............SMARTPHONE/TAB CASE....,,,,,,, MATERIALS Quilting-weight fabric for Outer Shell* Coordinating quilting-weight fabric for Lining* Medium-weight interfacing* ½″–¾″ Button Heavy cardboard, or art board The cardboard that I use here was once the back of a drawing tablet and is just shy of ¼″ thick. Coordinating thread, appropriate needle for the fabric chosen, and if possible, a zipper foot. *See CUTTING for the amount of materials needed—the size of your tablet will dictate how much you need CUTTING The example numbers here fit my basic Kindle, 6″ display, with a leather cover attached. You will need to do your own Sewing Math based on your tablet’s measurements. I leave the leather cover on the Kindle while in the envelope case so I measured my Kindle with the cover on. You will need three accurate measurements: width, length, depth. I found placing the tablet on a table and measuring with a seam guide gave me the best measurement of depth. ESTABLISH FABRIC WIDTH Add together the width and the depth of the tablet, then add in wiggle room (I chose ⅛″ but ¼″ would also work), and finally add in double your seam allowance. Like this: Tablet Width + Tablet Depth + Wiggle Room + (Seam Allowance x 2) = Fabric Width Example: 4 ¾ + ⅝ + ⅛ + (¼ x 2) = Width 4.75 + .625 + .125 + .5 = 6 ESTABLISH FABRIC LENGTH Multiply the length of the tablet times three. To that figure add double the depth of the tablet, and finally add in double your seam allowance. Like so: (Tablet Length x 3) + (Tablet Depth x 2) + (Seam Allowance x 2) = Fabric Length Example: (6 ¾ x 3) + (⅝ x 2) + (¼ x 2) = Length (6.75 x 3) + (.625 x 2) + (.25 x 2) = Length 20.25 + 1.25 + .5 = 22 CUT THE FABRIC AND INTERFACING Using the dimensions you calculated above, cut one Shell Fabric, one Lining Fabric, and one piece of Interfacing. So for my Kindle in this example, I cut one of each 6″ wide by 22″ long. At this point, set the cardboard aside uncut—we could do the Sewing Math for that now, but it’ll be easier to do it when we’re ready for it. CONSTRUCTION ASSEMBLE THE FABRIC ENVELOPE 1. Attach the interfacing to the wrong side of the Shell fabric. 2. Calculate the length of your tablet plus your seam allowance (in my example: 6.75″ + .25″ = 7″). Measure from one short, raw end of the Shell fabric and mark a line parallel to the short end. Fold the fabric along the line of Step 2 and stitch the sides in place, backstitching or lock-stitching at the beginning and end of each stitch line. Press. Trim the corners at the folded edge 3. Repeat Step 2 with the Lining fabric. 4. Turn the Shell fabric right side out. Place the Shell piece into the Lining piece, right sides together and align all seam allowances in the same direction (toward the outer edges of the flap. Starting at the top of the flap, sew down one long edge of the flap stopping with the needle in the fabric ¼” (or your desired seam-allowance) past the top edge of the pocket. [Quick tip: I find it helpful to mark the pivot point before I start sewing.] Lift the pressure foot and pivot the fabric to stitch across the top edge of the pocket, then lower the pressure foot and sew, stopping with the needle in the fabric ¼” (or your desired seam allowance) before the edge of the flap. Again lift the pressure foot and pivot the fabric to sew up the opposite long edge of the flap, then lower the pressure foot and stitch to the top. Do not sew across the top, raw edge of the flap. Being careful not to cut the stitches, snip into the corners at the pivot points, and trim away the seam allowance at an angle. 5. Turn the case right side out with the Lining inside the Shell pocket. Press. 6. From the top of the pocket edge, measure and mark the depth of the tablet plus wiggle room (in this example .625″ + .125″ = .75″). Top stitch along this line from side to side of the flap—for a cleaner look, you may want to avoid back-stitching or lock-stitching at the beginning and end of the line, and instead pull threads through to the Lining side of the flap and tie off. CONSTRUCT THE PROP-UP STAND FLAP 7. Now we have to do a little more Sewing Math for the cardboard. Measure the length of the flap from the stitch line in Step 6 to the raw edge, subtract 1 ½″ plus your seam allowance, and then divide by two. Like this: [Length of Flap – (1 ½ + Seam Allowance)] ÷ 2 = Cardboard Length Example: [6 ¾ - (1 ½ + ¼)] ÷ 2 = Length [6.75 – (1.5 + .25)] ÷ 2 = Length (6.75 – 1.75) ÷ 2 = Length 5 ÷ 2 = 2.5 For the width, measure across the sewn flap and subtract ⅛″. This one’s simple at least: Sewn Width – ⅛ = Cardboard Width Example: 5.625 - .125 = 5.5 Now cut two pieces of cardboard to those measurements, in this example: 5.5″ x 2.5″. But wait! Don’t ruin your good scissors or rotary cutter, use a utility knife, an x-acto knife, or at least an old pair of scissors. 8. Slide one piece of cut cardboard into the open end of the flap until it is flush against the line of top-stitching from Step 6. Using a zipper foot, top-stitch next to the cardboard—remember, you may want to avoid back-stitching or lock-stitching at the beginning and end of the line, and instead pull threads through to the Lining side of the flap and tie off. 9. Slide the second piece of cardboard against the top-stitching from Step 8. Again, top-stitch next to the cardboard using a zipper foot and tie off your threads. 10. Fold in your seam allowance (here: ¼″) on the raw ends of the flap and press. Edge-stitch the short, top end of the flap closing the opening as you do so. 11. Find the center of the flap width and create a button hole to fit your button. It may be easier to create a button hole parallel to the short end, but I found a button hole parallel to the long side means less side-to-side wiggle for the flap when the case is closed. 12. Sew the button in place, being careful to stitch through the front panel of the pocket only. YOURE DONE!
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 07:14:36 +0000