Ya'll. I'm going on a cruise. Like going tomorrow. I know, crazy. It's the kids' spring break and I've been in laundry and packing mode all day. Flip flops, bathing suits, shorts, sun block– all packed. The kids even packed their own backpacks with "carry on" stuff. Included in Kaley's bag is the Kindle. I never thought I'd see the day! Suddenly my budding 7-year-old reader is excited to read on vacation and asked if she could bring it. Wha what?! Um, yes.
I think she's finally hit that point where it's not work to read anymore and she's discovered that books can be funny, scary, happy, exciting... everything a movie can be. So we got a Kindle this month (It's National Reading Month too!) with Amazon Free Time Unlimited. Basically, for $2.99 a month, she can download thousands of chapter books specifically for her age without actually lugging them all around. Great for school since her homework is to read every night and we just can't get to the library weekly. Austin has even downloaded a few early readers for himself. We've only had the thing a few weeks and she's on her 5th book. I can't tell you how excited she was to find Mr. Popper's Penguins. (It's all the rage among 1st graders I tell ya.) They read it in her class a while back and now she's reading it to me at night. :)
So, since I knew the cruise was coming up, and since I had some pretty cute fabric in my stash, I decided to take a crack at making a case for her new Kindle. Maybe she'll be even more inspired to take it more places. Here's what I did.
Supplies:
- 2 coordinating fabrics, approximately 20" x 10" each
- Small scrap of fabric for pocket
- Interfacing, 20" x 10"
- Double fold bias tape, 1 package
- Small Button or Velcro
Step 1:
Measure your Kindle and cut.
I'm sure you can find the actual specs for a Kindle online but my tape was handy so I went old school. A Kindle is about 4 1/2" x 6 1/2". So I guess this step should really be called trust me and cut your fabric. ha.
I did a bunch of scribbly math on an old birthday invitation that was within I-don't-have-to-get-up proximity to figure out how I wanted this thing to work. Don't worry, that should not make sense. I just think it's fun to see the process. Measurements are below.
Cut both pieces of fabric and the interfacing into 19 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles.
You'll also need a piece of fabric for a pocket. That should be 6 1/2" x 4".
Picture below shows everything except the pocket. My bad.
Step 2:
Measure and mark your folds.
There are 3 folds along the case. Measuring from left to right on the fabric that you want to be the inside of the case (the long direction), mark the folds at:
- 3"
- 8 1/2"
- 14 1/2"
I drew mine with a light pencil but you could use pins or chalk or whatever.
Step 3:
Make your fancy flap.
This step is kind of optional but I wanted the closing flap to be fancy. Stack your lining fabric, interfacing and outer fabric on top of each other. Fabrics face right sides out. On the 3" section we marked out (shown in blue), I freehanded a shape (in yellow). I just started from the center, and ended at the pencil line I drew. Then I cut that out (through all 3 layers).
Then I folded the whole thing in half lengthwise and cut the other half so it was symmetrical.
Add bias tape to the pocket.
Just sandwich it around the 6 1/2" side of the fabric you want to be the top of the pocket and sew. Trim the ends even with the fabric.
Step 5:
Add the pocket.
For this step you just want to work with the lining fabric and interfacing. Ditch the outer fabric for a bit so the pocket stitching doesn't show through on the front of the finished case. Fold the sides of the pocket under 1/2" so the pocket fits nicely in the 5 1/2" section you have marked out on the case (second section, next to the fancy flap you just made). You don't have to hem the bottom, it will be sewn into bias tape soon :) Pin in place and sew around 3 sides.
This is what the back should look like. Stitching showing on the interfacing, not the pretty outer fabric. Once you admire your work, stick all three layers back together again.
Step 6:
Add bias tape to the end.
This step is pretty simple. Sew a quick line of bias tape on the opposite end of the fancy flap :) Like so. All 3 layers should be in that bias tape.
Step 7:
Fold over the Kindle pocket.
This is the pocket that's going to hold the Kindle. This is the line we drew at 14 1/2". Fold and press. You might need to pin it in place.
Step 8:
Add bias tape around the whole thing.
Woo hoo, last step! I started at the bottom, just under the pocket and added bias tape around the whole thing. This is how I handle corners. I just kind of fold and crease until it looks neat and keep sewing.
I added a couple felt buttons for decoration and some Velcro to keep the thing closed (shhhh, don't tell, they're hot glued). Totally optional but I think they finish it off.
So I hope you're inspired to try it yourself. It might just make your budding reader more eager to bring his or her favorite titles on your next vacation. Bon Voyage!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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