TUTORIAL: Quilted Laptop Case (Part 1)

Are you ready to get this project started?
I sure am!  

This tutorial is going to be posted in THREE (3) parts.  The first part (this one) is going to walk you through how to prepare all of your quilted pieces.  The second part (coming soon) will show you how to construct the case.  The third (and completely optional part) is already posted HERE and shows you how to make the handles.  

WHAT YOU NEED:

> *Approximately 3/4 yard exterior fabric
> *Approximately 3/4 yard interior fabric
> *Approximately 3/4 yard fusible fleece
> A 22 - 24" zipper (22 works well for smaller laptops, 24" for larger) 
   NOTE: The zipper will be used in PART 2 of this tutorial.
> A 2" piece of Velcro (male and female) for the pocket.

*Yardage may vary depending on the size of your laptop. 3/4 yard should be sufficient for most laptops, however if you have a large laptop, directional fabric or want to play it safe, you may want a full yard of each. I'm sure you can find something to do with the leftover!

FABRIC INFO: For those who are interested, I used Paisley Garden in Turquoise by Sandi Henderson for the exterior of the pictured case.  The lining is Painter's Canvas in Mustard by Laura Gunn.

STEP 1: Measure Your Laptop

Using a tape measure and measure all the way around the width and length of your laptop (ignore the scissors in this picture...they were only used to hold the tape measure in place!) 

You can round up to the nearest 1/4"

My laptop (a 13" Macbook Pro Retina for those of you who want to use my dimensions) measured 26" x 18.5". 

DIVIDE each measurement in half (this gave me 13" x 9.25")

ADD 1.5" to both measurements to account for seam allowance and the zipper.  (This changed my measurements to 14.5 x 10.75)

NOTE: This will be a snug fit, if you want a bit more room, you can increase this to 2" or 2.5", but I wouldn't go much more than that...you don't want your laptop sliding around too much.

STEP 2:  Cut the fabric

You will need 2 pieces of each of the following cut the size of your final measurement from above.

• Exterior/Main
• Interior/Lining
• Fusible Fleece

You will also need one piece of exterior, lining and fusible fleece cut 3" less width-wise than your main pieces for the pocket (mine was 14.5 x 7.75)

And you also need to cut one strip of fabric the width of your case (14.5") by 2.5" for the bias tape of the pocket.

STEP 3:  Fuse / Iron

Fuse one piece of fusible fleece to the wrong side of one of the main fabric pieces.  Turn over and iron a lining piece to the other side (this will not actually fuse, but the steam will keep it in place long enough for the next step!)  Repeat for the other main/lining piece and the pocket piece.

You now have three pieces of fabric/fleece sandwiches. Two main pieces and the pocket piece.

STEP 4:  Quilt

It's now time to quilt!  You can do this anyway you like.  You can make straight lines every inch, vertical or horizontal or both.  You can free hand quilt if you like!  I decided to go with a diagonal quilt line.  I made my initial quilting line by placing my fabric sandwich on my cutting mat which shows me the 45' angle.  I used a pencil to draw this line.  

Once this line was marked and sewn, I used my Acufeed* foot as a guide for the rest.

*An Acufeed foot is basically Janome's version of a walking foot.  Although not necessary, I would highly recommend using a walking foot for this part so the layers of fabric do not shift on you!

You can see in the picture below how I have my needle positioned in the left position and I'm lining the sewn line up with the edge of my foot.  This created about a 3/4" space between each of my lines and kept them quite straight.  No need to mark and measure each of these quilt lines....too time consuming!

Grab a drink, turn on your radio and spend some time quilting all three pieces.  Take your time and enjoy the monotony.  

Here is a view of the back side...

Once all three pieces are quilted, if you have a serger, go ahead and serge the raw edges.  If you don't, a nice tight zig zag stitch will work perfectly.  This is IMPORTANT!  Please don't skip this, as these edges will be visible on the interior of the case.  This step not only cleans them up, but prevents fraying too!

STEP 5:  Bind the Pocket

Put the quilted main pieces aside.  It's time to bind the top of the exterior pocket to hide that raw edge.  Grab your 2 1/2" strip of fabric and iron it into a piece of bias tape by folding and ironing it in half (length wise), then opening it up and folding and ironing the the long edges in towards the center crease.

Once creased, open up one side and place it along the top edge of the pocket piece.  The exterior side of the pocket will face up, the right side of the binding strip will face down and the raw edges line up.

 Sew along the crease closest to the raw edges to hold in place.

Fold the bias tape up and over the raw edge and pin in place making sure the back of the bias tape is covering the seam line you just made (the one that attaches the bias tape to the pocket).  To hold the bias tape in place, sew "in the ditch" of the front seam line. NOTE:  The pocket's exterior fabric will be facing up while sewing.  Continually check to make sure you are catching the bias tape on the back side.

Here is a view of the back side of the pocket piece when finished.

STEP 6:  Add Velcro

Center the male Velcro piece on the back side of the pocket piece about 1/2" from the bound edge and pin in place then sew.

To determine where the female piece of Velcro goes, place the pocket on the front of one of the main pieces.  (You may want to try out both pieces before placing the velcro to decide which offers the best design placement.)

