide tall tools behind, and a shallow mesh pocket that's perfect for small things like flash drives, dongles, or washi tape. On the front, there is a mesh pocket that goes the whole length of the case, and on the folded-down lip there is a velcro strap for securing cords. There is another slip pocket on the back exterior of the case that can fit a slim notebook or papers.

The storage layout is thoughtful and functional. It's a good balance of organization and flexibility, so it can serve a lot of purposes. It would make a great writing kit, a great art-on-the-go kit (with built-in easel!), a great tech pouch--or you could just fill it with pens. It would hold a lot of pens! At $33 on JetPens, it's reasonably priced for a case this size, and less expensive than a lot of pen cases that have fewer features. It's the best stand-case I've used so far, which means my children will probably steal it. And I'll pretend to be mad about that, knowing that I'm secretly allowing them to become discerning users of fine stationery.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!