Kindle Fire Cover Tutorial

vThis week was my sister-in-laws birthday. The night before I was in a little bit of a panic because we didn't have a gift for her and I was at a complete loss for ideas. My hubby said he had thought about getting a cover for the Kindle Fire she'd just gotten for Christmas. Well, there it was. A Kindle cover. I'm assuming he meant one of those hard plastic covers that are nice to prevent damage if it gets dropped, but a cute place to store it and keep it from getting scratched is always nice too. 

I set out to find a good tutorial for what I wanted to accomplish and found two that I loved, but especially loved particular parts of each one. So I combined them together, added some of my own touches, and come up with this super awesome cover! You can find the original tutorials here and here. They're both great and offer different things. Make sure to check them out too.

What you Need:

♥ Fabric (Choose 2-3 coordinating patterns. I used a minky for my 3rd fabric because that's all I had, but I really don't recommend it)

♥ Batting (I just used what was leftover from a quilt project)

♥ Iron on velco

♥ Fabric flower, fabric button, etc. (Absolutely optional, but it adds a nice touch.)

♥ Matching thread, scissors, sewing machine, etc.

Cutting Dimensions:

Outer cover: 9.5"x13" (Fabric A)

Inside back: 9.5"x13" (Fabric B)

Main cover batting: 10"x 13.5" (Batting)

Side Pocket: 9.5"x 6.5" (Fabric B)

Side Pocket Lining: 9.5"x6.5" (Fabric B)

Pocket 1: 8.5"x6.5" (Fabric C)

Pocket 1 Lining: 8.5"x6.5" (Fabric A)

Pocket 2: 7.5"x6.5" (Fabric C)

Pocket 2 Lining: 7.5"x6.5" (Fabric A)

Strap Outer: 3"x6" (Fabric A, B, or C)

Strap Inner: 3"x6" (Fabric A, B, or C)

Strap Batting: 3.5"x6" (Batting)

Reading Holder:  5 3/4"x8 1/4", cut 2 (Fabric A)

Reading Holder corners: 2"x2", cut 4 (Fabric A)

Fabric Flower: approx 30 1 1/2" circles (Fabric A, B, or C) tutorial here

All the pieces:

The Reading Holder:

Beginning at one side of the opening, stitch around the outside until you reach the other side of the opening.

Inside Pockets:

I forgot to get pictures of the rest if this step. Basically you want to attach the pockets together and create a nice finished edge for the side pocket. All the other edges will be sewn into the main cover, so you don't need to worry about them for right now. If you don't feel confident that your layers will stay together (like with minky), baste along the left side as close to the edge as possible. 

Strap:

Isn't it absolutely adorable? I thought about adding a ruffle down the middle of the strap too, but decided against it because of the minky.

 Putting it all together:

You want to make sure the corners are not sewn down. This allows you to easily insert and remove your reader, but still holds it firmly while in use.

I had it turned the wrong way when I took this picture. (oops!) The open edge should be on the right. Don't let my silly picture taking confuse you!

For a different look you could also make 2 or 3 skinnier straps and spread them out evenly. Or maybe even some leather cording to tie around the whole thing for a more rustic look.

What a fun gift to make! The birthday girl was pretty pleased with it too, and I was a little surprised I was able to throw it together. I really love the little flower. Gives it just the right touch. Don't forget to share if you make one too. I'd love to see what personal touches you add or even just the fabric combinations you choose!

Linking to:

Destination: Craft ♡ Skip to my Lou  ♡ Craft-O-Maniac ♡ Sumo's Sweet Stuff ♡ Singing Three Little Birds  ♡ Making the World Cuter ♡ The Girl Creative ♡ Mo Momma ♡ Be Colorful ♡ Reasons to Skip the Housework ♡ I'm Topsy Turvy ♡ Mommy By Day, Crafter By Night ♡ Lil' Luna ♡ Blue Cricket Designs ♡ Ginger Snap Crafts ♡ Someday Crafts ♡ Seven Thirty Three 

Mommy on the Go Pouch

When Xavier was little, I always had a little kit in my purse for little emergencies while I wasn't home. I think I probably used it more for me and stranger's children than I actually did for him, but it was still a nice thing to have. Somewhere along the line the pouch got worn and dirty and the snap stopped working as well. One by one things were lost as they slipped out into the mysterious beyond which is my over-sized purse. Ah what a sad, sad day.

Now that Xavier has grown into a very active and accident prone little boy, and will soon have a little brother, I figured it was probably time to make a new and improved version. I loved the original, but wanted to make some adjustments to fit my personal needs a little better. (Some things are still missing!)

Isn't it darling? It took me about an hour to sew the bag, and I didn't follow any specific instructions. I was in a "get it done now" mood, and didn't want to take the time to look up a tutorial. Luckily it still somehow turned out. If you want an awesome tutorial on how to make basically the same bag, hop on over to this blog HERE. Whether you can sew or not, definitely check out her shop too. I love her stuff.

Now back to what's on the inside. Like I mentioned earlier, there are still some things missing that I'd like to include. Some things you may not feel are necessary to carry around, but I like to have them on hand.

What's Inside (and what will - or won't -be!)

♥ Kleenex -- Allergies, colds, little noses.. Need I say more?

♥ Q-tips -- Honestly, I could live without these, but sometimes they're just nice to have.

♥ Mini Lotion -- My hands dry out easily, especially from soaps in public restrooms. There's nothing I hate more than over dry and irritated hands and not having a way to relieve them.

♥ Tums -- Any antacid would work here. 

♥ Antibacterial hand wipes -- If you have kids, these are practically a necessity. They're cheap too.

♥ Band-aids -- Cuts and scrapes can happen anywhere, and band-aids always help boo-boos feel better. (Especially ones with their favorite t.v. characters)

♥ Neosporin or Neo-to-go -- I'm really not a fan of Neo-to-go. It's difficult to spray a scrape on little people and not get it all over where the band-aid needs to stick too. Love the idea, but not the application. I'll be sticking to the original.

♥ Infants Acetaminophen (tylenol) -- I've been away from home a few times when Xave came down with a fever or bug and I was really glad I had some in his diaper bag. Saved us both a lot of misery.

♥ Chapstick -- I'm still debating whether or not I really need to go get more chapstick, but for someone who doesn't carry this regularly, go for a medicated one for sudden chapped or wind burned lips.

♥ Lactaid -- Not many people need to include this. Xavier is lactose-intolerant, so these tablets are nice to have especially when we're on the go and I can't guarantee there will be a dairy-free option.

♥ Tide-to-go -- This was in the original pouch, but I won't be including it in my new one. I have family that swear by these, but I never found them useful and the cap always came off while it was in my purse. 

There are some newer carry-size products I've heard of that I don't have listed here because I need to look into them more. If there's anything you definitely wouldn't want to leave the house without, let me know! I love hearing about new things that can make my life easier, or my kids' lives too!

Linking too:

Lil' Luna

Destination: Craft (Destination: Cutesy Monday)