Showing posts with label Just for me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Just for me. Show all posts

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Upgrade and Improvement

Awhile back I made myself a new iPad cover, you can read about it here if interested.  I really liked the design, liked its functionality, and ease of use.  What I didn't eventually care for is the fabric selection I chose to do the cover in, as it had a dingy look to it.  But, I went ahead and used the fabric because my husband picked it out while we were out shopping one day.  I wanted something more feminine and pretty.  This February, while traveling along the Oregon coast on a quilt run, I found this fabric that I just love.    It is the top piece in the picture below called Inspirations by Yuwa.  I think it is pretty and feminine.



In using the original cover for over half of a year, I wanted to make some changes and additions to a new one, if I ever got around to making one again.  These are the things I wanted to add or change:

1.  Include a clear plastic cover to protect the light pretty color from getting dirty and keep the fabric from wearing out faster, especially at the corners.

2.  I wanted to add a zipper to the bottom pocket to hold non-paper items, particularly my charging cord.

3.  Make a  middle cloth divider that would protect the screen from pens and zipper.

4.  Provide a pen/pencil holder

5.  Have more pockets on the left side.

6.  Include a couple of business card/credit card pocket holders.

7.  Handle on the spine for easier carrying and holding of the cover.

I am not much of a designer, so I had to give this some deep thought, forming the steps of changes in each step of the original pattern.  I took the original pattern, and would try to envision where I would need to add the steps of the new additions or changes I wanted to make, and made pencil notes where I thought they should happen along the way of making the cover.   Want to let you know right now, my envisioning didn't go very well, especially if any math was involved.  Sigh!

So, I finally bit the bullet, got all the original pieces and additional pieces cut out, and started to put it together.  Another one of my character flaws, is I always get ahead of myself, and speed ahead to future steps without thinking of what I should have done or taking a minute to think about what I might have missed.  Thank goodness for a seam ripper and by razor blade, because I had to take out a few seams and apart a few pieces to go back and do a missed step, or a total re-do because I didn't envision it just right.

Here is the first picture I took (see there's that character flaw) when I remembered to get out my phone to finally get a picture.  My actual thought was, "Oh, maybe I should be taking some pictures of me actually working on this, so my readers will believe I really made it!!"  Silly me.  It shows the different sections getting ready to be sewn all together for the final outcome.


Here are the pictures of the final iPad feminine pretty cover (Note: there are a lot of pictures):


This first picture is the front closed view.  If you look close, you will see, I used some crochet edging.  It came off os a simple vintage linen table runner.  I loved the edging and the color of pink.  It was a good fit with the fabric.  I stitched bits and pieces over some of the printed lace on this piece of fabric, and I made it into the velcro closure tab. 

1.  Plastic Cover

This shows the velcro closure.
















Upon opening the holder, the left side holds the pockets and card holders.  I put some vintage lace I had on hand edging the top of the pockets.  There are actually five pockets, one zippered pocket, and one business card / credit card holder on this side.  Please note, that I had to do some hand stitching at the bottom, were all the pockets are laying on top of each other, and the layers were too thick to go through the sewing machine.

2. Zippered Pocket
5. Additional Pockets
6.  Business Card / Credit Card Holder


As the holder is open with the pockets exposed, I sewed in a cloth, quilted divider that will act as a screen protector.  I sewed a pen/pencil holder on this divider.

3.  Middle Divider
4  Pen / Pencil Holder










Now, when you flip over the divider, you see where the iPad is housed.  I used the four corners from the vintage linen table runner as the holders for the iPad.  Note they look better once the iPad is fitted in the four corner pockets.


See, here is the iPad loaded.



This shows my charging cords going into the zippered pocket.


And, this is a close up of the business card/credit card holder at the bottom of the pocket section.  I store my screen cleaner in one of these pockets.



So, there you have it, a new pretty feminine iPad holder.  I succeeded to get all the additions / changes incorporated into this new holder, with the exception of a handle.  I just couldn't get that one addition calculated into the cover.  Maybe if I do some envisioning and pondering, I can work it into the next one I do.  Doubtful, but worth the time to think about doing it.

Warmest...

Friday, January 3, 2014

iPad Cover, iPhone Carrier, Mini Wallet

I wanted to make an iPad cover for some time now, and I have looked at several patterns, both free and those that have to be bought.  I found this while browsing through the Craftsy.com site.  It is a e-reader pattern, that has several sizes in the pattern, including the iPad2, which is my model.

The pattern is by Pink Poodle Bow found here, and was easy to follow for the average sewer.  What I liked about the pattern was it had pockets on the opposite side of the cover.  I wanted pockets to carry my trade show calendar, and my weekly to do notebook.  Even in this techno world, I like to write my to do's down instead of using the many apps out there.



Here is the cover closed, my husband helped me choose the fabric.  It is a sewing room with lots of kitties.  We found it at Joanns.   I had the ribbon from long ago, and like it for a closure that goes all the way around the cover.  


I use a long strip of velcro, so if the pockets get full, I can still close it securely.  (Smile)



Here is the cover opened.  On the left side are three pockets.  The top pocket is holding my trade show calendar already.  I am sure the other pockets will be filled up soon.  the bottom pocket is divided so I can put my ETSY business cards in it and have them on hand at all times.  On the right side is the space for my iPad.  it has four padded corners holding in the reader securely!  


So far, I am really enjoying a fabric cover for my iPad, because covers for iPads are hard and have hard corners holding the pad securely.  

I also made matching iPhone carrier and a mini wallet.


Warmest...




Saturday, April 13, 2013

Cobbler's Shoes

Have you ever heard the adage about the cobbler's kids shoes?  Where the kid's shoes have holes in them and the cobbler doesn't have time to fix his kid's shoes because he is so busy working on customer's shoes?  Well I was tired of being a cobbler today, and made me two things for my self.  I am one of those women that carry her phone and her wallet in my bra.  So I use Valori Wells pattern, the "Little Wallet" to use as my wallet to carry in my bra.  The one that I have had for the last 6 months or so, needed a change.  I also wanted to have a case to put my IPhone in because I wanted some more protection for the phone.  I found just the pattern on Erin Erickson's blog Dog Under My Desk, called IPhone Sleeve.