Weekend o' craft!

Last weekend saw me being all crafty! I stitched myself a laptop sleeve! Yes, I do random things like that. You see, I was the proud owner of a new MacAir, which I was loving (Yes, all you cynics out there, Googlers have the utmost respect for Apple products and we don’t have a company policy banning us from using them) Anyway, I had decided it needed a new home and while browsing Etsy, in a moment of madness, thought to myself, "Now why exactly can you not do this yourself?" And that evening found me at Lincraft picking fabrics, and as they say, the rest is history. 

Now a few friends have asked me how I actually made it, after they saw the final product. However, sadly, I have absolutely no pics of the WIP. So I am going to try and explain as best I can. And the (ugly) sketches might help. 

Think the most important thing is to have an idea of what you want. I knew my computer already had an awesome (and totally unprofessional!) cookie monster decal, so I was torn between continuing that theme or getting a more professional theme. Ultimately figured out, as the sleeve has two sides, might as well keep it neat with a small motif on one and boring and professional on the other. Bingo! 

So, with that in mind, spent about an hour in the shop picking up exactly what I wanted.

Here’s what my shopping basket contained:

Outer fabric

Lining fabric

Fusible interfacing (or plain interfacing) 

Ususal sewing stuff

Embellishments (your choice)

Again, begin by knowing what you think the ‘skeleton’ of it will look like. Trust me, it helps tremendously knowing what you are working towards.

1. I began by cutting out the 2 exactly same pieces of interfacing and lining fabric about ¾” larger on all sides of the Air.  Depending on how snug you want it, of course..I knew the Air is slim enough to not really need much space and I was looking at a real snug fit. Leave a half inch for the seam, and adjust accordingly. 

2. Next I fused together the interfacing and the lining...But before that can I take a second to rave over the concept of fusible interfacing! Pure brilliance! Here's how it works - All you do is place the lining fabric on the interfacing, and then run a hot iron on it, and voila! You have now one piece of fabric, soft on one side, smooth on the other, just waiting to protect your laptop! #win No sewing required!

Just make sure tho that you place the inner side of the lining fabric against the fusible side (it is the one with the tiny glue spots). Running the iron 10 secs over each area on the interfacing will ensure the glue melts and stick to the lining. Repeat on both pieces of interfacing.

3.   I next took out my rusting sewing machine and sewed the outer fabric (with the inner side facing the interface) to the lined interfacing. At this stage you should be able to see the outer fabric folded across the edge of the interfacing. Like this

And this on the other

5.  Next, I added a pocket to the back of my sleeve. Optional step. Just figured it might be nice to have a pocket to place a notebook in when I go for a client meeting etc. 

Its simply about cutting the right size, sewing the edges on all 4 sides (to avoid the edges fraying), and then stitching that to the outer side of the outer fabric.

6.  You're almost there! Now, place the two outer sides of the outer fabric together (So the lining fabric faces you on both the pieces) and sew it on three sides.  Leave the side open that had the extra seam going over the top.

 And finally, just turn the sleeve inside out!

There you go! Now you have the basic sleeve ready! Snug enough, you should be able to place the kindle, phone or tablet in it. If you want added protection (or looking to make it a little more stylish) you can add the flaps and buttons. The flaps were a single piece of cloth I cut out hexagonal ends of and stitched it on the edges. Make a slit and button hole it (if you haven’t done embroidery before or don’t know what the hell I am talking about, I’d recommend you cheat a little – stitch the button on top, and use a snap button on the bottom J)

Embellish as you wish! I like freehand sketching, so I had picked up some fabric paint. Helped me with the motifs (You go roadrunner! Run run! Away from the Wile-y coyote...!). Also found some lace lying around the house that I used on the borders across the front and the flaps. Helped add definition....And I was one happy customer of the product I made!

Oh almost forgot! There is a secret pocket on the inside. Just a sewed on a piece of fabric that I can drop my phone in or some cash if I am going for a quick client visit from office.

Have to admit, I completed this in a weekend. But that is literally all I did that weekend (other than swim a little...)  From the buying of the fabric to the painting, it was painstakingly slow, esp when you compare it to the number of powerpoint decks you can create in that much time (Yes, I did actually make that comparison in my head)..but *so* much more satisfying. I know I have uncovered a hidden interest in this handicraft and I hope to be able to pursue it. 


If nothing else, it makes me happy