It’s finally that time, readers. We’re getting ready to bring our National Sewing Month series to a close and choosing a winner tomorrow. Are you still hoping it’s you? Remember, you have to leave a comment under any (or all) of our National Sewing Month 2012 blog posts. One lucky winner will receive our mystery grand prize! Today, we’re sharing one last tutorial with you. Since we know you love your gadgets, here’s a project that’s sure to come in handy.
To read more about Lelanie and to find her entire project list, visit her designer profile.
Hi there, friends! I am Lelanie and I blog at To Sew With Love, To Cook With Love and Villa Portillo. Last year, I have also guest posted for the National Sewing Month celebration here at Fave Crafts and I showed everybody how I made this On-the-Go Medicine Kit. I am glad that some people found it helpful. This year, I am proud and humbled to be invited to guest post again for the National Sewing Month event. I would also like to thank everybody at All Free Sewing and Fave Crafts for the opportunity and the continuous amount of traffic I get daily from them! You guys are awesome!
Today, I will share with you how to make a Reversible Laptop Sleeve.
I actually made this laptop sleeve earlier last year and all the photos have been in my computer all this time. I have always been telling myself I will post the tutorial one of these days and I think, the timing is great as this is also a great back-to-school project!
This project is very easy. You can adapt it to your own needs and can actually make one for your laptop, e-reader, tablet or any iGadget. You can use zipper, velcro or buttons for the closure. Use your creativity and adapt it to your necessity! If you don’t have any batting on hand, you can use some felt as padding, too. You can make it reversible or non-reversible. It’s all up to you!
The photos I will show you for this tutorial was of a reversible laptop sleeve I made for a 17.5″ laptop. Feel free to change the measurement according to your needs. Just make sure to allow some allowance when cutting your fabric pieces. For example, for my 10″ Dell mini Inspiron laptop, my fabric pieces would be:
WIDTH: 27 cms (the width of the laptop) + 1 cm (0.5 cm allowance on each side because I will sew the pieces 0.5 cm away from the raw edge) + some room for the battery charger = 39 cms.
LENGTH: 19.5 cms (length of the laptop) + 1 cm (0.5 allowance on each side where I will sew the pieces 0.5 cm away from the raw edge) + 3 cms room allowance = 23.5 cms.
For this laptop sleeve, I used:
- Fabric A: 39 cms x 23.5 cms
- Fabric B: 39 cms x 23.5 cms
- For embellishment, some scrap fabric, ribbons, felt
- Velcro for closure
- 2 Batting pieces
The how-to:
Iron on interfacing to the wrong side of all the fabric pieces. This, however, is optional. You can still go on and make your gadget sleeve even without any interfacing on hand.
Get the tab pieces. Sew on the velcro piece where it should be if you plan to use velcro. Bring them together, right sides together and wrong sides outwards. Sew the pieces together by sewing on both longer sides (don’t sew the one of the short side) and sew on one short side by sewing a round shape. This, again, depends whether you want it round or just straight.
Clip the rounded edge so it won’t get bulky when you turn it later and you will have a crisp and clean look.
Turn it inside out and sew straight stitches all through the sides.
Get one of fabric A and pin the embellishment you like on the fabric (optional). Pin the embellishment on with the sleeve’s main fabric in between the batting (or felt) and the embellishment.
Sew the embellishment on the fabric + batting.
Do the same to the other fabric. (I also sewed on embellishment as this is a reversible sleeve)
Secure the batting on the fabric by sewing both pieces together with basting stitches.
Fix the tab on one of the sleeve pieces by sewing it with basting stitches.
Get both sleeve pieces and pin them together, right sides facing together, batting facing outwards: Fabric A + Fabric A, Fabric B + Fabric B. Make sure the tab is pinned and tucked in nicely so it won’t get in the way. Sew the three sides of the fabrics except the top and make sure you leave one of the bottom sides when 4″ unsewn. This opening is where we will turn the sleeve inside out, later. Just to make sure the stitches won’t get undone, I sew zigzag stitches along the edge. Do the same to the other fabric. Remember, only one of the fabric pieces (you choose whether A or B) will have 4″ unsewn at the bottom side.
Take the bottom tip of the sewn sleeve part and sew straight stitches about 1″ away from the pointed tip. This will give the sleeve more room.
Take the bottom tip of the sewn sleeve part and sew straight stitches about 1″ away from the pointed tip. This will give the sleeve more room.
Take the bottom tip of the sewn sleeve part and sew straight stitches about 1″ away from the pointed tip. This will give the sleeve more room.
Cut the tip leaving 1/4″ of the edge intact and sew zigzag stitches on this raw edge. Do the same to all of the other tips of both sleeve pieces.
Get sleeve A and sleeve B. Place sleeve A inside sleeve B (or vice-versa) with right sides of the fabrics facing together.
Sew straight stitches all through out the top side 1/4″ away from the edge.
