From brainstorm to burgee – the process of making a Sailbag Lady Flag.
From a kernel in your imagination to a fun and fantastic flag in your mailbox, we really can make your dreams fly. This is how we do it.
Step one – from idea to illustration. Whether you phone us, fax us or upload your idea, the first step is to move from your inspiration to our initial design. In this case, the customer’s idea was to use the words “6 Republicans, 1 Democrat.” Problematic for a flag, we knew imagery would work better and developed the sketch to the left.
Step two – approved design.Once confident we have captured your vision in the design phase, we present a final illustration for your approval (in this case, the Democrat had a good sense of humor!). We can email a jpg or fax a copy. Upon approval, we move forward.
Step three – sewing.All flags, banners, pennants or burgees we produce are handmade right here in Madison, CT. We use time-tested materials like 400 denier nylon and sailmaker grade hoist thread and grommets that will stand up to the marine environment.
Step four – trimming.Our heritage in the nautical arena makes us very conscious of how the harsh, outdoor environment affects our flags; we take great care to trim excess material for looks and last.
Step five– grommeting. A key function of any flag is display but it’s also a potential weakness. We place grommets atop reinforced sail tape and use industrial-quality installation.
Step six– completion. Only upon passing a rigorous inspection do our flags, banners, pennants or burgees receive our stamp of approval in the form of our Sailbag Lady tag.
“We can make your dreams fly” is our motto, and nothing makes us happier than bringing a customer’s vision to life. But first, we need to understand what you are looking for in a flag. Absent a face-to-face conversation (our favorite kind!), we’ve pulled together a sketch template and some simple steps to transform your dream into a design blueprint. The overarching thought and key to a great flag: KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Thought starters
1) Focus on one idea or theme, and then personalize it. For example, a southwestern theme might be a gecko or Kokopelli. Pick up the colors of your boat. Maybe build an initial into the design; work the first letter of the owner’s last name into the outline of your flag.
2) Often times, boat names are based on a play-on-words or the boat owner’s livelihood, such as Tooth Ferry, which may suggest a design or caricature. Have fun with this – try sketching a little on your own; we’ll help to flesh it out.
3) Some flag designs use simple maritime symbols like anchors, dolphins or Poseidon, and then incorporate the owner and spouse’s initials. An anchor, for example, can become a “J”, “T” or “M”, etc.
4) We don’t typically recommend using a boat’s name as the primary design of a flag; it’s already on the stern and lettering generally doesn’t make for an interesting flag. But a dragon with a fishtale? Now we’re talking …
5) In a nutshell … simple, personalized design in contrasting colors.
Again, if you have another icon in mind, please send us a jpeg file of the image on your order form.
Shape options
Our flags typically come in one of the following four shapes. That said, if you have something else in mind, let us know. We are a can-do company!
Send us your ideas, and we can flesh them out for you. We can replicate almost
any design, as long as you keep it simple, and have a variety of fabric colors
which we’d be happy to send you samples of.