Christmas in July: E-Reader Sleeve Tutorial

Hi everyone and welcome to the second stop on the Christmas in July blog hop!  I'd like to first thank Elizabeth for putting this whole sha-bang together, to start getting us ready for the holidays, and I'd secondly like to thank the Fat Quarter Shop who has generously donated a $50 gift certificate to one lucky blog reader!  Check out the bottom of this post for how to enter to win.   

If you are anything like me, you have big, huge, grandiose plans and ideas of making boatloads of handmade gifts for the holidays, and are shocked when the middle of December rolls around and you have nothing done.  Hopefully this blog hop will at least give you some inspiration for handmade gift and decor ideas, so the holidays don't sneak up this year and take you by surprise.  Today's gift idea is a super simple tutorial for an E-Reader sleeve, which will fit any full sized Kindle or Nook Color/Tablet (or any e-reader measuring approximately 8" x 5" x .5").

A good handful of my friends and family are big readers who have made the switch from actual books to e-readers (myself included), and I thought a nice slim fitting E-Reader sleeve would be a great gift idea.  Hopefully you can use this tutorial to check a few gift recipients off your list as well!

Materials:

For e-reader measuring appx. 8" x 5"

Outer fabric: 7" x 18"

Lining fabric: 7" x 18"

fusible fleece: 6.25" x 17.25"

outer pocket fabric: 7" x 11.5"

outer pocket lining fabric: 7" x 13.5"

(2) pieces very stiff interfacing: 5.75" x 8.5" (Pellon 70)

fabric covered button kit

fabric square for button: 2.25" x 2.25"

elastic hair tie

edited to add:
For Nook Simple touch, or e-reader measuring appx. 6.5" x 5"

Outer fabric: 7" x 15"

Lining fabric: 7" x 15"

fusible fleece: 6.25" x 14.25"

outer pocket fabric: 7" x 9.5"

outer pocket lining fabric: 7" x 11.5"

(2) pieces very stiff interfacing: 5.75" x 7" (Pellon 70)

fabric covered button kit

fabric square for button: 2.25" x 2.25"

elastic hair tie

1.  Center the fusible fleece on the wrong side of your outer fabric and press into place

2.  Align the outer pocket fabric and pocket lining fabric right sides together.  The lining fabric will be longer than the outer pocket fabric, but align the short edges and pin in place.  

3.  Sew each short edge with a 1/4" inseam.

4.  Turn pocket piece right side out.  Press so that the lining fabric is exposed 1/2" on each short edge.

5.  Measure 3" in from each short edge (2.5" in from each short edge for Nook Simple Touch measurements) and make a small mark along each long side (make sure your mark stays within a 1/4" inseam).  This will mark the placement for the outer pocket.

6.  Align the short edges of the outer pocket with the marks you made in step 5 and pin into place.

7.  Baste wrong side of pocket to the right side of the outer fabric using a 1/8" inseam.  I find it helpful to stitch with the wrong side of the outer fabric/fusible fleece facing up.

8.  Layer outer fabric/pocket piece and lining fabric right sides together.  Pin into place.  

9.  Take your elastic hair tie and put a pin at about a quarter of the way in on each side of the hair tie.  This will help hold the hair tie together to sew it into the inseam.

10.  Along one of the short edges (which ever edge you would like to be the backside of your e-reader sleeve) make a small mark at the center of  the short edge.  Place your pinned hair elastic so that approximately 3/4 of the hair tie is sandwiched between the right sides of the outer fabric and lining fabric.  approximately 1/4 of the hair tie should be sticking out.  Pin into place.

11.  Leaving a 5" opening along the opposite short edge (without the hair tie pinned into place), and stitch around all sides using a generous 1/4" inseam, being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your line of stitcing.  Clip corners and turn right side out through the 5" opening along the short edge.   Press seams.

12.  Top stitch along the short edge with the elastic sticking out, being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your line of stitching.

13.  Use the opening along the short edge to insert the pieces of stiff interfacing.  Insert them one at a time, making to work the first piece all the way against the top stitching of the opposite short edge.  Insert the second piece so that it buts against the first inserted piece.  Be sure to center each piece as well.

14.  Fold the raw edges of the opening in towards the center and press into place.

15.  Top stitch along the short edge, being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your line of stitches to close the opening.

16.  Mark the center of the short edge you just stitched closed, and measure down 1.25" -1.5" (ignore that my ruler is aligned at 1.75" down).  Mark a small mark using air/water soluble marking pen.  This will mark where to attach the button.

17.  Using the 2.25" square piece of fabric, follow the manufacturers instructions to make a covered button.  Sew covered button onto the spot marked in step 16.

18.  Fold in half lengthwise, aligning the top edges.

19.  Stitch along each long edge using a generous 1/8" inseam.  Be sure to go slow and use a heavy duty needle, as you will be sewing through quite a few layers of fabric.  Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and ending of your line of stitching.

20.  Ta-da!  Stand back and admire your new stylish sleek e-reader sleeve, and check off one of those gifts from your holiday sewing to-do list!

Thanks for visiting, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!  If you decide to make an e-reader sleeve using this tutorial, I'd love to see it!  Be sure to add it to the Stitching with SewCraftyJess Flickr Group 

Now onto the good stuff, to enter to win the $50 Fat Quarter Shop gift certificate, leave me a comment on this post, telling me if you plan on doing any holiday sewing and if you've started yet.  I'll leave the giveaway open until Friday morning, and then Mr. Random will draw a winner.

Be sure to checkout the rest of the stops on the Christmas in July blog hop, there's a giveaway at every stop!  Here is the schedule chock full of talented quilty bloggers with all sorts of holiday inspiration (and giveaways!)

Monday 7/16 - Don't Call Me Betsy
Tuesday 7/17 - Sew Crafty Jess
Wednesday 7/18 - Pink Penguin
Thursday 7/19 - Freshly Pieced
Friday 7/20 - Sew Sweetness
Monday 7/23 - Happy Quilting
Tuesday 7/24 - Comfort Stitching
Wednesday 7/25 - Diary of a Quilter
Thursday 7/26 - Felicity Quilts