Sew zigzag stitches to strengthen the stitches. Zigzagged stitches make me happy! ^^)
Turn the sleeve inside out through the unsewn part at the bottom of one of the sleeves.
As you can see, just to avoid the bulk in just one side and just because I only had 2 batting pieces, I only sewed batting pieces on the embellished side. And to make sure both sides of the sleeve will have some batting, then the embellished sides are not together. I have one embellished side here:
and one embellished side opposite to the other embellished side:
Now, for the last step, sew straight stitches 1/4″ away from edge of the top side of the sleeve.
Now, you have a nice reversible laptop sleeve! A 15″ laptop (the pink one in the picture below) can even fit with some room allowance.
You can also make zippered ones and with pockets!
I hope you liked our tutorial and that you find it useful. If you like this tutorial, then don’t hesitate to visit more of our tutorials here. Thanks to all Free Sewing and Fave Crafts for having us here. We always enjoy our guest posts with you!
Have you enjoyed our National Sewing Month series? Have you drawn inspiration to create your own projects?
- 15 Quick Sewing Projects Under 15 Minutes - July 20, 2014
- What You (Almost) Forgot to Bring: Sewing Purses, Organizers, and More for Travel - July 14, 2014
- Kids and Camping Hacks: 17 Camping Crafts for Kids - July 8, 2014
I had hoped to finish up my sewing UFOs this month. Alas, this series has provided enough inspiration to actually add to my Want-To-Make/UPO list. I can easily think of worse things to have happen. 😉 Thanks for all of the great posts.
I have loved all of your articles in this series! I am so excited now to make some of these as Christmas gifts for my friend and family!!!
Thanks again for so many gret idea.
Very nice.
Very Cute!
Great project – thanks for the tutorial
Thanks so much, working on mine right now.
very nice. I really like the one with the zipper.
Nice laptop sleeve. I have learned a lot; the most being the quilt basting spray which I am definitely going to try on my next quilt. I may also experiment with the foundation paper piercing on a quilt. I also want to make my Mom the reading pillow and I may make it as a quilting patchwork piece. I will definitely make the yoga pants too! They are all a great series of articles and projects. Thanks so much!
Thank you, I like the idea of a reversible laptop sleeve. You can make them to fit your mood, or someones favorite colors. And so easy, this would be a great use for a serger,too.
Always nice to have pictures to refer to when tackling a new project. Be nice to have a new machine to start the next new project on!! Have enjoyed this month’s posts and look forward to future ones.
This looks like a great project for my Nook and my laptop — I am anxious to try it! Nice, clear, easy to follow directions and photos. Thanks!
Perfect timing on the laptop tutorial…I was just about to make one for a trip I am taking in a week! Thanks for all the inspiration from all the tutorials…has really lit a fire in me to create for myself as well as a venture I am undertaking with my crafting and sewing!
What a great idea! Thanks for the tutorial.
almost wish I had a laptop–this is so cute
Love this laptop tutorial and can’t wait to start it. I’ve done so many project from your newsletters and learned a lot from them. Thank you for all your inspiration.
Very cute good idea.
Thanks so much for the series! My to do list has gotten bigger and bigger from all the great projects! 🙂
Great idea! Thanks so much for this tutorial.
Hi, I just signed up to get your email.
would love to be a winner for once 🙂
Loved this tutorial. Looking forward to adding this project to my list of things to do.
I’m glad I found this tutorial, I need one! Great project, too to start in autumn season. Thank you for such an inspiration.
Thank you for sharing these great tutorials!
I absolutely love all of Lelanies tutorials1
Love this idea, think I would use a heavy sophisticated fabric for I am a Grandma :}
Like your idea. Thanks for the tutorial. I took an old zippered case with a logo on the side, stitched my initials on plastic canvas and attached over the logo. Then I took quilted material and made a lining It works great for my laptop.
I have been working on my quilting projects this month. I also worked on a double wedding ring table runner for my quilting club and I have been working on a wall hanging for my sewing room. I loe to sew in my room and forget my worries when I concentrate on my sewing/quilting projects.
Great tutorial–this would make a wonderful gift. I have enjoyed this series –it has motivated me to sew again.
I really enjoyed the Laptop sleeve tutorial.
I have drawn sooo much inspiration, I’m in the middle of making an outfit for my daughter and now I’m going to be making a quilted iPad sleeve with my scraps! Thank you for all the awesome posts in the series! I have a new favorite place,….. Facebook who?!?! 😉
I definitely would like to make one
I have enjoyed all the projects this month and am making the laptop sleeve for Christmas gifts this year,thank for all the inspiration!
This has been very inspiring for me. I really need to make me a sleeve for my laptop.
Hi there, friends! I am glad you liked the tutorial I shared! ^^) Thanks to everybody here at Fave Crafts and All Free Sewing for giving me the honor to guest post for this awesome series!
Hugs,
Lelanie