Friday 19 July 2013

Laptop Sleeves

I bought the 13" laptop sleeve pattern from Michelle Patterns ages ago on a whim.  I think I saw a version on someone else's blog, but it's so long ago I totally cannot remember where!

Laptop Sleeve
Exterior: Lovesme Lovesmenot in Leaf, from Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush Home Dec Collection

Anyway, the weekend before last, I decided to finally make up a laptop sleeve using the pattern.  I would consider myself a confident quilter, but somewhat nervous when it comes to 3D items, so I approached this with some trepidation.  In the end, with this very clearly written and illustrated pattern, there was no real reason to worry!  

Laptop Sleeve
Lining: Paper Clips in Grey, from Julia Rothman's Type Collection

I'm not going to lie - this is not a 5 minute project.  I made two at the same time, and probably spent about 6 or 7 hours in total from start to finish.  That said, I'm by no means complaining about the time it took, because I didn't think there were any unnecessary steps included, and the finish is very nice (no raw edges on this baby).

Laptop Sleeve
Exterior: I think this is a Kokka fabric - it's home dec weight also

I've also had this very pretty floral home dec weight fabric in my stash for a long time, waiting for the right project.  I'm glad I get to see it every day now, as well as this fun pottery themed print I used for the lining.  I have this Michael Miller print in quite a few different colours because I love it so much.

Laptop Sleeve
Lining: Put a Lid On It in Coral from Michael Miller's Mod Prints Collection
Now that I've made this pattern, I would thoroughly recommend it if you are looking to make a laptop sleeve.  The construction is fairly simple, the instructions are good and the end result  looks great and functions beautifully.  It's meant to fit most 13" laptops, and you can see that my 13" macbook pro sits nicely inside.

Laptop Sleeve

The green and grey version above is a slightly belated birthday present for my friend Anne.  She LOVES grey fabric (I think all her quilts have some grey somewhere) and has recently become the secretary of our guild, which means bringing her laptop to a lot of meetings, so this is both a pretty and practical gift for her.

Since I enjoyed making these laptop cases so much, I've joined the Michelle Patterns affiliate program - you can see the button up in my sidebar.  I can't wait to try some more!

Linking up with finish it up friday at crazy mom quilts.

P.S. On Sunday the 21st of July I will have been blogging for one year, and I'm definitely celebrating!  Check back then for at least one giveaway.

16 comments:

Jessica said...

This is gorgeous!! You picked great fabrics for them, too :)

Anonymous said...

Love those fabrics! I get nervous about pretty much anything that isn't a quilt, pillow, or curtain panel.

Dominique said...

These are really nice, and I love your fabric choices. The coral pottery fabric is a great choice!

Susan said...

Both of these are lovely! Your fabric choices are perfect! Congratulations on a very successful 3D project! And making two at once was smart thinking!

Adrienne said...

This is so great! I am the same when it comes to 3-D items, scarry. But yours came out so nice, perhaps I will have to jump out on that edge

Lyndy at Stitchbird said...

They look fantastic and I am sure Anne will love hers. And you are right the yellow floral fabric is a Kokka one, from a few years back.

Jill said...

These are so cool. I love the inside fabrics that you selected. Very fun.

Molli Sparkles said...

Exsqueeze me? Why have you not linked up to TGIFF, hosted by moi? Love this laptop sleeve by the way, and I think we are in the same spot: confident quilter, nervous about 3-d... But then again, quilts are also kind of 3-d as well!

Erica said...

These are so cute. I feel the same way about making non-quilt items. I think they take me a lot longer than they should and I have less patience with them. I have made a few Michelle patterns and have liked them, especially the iPad cover which I sized down for our iPad minis. Your fabric choices are so cute and fun, they turned out great!

Martha said...

They both look fantastic! I'm sure your friend would love hers. I love the gray fabric with the paper clips.

nicole said...

Love them! Your fabric pairings for both are just fantastic! I'm notorious for just tossing my laptop into my bag... maybe it's time for me to make a sleeve. I'm the same with 3-D things, it seems to take me way longer than one would think it should take to finish!

Kelsey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelsey said...

Huge congrats on your upcoming bloggiversary Adrianne! Those cases are wonderful.

Nat at Made in Home said...

I was going to join the affiliate programme too! May do another clutch!

Gemini Jen NZ said...

Very cool fabrics! Good work.

Elmosmate said...

I'm Anne and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my laptop cover. It's just been up to Taupo with me to the Fabric Art Taupo Symposium. Thanks Adrianne, I am very lucky to have you as my friend.