DIY Laptop Case

Making your own laptop case is easier than you think. This method can be tailor-made not only for a laptop, but for an iPad, iPhone, iPod…etc.

This is an old quilted blanket. I’ve had it for about 20 years! It’s really stood the test of time! I love the weight of this fabric and the feel of it. This blanket’s backing had started wearing and I used it folded in half for years (I could have sewed a good sheet or nice fabric to it…No, not really lazy, but you know…life takes over and some projects and things are more important.), until a dog I rescued got a hold of it…big un-repairable tears!  It’s been such a good blanket, I hated to let it go and thought of all the many things I could make out of the still usable parts. And so the story goes…a project was born! (Come back and see a few more things I’ve made from one blanket. Stay with me!)

There are many styles to try…Do I want the laptop to slide from the top or the side? What type of closure do I want…zipper, button, leather strap? Do I want a closure at all??? I cut many types of patterns using “wholefoods” paper bags. I’m serious when I say, “No big secrets here”…Making a case/cover is truly easy. If you can sew a fairly straight line, you can sew this! All you do is measure what you want to make. For this, I’m making a laptop sleeve/cover for my MacBook. So basically I figured an “envelope” style was the way to go. (In pic above, you see a bubble wrapped envelope? My laptop actually fit in that and I was going to “wrap” the fabric around that for protection, but I decided the blanket alone was really good protection on its own. 

No need to make box corners for more space. Picture an envelope. Really, that’s all there is to this! I gave myself a 1/2″ seam allowance. You can also stitch along the edge and let the seam show without turning the fabric inside out. “Rough” edge look!

You can go a million ways with the closure. I went with a simple flap that I could just flop over or tuck in. 

Here it is with the flap, flopped over. 

And here it is, flap tucked in.

Tips: If your fabric isn’t padded enough, try doubling the fabric, or adding batting in between the fabric.

Don’t limit yourself to just fabric you can buy at the fabric store. Try vintage tea-towels, a cool towel you got from somewhere, sheets that have torn, an old sweater, jacket, hoodie, jeans…the many “fabrics” you can use is really limitless…oh i’ve also done this with old leather (Up-cycled from leather furniture! You’d be surprised how many people toss out leather sofas. You can up-cycle the leather and not only make laptop case, but, clutches, purses, wallets an ottoman! Let your imagination go wild!)

If using leather, pleather, vinyl, felt…(basically, material that doesn’t fray) Try “whip stitching” along the seams for a unique and fun look.

As I’ve mentioned above, have fun with the types of closures…zipper, leather strap, a belt, buttons (and the buttons don’t have to be round!) Have fun showing off your creativity!

I’ve had this cover for over a year now and I still love it just the way it is. I love the flap concept.

I hope this has inspired you to see things a little differently. Something old can be made into new again!

To all you old and new followers, my wish today, for you…

See this life a little differently in the way that with each unpredictable moment, you dwell not on the chaotic parts, but the precious moments that allow your breath to be taken away.

Hugs and Peace, Koko

 

DIY iPhone Cord Protector

How many of you have had your phone charger cord (or any cord for that matter chewed on)? As in man’s best friend decides he likes the phone charger cord too! Well in my case it was the cat! I could see out of the corner of my eye my dog quietly snickering in the corner as I was chastising the cat!

I don’t know what Apple puts in their phone charger cords but I swear it’s crack for kitties. The cats just gravitate towards them! They have yet to meet an Apple cord they didn’t like. Gah! What is a girl to do? This is my solution…

FYI, you can do this for any cord; even hanging lamp or chandelier cords you find unsightly! Try fabric that matches your walls to camouflage or bright fun fabrics for a pop of color!

To make this I had a very long ribbon that was used to tie a comforter closed. Of course I saved it knowing it would come in handy. But, if you don’t have a ribbon just cut any fabric to size: About 2 inches wide by double the length of cord you are covering. Fold fabric in half and sew along edge. You can turn fabric inside out so the seam doesn’t show, however I left mine unturned as I liked the contrast in thread color. There really is no wrong way. Just get those cords covered!!!!!

And you know what? It works! I haven’t lost a cord since this invention! I can’t guarantee the same results for you, but try it. What do you have to lose…well except for another cord!

I’d love to hear what you think about this easy to do project! Drop me a comment below. 🙂

Please like, follow and share, your support means the world to me! Koko❀

Sew An Ottoman Cover!

Before and after.

I have an old ottoman. The fabric on the lid of it was coming apart and this was on my “to-do” list to recover it… over a year ago!

I chose canvas for this ottoman, as the pillow covers I made to cover the four large sofa pillows were in canvas as well, (another inexpensive find) (color was fine but the fabric attracted pet hair and I am a stickler for keeping things as clean as possible).

I placed fabric around the ottoman to get the right size. Pinned and sewed.

My buddy Sherlock is helping me sew.

For the top, I traced the lid and gave myself about 1/4 inch seam allowance.

I wanted some interest along the side edges, so what I did was sew a single seam, and then flattened the seam and sewed each edge. (see above picture)

That was it. It wasn’t hard. Just a little imagination. I am NOT a seamstress. I sew as I go.  Usually I start with an idea in my head and sometimes the amount of fabric dictates what I do.  This project took well under an hour to do (I had to stop and make dinner. And then wrestle with Sherlock to let me “borrow” the ottoman.) 😉

Do you sew? What piece are you most proud of sewing?

Hope this prompts you to bring new life to old pieces.

Re-purpose, Imagine, Create! ❤ Koko

The Lost String…Restringing Shorts

We’ve all had it happen to us…we lose the string around our shorts, skirt, or pants.  It was there before we put it in the washer and now half is gone.  How do we get it back out?  It happened to my husbands shorts.  I started re-stringing it this morning and my son was like, “that is so cool.”  I said, “What’s cool?”  He said, “I never knew that is how you do that.”  He was impressed and I beamed my super hero mom smile at him. He told me I should blog about this.  So here you go son, this one is for you.  BTW, he took the pictures.

What you need: One safety-pin however large or small to fit though existing hole.

Tip: I use the longest safety-pin I can fit…goes faster.

Pin safety-pin through on one end of string and begin pushing pin through.

Keep on threading it through..

and threading it through…

Finally…pin pokes through!

See how I pinned the safety-pin through the string to start it? Nothing fancy. 😉

Upcycle Dress!

I have a dress that I can’t wear in public.  It’s way too low cut and no undergarmet worked, so I wore it as an inside-the-house dress for a couple of years.  Today I decided it needed a new life.  And this is the life I gave it…  A skirt with a pocket!

It started out looking like this…

I cut off the top part and used the two “triangles” as the new pocket!  I sewed the triangles together to give me more fabric.  Then I created the pocket you see.  I wanted it to be just enough space for my iPhone and a lip gloss!