Tuesday, July 31, 2012

DIY Felt Tablet Sleeve


I was lucky enough to get a tablet as a gift this last Christmas and, after a while without any protection save the odd magazine, it was in danger of getting a bit beat up in my bag.  I was looking around at cases and kept on seeing all these lovely really thick felt tablet cases (sleeves?) around that I liked but I didn't want to spend the money they usually sell for.  They are generally made of really thick wool felt which is beautiful but is quite expensive to buy for the home crafter (3 sheets can be around $18 and up).  So, I decided to make mine out of 29 cent craft felt sheets instead which happen to be just the right size.  Yay, I love a bargain solution!

You will need:

4 sheets of craft felt
Sharp scissors
Sewing machine
Ten minutes of your life




1. Line up 2 craft sheets on top of each other and stitch a straight line across the top leaving a small border.  Do the same with your second 2 sheets.  These individually stitched sides provide the opening when the other sides are all stitched together.




2. This shows your two sets.  Don't worry too much about lining them up perfectly as felt sheets are rarely exactly the same size.


3. Lay one stitched set on top of the other set in your chosen colour combination and pin the heck out of it so it doesn't skew too much when you sew it all together.


4. Stitch around the outside 3 seams and not the top one where you have already stitched obviously.  I used generous seams because my Asus tablet is smaller than an iPad.  I think with smaller seams the iPad would still fit (someone try this out and let me know!).


5. Use your sharp scissors to trim off the seams all around and give you a nice clean edge.  That's it, you are done!

For another one I made, I used pinking shears for a more decorative edge. 


On this one, I chose yellow for one side...


and grey for the other.  Going with the whole colour blocking trend right now.  I am so hip... ;-)


I really like the colour effect on the trimmed sides and the double thickness on each side makes it nice and sturdy.  Best of all, because it is so cheap and quick to make, if I want a different colour combination it is no hassle.

18 comments:

  1. Great idea, Catherine! I hope to get a tablet one of these days myself! . . . and replace my sewing machine that died a while back . . . :) I'll definitely have to keep this in mind when I do!

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  2. Thanks Willow! I hope you get both real soon!

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  3. What a great idea! I have a tablet that has nothing. No case at all. It's so lame. It needs a pretty felt sleeve like this! Thanks for the tutorial!

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    1. Yes it does! Make sure to let me know if you make it. Thanks for dropping by.

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  4. Hi Catherine, I love yellow and grey together, fantastic combo!
    Thanks for being a part of Blogtoberfest, hosted by Cathy aka {tinniegirl} last year. Thought you might be interested to know that we're running it again in 2012. You can find all the info at: http://isawyoudancing.blogspot.com.au/p/blogtoberfest-2012.html
    And we're kicking off this Monday! Would love to see you there.
    Kat xxx

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    1. Thanks Kat (ha, I have a couple of friends who call me Cat too). I would have loved to do Blogtoberfest this year but it just didn't happen... Hopefully next year!

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  5. I love this DIY idea - sometimes all you need is something quick and easy to make that doesn't cost the earth.
    www.AhkaVintage.com

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  6. Love it! I made one for my tablet a few months ago out of a thrift store sweater I felted. :)
    http://kimberlys-cup.blogspot.com/2012/02/easy-e-reader-sleeve.html
    It's amazing what just a few minutes & a desire to make something useful and beautiful can do, isn't it?

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    1. Yep, I often only have a few minutes here and there lately. I have been meaning to try and felt an old sweater from the thrift store but all the ones I see are acrylic. I will have to keep looking!

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  7. This is darling! I love how you can see the yellow on the edges. Cute cute cute!

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  8. Thank you thank you thank you! I have been on the verge of ordering such a sleeve so many times, and have been stopped by the twinge that I could very well make one myself, had I the instruction...voila!

    Such a pretty blog...

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  9. Remind me to make one for my Memo Pad! It’s cute and nifty! Our devices need some TLC too and a case would be its first defense against the elements. (Betty Lee)

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