SEWING PROJECT:
KINDLE BAG OR SLEEVE
Sewing a book sleeve or bag for your Amazon Kindle is a great project for a beginner sewer. It's a simple and quick project that can be customized with your favorite fabrics and closures.
Basic Steps for a Simple Sleeve
The most basic book sleeve is essentially a padded pocket. You will need three main pieces of fabric: an outer layer, a lining, and an inner layer of padding (like fusible fleece or batting).
1. Measure Your Kindle:
First, measure the width, height, and thickness of your Kindle.3 A sleeve should be big enough to easily slide the device in and out, but snug enough to hold it securely.4 A good rule of thumb is to add about 1 to 2 inches to your Kindle's width and height measurements to account for seam allowance and the thickness of the device.
Example: If your Kindle is 5 inches wide by 7 inches tall, you might cut your fabric pieces to be 6.5 inches wide by 8.5 inches tall.
5 This gives you plenty of room for a 1/2-inch seam allowance on all sides.
2. Cut Your Fabric:
You will need to cut out the following pieces based on your measurements:
Outer Fabric: Two rectangles
6 Lining Fabric: Two rectangles
7 Padding (Fusible Fleece/Batting): Two rectangles (optional, but highly recommended for protection)
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3. Prepare the Fabric:
Fuse the padding: If you're using fusible fleece, iron it onto the wrong side of your two outer fabric pieces. This will bond them together and provide a nice, protective layer. If you're using regular batting, you can baste the layers together with a few stitches or pins to hold them in place.
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4. Sew the Outer and Lining Pieces:
Place the two outer fabric pieces right sides together.
10 Sew them together along three sides, leaving the top open.Do the same for the two lining pieces, but be sure to leave a small opening (about 2-3 inches) along the bottom seam.
11 This opening is crucial for turning the sleeve right-side out later.
5. Assemble the Sleeve:
Leave the outer fabric sleeve wrong side out.
Turn the lining fabric sleeve right side out.
12 Insert the lining sleeve into the outer sleeve, so that the right sides of both fabrics are facing each other.
13 Align the top seams of the two layers and pin them together.
6. Sew the Top and Finish:
Sew around the entire top edge of the sleeve, securing the outer and lining layers together.
14 Trim the corners and any excess fabric to reduce bulk.
15 Carefully pull the entire sleeve through the opening you left in the lining.
Use a chopstick or a blunt tool to push out the corners so they are nice and sharp.
16 Press the top seam with an iron to give it a clean, finished look.
17 Finally, hand-stitch or machine-sew the opening in the lining closed.
18 Tuck the lining into the outer fabric to complete your sleeve.
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Adding Features and Customizing
You can easily modify this basic design to create a more personalized bag for your Kindle.
Closure:
Elastic and Button: Sew a loop of elastic into the top seam of the outer fabric and a button onto the front of the sleeve.
21 Velcro or Snap: Attach a piece of Velcro or a snap closure to a flap.
22 Zipper: For a more secure closure, you can install a zipper.
23 This is a more advanced technique but there are many tutorials online for "zippered pouches" that you can adapt for a Kindle.
Pockets:
You can add an external pocket on the front of the sleeve for a charging cable, headphones, or a small notebook.
24 To do this, simply sew a fabric rectangle onto the outer fabric before assembling the sleeve.
Quilting:
For a more durable and padded sleeve, you can quilt the outer fabric and batting together before sewing the pieces. This adds a nice texture and extra protection.
Handle/Strap:
To make your sleeve into a bag, you can sew a fabric handle or wrist strap and attach it to the side or top seam before you sew the layers together.
There are many free tutorials and patterns available online (on blogs, YouTube, and sewing pattern sites) that provide detailed measurements and instructions for various Kindle models and design variations.
