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Vintage Japanese Wool Kimono Fabric

Vintage Japanese Wool Kimono Fabric available at CosimaOrimono

iPad Sleeve in Summersville Scandi

Here is another Tablet Computer Sleeve. 

This time I used Summersville Scandi in London Bus Red for the exterior and a red dot print from Lecien as the lining.

Since the fabrics are light colors, I want this one to be able to hold up to being washed periodically, so I used white cotton broadcloth (I'm out of sew-in interfacing) to back the exterior pieces. 

Fusible interfacing just doesn't seem to survive the wash very well. Things never look quite the same after washing, which is ok sometimes.  Quilts look better the more you wash them.  But things made with fusible interfacing and then washed, never really look *good* again. 

The broadcloth worked really well--is heavier and less expensive than interfacing anyway.  Overall, this turned out very nice. :0]

Here it is holding other stuff:

These are a nice size for lots of different things! 

Just Pattern Pieces - Tablet Computer Sleeve

Ok, the pattern pieces for the iPad sleeve are ready!  I'm calling it "Tablet Computer Sleeve" to be more generic since Apple is pretty aggressive with the copyright stuff.  Plus, they will work on lots of tablet computers, or for whatever you need to store.  This grey one is now holding a bunch of scraps and hexagons.  It's just a great size for lots of things! 

There are two sizes--one for an iPad with a cover, and one for one without any cover. 

These are just the pattern pieces with relevant notes. Almost every accessory pattern I offer uses the same basic construction method--sew the pouch, attach pouch to lining back/flap piece, attach exterior fabric back/flap piece, and finish it up. 

I'll be back tomorrow to show off a new one! 

1970s Fruit and Floral Vintage Fabric

1970s Fruit and Floral Vintage Fabric available at Rabbits Fabrics

Quilting the iPad Sleeve

For the iPad Sleeves I've made so far I've quilted the lining.  In preparation for the pattern pieces coming VERY soon, here are some details:

Quilt Sandwich

For the lining pieces I've used the standard "quilt sandwich" of fabric backed by batting, and then a piece of muslin on the bottom.  So cut 1 A & B from batting and 1 A & B from muslin. 

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Batting (or Fleece)

For the two in medium weight quilting cotton (pictures of grey one are here) I've used Warm & Natural cotton batting.  This is the cotton batting I use for most projects.  It is a nice weight for quilts, provides some cushion to lightly pad accessories, it's easy to sew, and reasonably priced.

The one made from cotton/linen blend fabric, I used Quilters Dream Request.  This is the lightest weight batting from Quilters Dream.  Since the cotton/linen exterior fabric is about twice as heavy as quilting cotton, the lightweight batting worked nicely to keep the sleeve from becoming thick and poufy. 

Quilters Dream is not as heavy or dense as Cotton Dream. It is perfect for lighter weight quilts to use in the warmer months.  It gives quilts a really fantastic spongy feeling and they look more modern and sleek with the thin batting. 

You can also use fusible fleece for the sleeves.  The fleece I use is Pellon 987.  It fuses well, and is soft and flexible. 

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Trim the Batting A Pieces

I've trimmed away about 1" of the batting from each of the upper corners of A.  This gets rid of some bulk where A & B attach to each other.  It doesn't need to be perfect, just cut away enough to remove the batting from the allowances. 

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Quilting

I've quilted the pieces about every 2" horizontally.  The flap will fold more easily if the quilting lines are parallel to the fold.  You can quilt it from left to right (vertically), but I think it works better to quilt horizontally. 

The quilting lines can be closer together or further apart.  Every 2-4 inches is probably a good guideline. For something like this, where the quilting is on the inside, I just eyeball it and then stitch.  Any mistakes or wonky lines aren't going to be obvious on the inside. 

Sew all the quilting lines in the same direction.  It doesn't matter so much on something small like this, but it is a good habit to get into sewing all straight quilting lines in the same direction.  If you sew one one way and then come back the other way, the differential feed will slight push the fabric in different directions.  That can be really obvious on quilts, so I try to just make it a habit to always sew the quilting lines in the same direction.

Cotton/Linen Ticking Stripe iPad Sleeve

 

This is a second size of the iPad sleeve.  It is perfect for an iPad (2 or 3) with a Smart Cover. 

I'm working on these pattern pieces this weekend.  First I have to make a costume!  I'm going to a party to go to this evening and do not have a costume (yet). 

Going to a party is a bit of a stretch for me.  I don't generally enjoy socializing in large groups, but I'm trying.  By "large" I mean more than 4 people.  I should have worked on a costume earlier in the week, but it was better just not to think about the party and the costume. Thinking about it would have led to thinking about reasons not to go! 

Anyway, these pattern pieces will be ready sometime this week. 

For this sleeve I added a fabric piece to grasp when opening the flap.  During Anna's Sewing Summit lecture on Finishing Techniques she showed a picture of a pouch where a tiny tag of fabric had been sewn into the seam as an embellishment.  It was awesome. 

Now I want to add fabric tags to everything.  After adding the fabric piece, I couldn't resist adding buttons on top.  Yes, I can't stop with the button embellishments.  Buttons are fantastic, I just don't want to have to actually button them.   

I've used VELCRO again on this one.  Yeah, I like that stuff--even the ripping noise is appealing to me.  VELCRO should change its slogan (if they have one...) to "VELCRO - Let it RIIIIIIIIPPPPPP". 

Ignore the blue marks around the bottom of the VELCRO pieces--they are just Mark-B-Gone pen marks that need to be washed off.

Those of you who don't like/actively hate VELCRO, I have some good news to share with you later.  Stay tuned!