Last week my laptop began making very strange noises. It is a few years old so I decided to replace
it rather than have it repaired. Now there
is a brand new Surface Pro to waiting to be set up. The sleeves in the computer store were basic
and boring. And the few nice ones I
found on-line were quite pricey so I decided to make my own. I wanted something simple and classic enough
for business trips so although I usually tend to gravitate towards bright colors
when choosing fabrics and designs I selected a gray wool felt and floral design
for this project. I used leftovers from
other projects to make mine Here is the finished sleeve.
Here is what you need:
½ yard wool felt
½ yard cotton for lining
1/2 yard fusible soft interfacing
Magnetic clasp (or several inches of Velcro would probably
work)
Coordinating cotton sewing thread
Embroidery design of your choice (we used one from the Morango
Lacey Accents Collection)
Cutaway stabilizer
Embroidery thread
Lapel stick or other temporary adhesive (I love my lapel
stick because I can control exactly where the adhesive goes and avoid the
needle area if desired)
Here is what you do:
1.
Measure
your laptop (mine measured 11 ½” X 8”).
Add two inches to each measurement (so my working measurement was 13 ½” X
10”).
2.
Cut your pieces
a.
Front cut 1 piece from wool felt at your working
size (so mine was 13 ½ X 10”).
b.
Front cut 1 piece from the cotton lining at the
same working size.
c.
Front cut 1 piece from interfacing at the same
working size.
d.
Inner pocket cut 1 piece from wool felt at
working width but 1” less than working height (so mine was 13 ½ X 9).
e.
Inner pocket cut 1 piece from cotton lining at
the same size as the inner pocket wool felt piece.
f.
Inner pocket cut 1 piece from interfacing at the
same size as the inner pocket wool felt piece.
g.
Back (add 4” to the height of your working
measurement) cut 1 piece from wool felt (mine was 13 ½ X 14)
h.
Back cut 1 piece from cotton lining at same size
as the back wool felt piece.
i.
Back cut 1 piece from interfacing at the same
size as the back wool felt piece.
3.
Iron interfacing to back sides of the cotton
pieces. Set aside. Note: Reserve a couple of 1 1/2” square
scraps of the interfacing for later.
4.
Embroider your chosen design.
a.
Print a template from the software of your
choice (Alphabet Xpress or the Amazing Designs software products are great for
this). Pin as desired on your front wool
felt piece.
b.
Hoop cutaway stabilizer. Align your template and adhere the wool felt
in the hoop using the lapel stick.
c.
Slide the hoop onto the machine with the design
loaded and ready to embroider. Make sure
the needle above the center of the template.
Remove the template and embroider the design.
d.
Remove the embroidered piece from the hoop, flip
over and cut away the excess stabilizer.
5.
Add the magnetic snap to the front.
a.
Find the horizontal center by folding the felt
in half.
b.
Measure down from the top 2 ½” and mark.
c.
Iron a scrap of interfacing on the backside
centering at the mark for reinforcement.
d.
Mark the interfacing where the two prongs will
go through the fabric and cut using small sharp scissors.
e.
From the front side insert the snap. Flip to back, add the back support piece and
bend the prongs down.
6.
Place the front face up on a flat surface. Lay the front lining piece face down on top
and pin. Sew ¼ “around leaving a 4”
opening to turn.
Clip corners and turn
right side out. Press. Top stitch all the way around closing the
opening as you go. Set the front piece
aside.
7.
Repeat number six above for the inside pocket. Lay the pocket on a flat surface with the
cotton lining side up. Place the front
cotton lining side down on top and align the bottom and sides. Top stitch along original stitching lines
around the three sides creating a folder.
8.
Add the magnetic snap to the back inside.
a.
Find the horizontal lining on the cotton lining
piece. Measure 2 ½” from top and
mark. Follow the steps in number 5 above
to complete the snap.
9. 9.
Lay the lining face up on a flat surface. Lay the back wool felt piece face down on top
and align edges. Sew ¼” seam around
leaving a 4” opening to turn. Clip corners,
turn and press. Topstitch close to edge
all the way around closing the opening as you go.
2. 10. Lay the back side lining side up with the snap
at the top. Lay the front folder piece
front side up, with snap at top, on top aligning bottom and sides. Stitch around the three sides just inside the
current stitching lines. Go slowly if
needed as this is fairly thick.
Enjoy your new laptop sleeve. This was really easy. I will be making one for the girls as
well. One wants hers to be hot pink with
a black kitty on it and the other wants teal with and owl. Maybe we will do one for papa for father’s
day – we’ll see.
Take care,
DB