Craft Time (aka Therapy)

I planned to make all our gifts this year – along with the not eating out in ‘11 – to once again save some money.  And today I needed some craft time as a sort of therapy.  When life is going as fast as it has been going, I really need to slow down and create.  It is weird but it really works for me, once I create it seems I am a bit better. 

As for gifts, I keep trying to find the unique gift to give and not just another snap purse, or tea holder, or mug rug (that is the gift this year though).  So, I decided to make something for a gift my mother-in-law is hoping to get.  I am pretty sure my father in law will get her the ipad she has been wanting, so I decided to make an ipad cover.

   I have never made something before, for something I have never seen, touched, or had – to make sure it would fit/work.  But I trusted the tutorial I decided on and went with it.

So the tutorial I followed is HERE – but I will say that she only gave measurements for the initial fabric cuts – and since I did not have an ipad to use, I would have loved more measurements.  But here is my version if you were interested.  I did make it in about 2 hours while the kids played in and around and out and about.  Robert slept, and I allowed my creative juices to flow and self-medicate (sort of).

Here are my fabrics – I cut the 2 floral ones 25 inches x 10 3/4 inches

Also I used iron adhesive batting 25 & 10 3/4 in between the top and inside.

the orange one (my pocket ) 25 x 8 inches.

 

 

Then I printed out the B I liked really big, traced it on the back of the paper (you can reverse it before you print, I forgot) – then I used wonder under and traced it backwards on there.  Then I cut that out, ironed that on to my floral fabric and cut it out.  Then I used more wonder under and put the floral B on the brown to help it POP a bit.  Then, I cut that out.  Okay – so now you have a B you can iron onto the pocket.

Then, as per the tutorial, I folded the pocket, ironed it and put the B on, I then appliqued it with a zigzag stitch really small & tight.

Then I used a fancy stitch across the top of the pocket (for fun).

Next, I added my velcro – here is where I had measurements of where to put it – and I did not take pics, but it is there like in the tutorial.  I used adhesive ones and then sewed them on.  It ended up a bit messy with my needle – need to get better velcro next time.

 

Next, I put the top and batting, and back together (wrong sides together) and I quilted it sort of with no pattern, just a wandering type of stitch.  I wanted it to be quilty-looking.

Then I pinned everything with the binding tape (I made from the brown I used with the B) I cut it 1 3/4 inch wide and long enough to go around.

I pinned it all together and then finished it off.  Then I folded it over to create the place for the ipad – and sewed it along the top and bottom.

(you can kind of see one of my velcro dots in the corner – there are 3 in the middle and at the top in a row.  Then they are on the brown too – on the left – 3 of them – and it closes like a flap and velcros closed.)

Finished product :

I like it – I hope Betsy likes it.  I hope she gets her ipad, or I am in trouble!!

And the therapy worked, much better frame of mind this afternoon!