Pull back the edge of the pocket and place the Velcro exactly where it needs to go on the main fabric piece.  (Since all of you are making different size laptops, this is the best way for me to describe how to get this placed correctly.)  

Pin in place and sew.

STEP 7:  Finish
Finally, place the pocket back on the front main piece and baste along the sides and edges (1/4") to hold in place.

And now you have the front and the back of your laptop case all ready for construction!  

I will show you how to construct the case in PART 2 of this tutorial (Coming Soon).  In the meantime, if you haven't already, if you want handles, you can go ahead and make them by following the tutorial HERE.

Ready.  Set.  Sew!  

Let me know how you are doing!!!

COMING SOON! Custom...Quilted...Awesome....Laptop Case!

Can you tell I'm a little excited about this?  Hehehe.....  Well, I am!  Why?  It may be because I love the colorful fabric I used, or perhaps the fact that I really needed a laptop case for my new computer, or it could be because I searched around and haven't found a tutorial out there that is quite like this, or maybe it's just that I really love sharing....hmmmm, I suppose it's a combinations of all of the above.

Anyway, I'm slaving away (well, not really slaving, but it sounded good) on getting this tutorial written up for you.  Good tutorials take time to write so it please be patient, but I wanted to get you excited and offer a bit of a sneak peek at the fun tutorial coming your way.....

 It's quilted and offers a zipper closure.  The zipper goes almost 1/2 way down each side which allows for easy in and out.  This puppy is going to be custom fitted to your laptop, so it will be nice and snug and that zipper makes life easy.  It also has some awesome corded, padded handles and a pocket on the front to hold your stuff.

I think I'm going to have to break this tutorial up into two posts...well, I suppose three since the handle tutorial has already been posted!  One part will tell you how to measure your laptop and prepare the quilted pieces and the other will show you how to assemble the whole thing.  

So, if you want to get a head start, go ahead and gather the following supplies:  

*Approximately 3/4 yard exterior fabric

*Approximately 3/4 yard interior fabric

*Approximately 3/4 yard fusible fleece

A 22 - 24" zipper (22 works well for smaller laptops, 24" for larger)
A 2" piece of Velcro (male and female) for the pocket.

*Yardage may vary depending on the size of your laptop.  3/4 yard should be sufficient for most laptops, however if you have a large laptop, directional fabric or want to play it safe, you may want a full yard of each.  I'm sure you can find something to do with the leftover!

And while I'm working on the tutorial, why not get a jump start by making yourself a pair of corded handles about 18" long!

Have fun!

The Jersey Shore...Recovering from Hurricane Sandy

Every Spring my girls get excited for when their Grandparents return to Long Beach Island from wintering in sunny Florida.  For them it means fun weekends spent with Grandmom & Pop Pop at the Summer Cabin.  A place where all of us find an escape from our everyday routines and stresses.  A place to wake up late, be lazy, enjoy sitting on a sunny deck and watch boats and birds on the water.  

Last weekend was our first visit to the area since Hurricane Sandy.  This visit offered somewhat of a bittersweet welcome. 

My In-Laws were very lucky in that they sustained minimal damage to their home.  The fact that their house is on pilings is most likely why.  Their dock was damaged and they had a lot of mud on their property, but the house for the most part was un-touched.  Unfortunately many of the summer cabins on their street did not fair as well.  

The first morning we were there, I woke up early, grabbed my camera and went for a quiet walk to start my day.  The sights I saw filled me with many mixed emotions....take a look at my photos, and I'm sure you will see why...

Battered and broken boats littered yards everywhere....

 Smaller homes that have been a fixture for many, many years were just shattered to pieces.

Their interiors left open and contents flung around like unwanted toys.

Almost every home had piles upon piles of debris left out for removal.

Dried mud caked the roads everywhere.

This garage lost an entire wall allowing for a perfect view of the bay from the street.

And these bright orange signs were seen all over, making the severity and devastation of the storm all too real.

Yet, despite all the destruction, there was still beauty to be found on every turn.....the little footbridge my family has enjoyed for generations withstood Sandy's wrath....

There were signs of people rebuilding and cleaning up everywhere...

 And, the sunrise was completely untouched and just as beautiful as ever....perhaps even more gorgeous than it was before.

TUTORIAL: Corded Fabric Handles

Have you ever seen those beautiful matching corded handles...you know, the ones that are made from the same fabric as the bag they are attached to?  The ones that don't "smush" in your hand when you pick up the bag?  The ones that feel like they can carry a good amount of weight around?  I know you've seen them.  If you've ever picked up a Vera Bradley handbag, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.  Anyway, I am in the process of designing a laptop case (Yes, that will be a tutorial too!) and I knew I wanted those corded handles on it....the problem was, I couldn't find a "how-to" anywhere on the web....so guess what I did....yup, figured it out and am sharing the info with you!

What You Need:

• Two strips of fabric that are 4" wide x your desired length (I made mine 18")
• Two strips of fusible fleece the same length x 3 1/2" wide
• Two pieces of cording the length of your fabric/fleece strips (I used a simple clothesline purchased in my local Rite Aid!)
• Fabric or Craft Glue (I used Tacky Glue)

(Directions after the jump)

FYI: These handles are an optional part of my Quilted Laptop Case Tutorial!