What’d Ya Get from Ol’ Santy Claus?

Well, I got an iPad!!  Ain’t it, coooooool?  :-)

And a docking keyboard! And I DO love it!  What an amazing device!  My husband bought me a very masculine black leather case for it… sigh…soooo not me!  So, I took it back and spent the day making a quilted one!  Wanna see how I made it?  Super easy peasy!

I had a stack of 4” squares of Kaffe Fassett fabrics that I bought on eBay years ago… just waiting for me in my stash!  So, I measured my iPad and the keyboard and  decided on 3 squares across and 7 squares down.  So I played with the layout until I liked it, then sewed them all together and pressed it.

I cut a piece of batting and backing and quilted the piece using a walking foot and a stitch on my machine that looked like rickrack- sewing diagonally through the squares using a bright multicolored thread.

Here’s the view of the quilting from the back side!

Trim the extra batting and backing off.  I used 4 squares sewn together to make a pocket- times 2 so I have a pocket for the outside back of the bag and one for the inside, too.  Cut a piece of lining fabric the same size as each pocket and the quilted bag body piece. 

Pin the pocket and lining piece right sides together, and sew around leaving an opening to turn it through.  Do this twice, turn the 2 pockets right sides out, press and topstitch across the edge to be used for the top of the pocket. I like to  topstitch pockets twice…  it just looks nicer to me!

Pin one pocket on the outside of the bag back and sew it down on three sides. 

Pin the inside pocket on the lining fabric, stitch down on three sides.  You can place these two pockets wherever you like!  I like my pockets to be secured at the top, so, when I topstitched across the top edge of each pocket, I placed a piece of velcro underneath the stitching in the middle of the top edge, so that the topstitching secured the velcro to the pocket top.

Then I sewed the other piece of velcro onto the quilted bag back and lining piece BEFORE I sewed each pocket down.

Now, time to make the top flap.  I sewed two sets of six 4” squares together- two rows of three squares times two!  One set will be the outside of the flap and the other set will be the inside or lining of the flap.

Place them right sides together and insert a little finished strip of fabric folded in half in the center between them.  It will be used as a button loop.  To make the strip, I cut a 2” wide strip of fabric about 14” long.  I pressed it in half lengthwise then opened up the strip and folded each long raw edge into the center of the fold and re-pressed it closed so that all raw edges are inside.  I topstitched down both sides close to the edge , as well as right down the middle.

I trimmed 1” off both long sides and then refolded it

right sides together and cut off the two bottom corners.

I cut a piece of batting a bit larger, pinned them all together and stitched around three sides. 

Trim off the extra batting, turn it right sides out and quilt it as you wish.  I used the same thread and same large curvy stitch as used on the bag body.

To make the shoulder strap, I cut a strip of fabric 5” wide by 24” long, and 2 pieces of batting 1 1/2” wide by 24” long.  Press one long side into the middle, slide in the 2 pieces of batting, then press the other long side in about 3/4”.  Then fold that side over the other enclosing the batting and all raw edges. 

Topstitch down both edges and then down the middle if you so desire, then press.

I also wanted a key ring on the outside so that they would not be inside the bag and possibly scratch the iPad, so I used the same method as the strap only not so wide and not batting and made a strap to attach a silver ring to hook my keys on.  This is optional, of course!!

Sew the two side seams on both the outer quilted bag and lining.  Leave a 4” opening in one side seam on the lining so you can turn the bag right side out through that opening. 

Box the 2 bottom corners on both the outer quilted bag and the lining bag.  The line from side to side is 2 1/2” long and is about 1 1/4” up from the point.

Pin the top flap, the two strap ends and the end of the key ring to the top edge of the quilted bag and baste with a 1/4” seam allowance.

Pin the lining to the bag all around the top and carefully stitch it with a 3/8” seam allowance.  Go SLOW!!  It is very thick, especially at the side seams!!

You’re almost done!  Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining side seam, then pin that opening closed and sew it shut.

Push the lining down into the bag and pin all around the top seam.  Topstitch this very thick seam slowly and carefully, about 1/2” down from the top edge.

Tie a pretty knot in the button loop strips after measuring the size of the button.  Sew the button on the front and VOILA!  You are done!  Enjoy!!  :-)

If you don’t have a separate keyboard, or other accessories for your iPad that you would want to carry along, then you can adjust the size of the bag to make it much smaller and also change the strap size to a handle or even leave it out completely.  I’m going to make a sleeve for my iPad out of leftover Minkee fabric so that it is protected inside the bag against the screen getting scratched by the keyboard.  Minkee will also do double duty as a screen wipe cloth!  Cool, huh?

Sooooo, what’d ya get for Christmas???