No Sew Tablet (Book) Cover

For Christmas I got a new Kindle. While waiting for it's delivery, I spent days shopping online for the perfect case. I didn't like anything I saw in the Amazon marketplace but more than one that I loved on Etsy. But I also didn't want to shell out 1/3 the price of my device for a case. I began hunting tutorials and came across a few that I really liked (one in particular for it's wording alone) but I still wasn't satisfied with what I saw.

So....I decided to make my own.

Step #1: Pick the proper book. It needs to be similar in size to the device it will house...and it needs to have a decent title. You're going to appear to be reading this particular book for...well...possibly the rest of eternity so you might want to avoid titles like The 24 Hour Diet or The Beanie Baby Handbook. I went with Agatha Christie's Curtain. Can't go wrong with Hercule Poirot. I also picked out fabric to line the book with that compliments it's colors (I like a festive lining). Walmart has lots of beautiful fat quarters. I actually used a fat half but could have gotten away with a quarter easily.

 Step #2: Disembowel the book. This part actually a bit painful....for me and the book. You simply score along the edges of the inside cover with a pair of sharp scissors or an exacto knife (I really need a new one of those- this was more sawing than scoring). Yes, I kept the innards of this book. I plan on reading it. It's the least I could do after gutting it in such a fashion.

 Step #3: This is where I differ greatly from the tutorials I perused. I cut pieces of lightweight poster board to match the book size (the title page made a good template), then fusible quilt batting to match the poster board. I did use actual cardboard for the spine for extra stability.

 Step #4: Cut the fabric so that it will cover each piece and have plenty to wrap around. One of the faces needs to have enough fabric on one side to cover the entire front cover, spine, and a few inches onto the back cover. Fuse the quilt batting to the fabric with a hot iron.

 Step #5: None of the tutorials I saw included pockets. I love pockets. I know that the kindle itself should hold all the information I need without my packing around a bunch of paper slips, but darn it all- I wanted pockets. A bit of fusible interfacing and the finished edge of the fabric makes a lovely top seam for the pockets.

 Step #5: Glue the fabric to everything! Well, maybe not everything but it sure as heck felt like it. Basically you're wrapping the poster board like a present. A very sticky present. (Fabric glue works really well. I used clear Tacky Glue but if I were to do it again I think I'd go with something like Fabri-Tac). Remember that extra length for the front cover? Don't glue it down. We'll get to that in a minute.

 Step #5: Let everything dry. Clothes pins work great holding everything in place until it all sets up. Be careful not to glue you items to say, the table top, or a book you thought you could press them flat with, or another piece of paper, or your hands.

 Step #6: Attach elastic bands on all 4 corners of the back cover to hold your device. I laid my kindle down on the cover and decided where to place the first strap, then I used a piece of paper to make a template to be sure each corner had the same angle. This is when I added the pockets to the front cover but alas, I forgot to take a picture. You're also going to glue a piece of elastic to the inside cover to keep the case shut.

 Step #7: Glue the front cover in first laying the unfinished edge across the spine. Then add the covered spine (I added an elastic loop for a stylus incase I ever decide I want one), and the back cover.

 Step #8: Once it's all glued together I stacked The NIV Exhaustive Concordance and Miss Manners Guide for the Turn-of-the-Millennium to weight the entire thing down and left it over night. If you do not have the above mentioned titles, that dictionary you haven't used since the Internet became a household necessity will work just fine.

 Step #9: The next morning you can unstack the books and add the device of your choosing. (If you look very carefully at the right side of the spine you can see where I didn't leave quite enough fabric to cover the entire inside of the case. Oh well. You live, you learn....you craft, you learn even more.)

 Voila!!

You can call me the Scrap Queen

Nothing smells quite as wonderful as bed sheets dried on the clothesline.  If they could bottle that scent I'd wear it.  If they could put it in a candle, I'd have a house full of Yankees in that particular scent.  I simply adore it.

Getting the sheets on the line- not so much.

It's kind of a pain in the hindquarters.  Especially when you can't keep track of your clothes pins.


So I picked up this funny looking little thing.  It's basically a (pretending to be) cloth bag with a wire going through the top to keep it open a bit and a metal hook to hang it from your clothesline.  Unfortunately, it has not stood the test of time very well.  In fact, I lose more pins that I transport in it anymore.

 About a week ago I came across Busha's clothes pin apron while QM and I were working in her garage.  "I can make that," I thought....and I did.

 It's made entirely out of scrap fabric I had from other projects (mostly from a kitchen apron I made for Inkling a few years back).  It might look a bit odd on, but that's because it's holding about 150 or more clothes pins.

Maybe this will inspire me to do laundry tomorrow.  Then again, I really like looking at it while it sits on the kitchen table.  Maybe I'll make it our new centerpiece.

Oh Pinterest, How I love thee....

I will admit to a certain level of skepticism. When I first heard of 'blogging' I assumed it was a universe full of deluded 30 year old Star Trek enthusiasts living in their mother's basements writing about the time space continuum. And then I started one. I didn't want to join Facebook but I finally gave in & 3.7 seconds later I was a full blown junky. The thought of Tweeting nearly made me break out in hives & while not a true Twitter addict, I do enjoy a jaunt through the trends every now & then.

And now it's Pinterest. I tired to load it a few months back to no avail (Dial-up, my old frenemy) and thought nothing of it afterwards. Just a few days ago something I read sparked my interest & I thought I'd give it a second chance. That was nearly ruined by a 2 day wait for an invitation (WHAT?! Why must one be invited to a virtual cork board?). But now I am in....and I may never come out.

Everything in the world can be mine with a pin. I currently own a Victorian dress complete with bustle, an orange mini pull behind camper, and a fabulous blue glass tile backsplash. I've rekindled my love of graphic lettering. I'm considering selling a kidney to fund my new European-esque wardrobe. Oh, and I need a ceramic garden stool because I'm sure the FarmHands & our pack of wild dogs will respect it & leave it totally intact.

Yup, Pinterest & I will be the best of friends....until Husband realizes I haven't cooked a meal in weeks & the children have no clean underpants. Then I will have to ground myself.