Girly Laptop Cover

My little experiment in bag drafting turned out better than expected.

I basically just wanted a lightly padded laptop cover that added a little peace-of-mind protection but not a lot of bulk. I cut 14'' x 10'' rectangles for the exterior and lining. I got those measurements because my laptop is 13x9, and I figured an inch would be enough for a seam allowance and a bit of wiggle room to accommodate the thickness of the laptop (which is less than half an inch). 

I used purple metal jacket zipper from the SAS zipper bin and applied it as an exposed zip, using a tutorial from DIY Style Vodcasts. I skipped the stabilizer because my fabric wasn't stretchy, but I did like their idea of taping it down instead of pinning, and that worked very well.

I tried to get clean edges on the inside by ironing a little hem in before stitching the fabric pieces to the zipper on the inside. This more or less worked. You can see the white and black from the exterior fabric peak out from under the purple inside, but at least none of the edges are raw. Not the very best option, but passable.

I used a heavyweight fusible interfacing on the exterior pieces and sandwhiched two cuts of a fleece-like fabric between the exterior and lining as the padding. The padding fabric was labeled as a fleece, but it wasn't thick like most of what you see at Joanns; it was more like felt in thickness, but was softer like fleece. 

I decided half-way through to add a patch pocket to the top for the laptop charger, phone charger, little post-its, etc. I didn't really measure it, but the size worked out just about right. I sewed a rectangular scrap of the lining fabric right sides pressed together, turned, and applied it as a patch pocket. I gave the pocket a nice deep pleat in the center for roominess, and a button-closed top flap to hold it all in. My topstitching could have been neater, thats for sure, but I can live with it. The button is from my stash, probably from JoAnns.

Overall, I'm very happy with my laptop cover. It fits perfectly, has a good amount of protection but not bulk, and I learned a bit about zipper application in the process. And after a full day of traveling (Phoenix to Toronto, Toronto to Zurich) I can say that my laptop was not damaged or scratched one bit. And it fit into the seatback pocket with my magazines, which was convenient. 

It's a bit after 6pm here in Zurich. I had a really nice day walking all around town with my Aunt. I stumbled into a yarn store owned by a hilarious British woman. Her and I talked for some time. She told me about two fabric stores in town that I'll be visiting soon. She also talked me into buying some super-soft, Swiss-made baby alpaca fiber yarn. Darn :)

Not giving up yet & I'm a winner!

Have I been blogging? No. Have I been sewing? Yes!

I've made up New Look 6873 view B out of a purple and blue print swiss dot cotton from fabric.com, using french seams. The fabric is intended for shirting, but it's so hot here I'm just fine with a thinner skirt. I just cut out view C out of a brocade from fabric.com as well, and hope to finish it by Thursday to wear to the next Scottsdale Sister Cities Annual meeting where I will be presenting photos from my exchange to Switzerland in October. This time I plan to use a full lining instead of just a facing on the waistband as the instructions have you do.

I did a really fun DIY project, turning a pillowcase I found at goodwill into a retro-inspired skirt. The pillowcase had the coolest tree print, and it was actually a very simple project. I cut it open at the seems and gathered all the one strip of the fabric, reserved for the waistband, into the skirt. I'm on the lookout for a really great little button to finish this.

I'm considering my first attempt at McCall 5548 a muslin, as it deffinantly was not wearable but did teach me a lot about the pattern. I made another muslin with my first set of alterations to the pattern. I took two inches out from the center AND one inch from the side of both the front and back pattern pieces (thats thats six inches from each cut, whew) and the top is still dreadfully too large, even with the elastic and attached ruffle (which was downsized to fit as well). I think that one more inch from the center of each piece and about four inches in length will make it perfect.

What else? Well. I've been bad. I've had two orders from fabric.com come in, but I'm just telling myself its alright because I need to accumulate a stash anyway. I have several jersey knits as well as a really great cotton print I intend to use for McCall's 5577 when I have a little bit more time. I'd love to make a casual sundress out of the 2.5 yards of tomato-red knit I got on sale.

I'm also going to challenge myself to a little bit of RTW duplication. This skirt is from Forever 21 - which basically means that it is a knockoff of a 'real' designer. I purchased 2 yards of black and white gingham, but each yard is a different spacing. I'm excited for this one, as I might get to try my hand at drafting a bit. I'd love to hear pattern suggestions if anyone comes across something similar!

AANNDD - Lisa over at The Hem Line is so awesomely generous. I won three vintage patterns! They are all just a few inches off in the bust, but that just means I get to learn how to grade. (I've been studying)

Internet, how do you feel about exposed zippers?