Quilted Cozy! Custom Fit EReader Pocket

This eReader cozy can be made with fabric scraps, extra quilt blocks, or old clothing so you can be like the quilters of old using what you have; up-cycling at its best. Best of all, it is highly functional, pleasing to look at, and made from items on hand to save you money. I love to quilt but of course I have extra fabric scraps and whole or partial extra blocks sitting around waiting to be used. How about you? Put those extras to good use while making something you can really use!

Materials: fabrics, batting, thread, velcro (I used an old pair of jeans for lining and back of outside)

Tools: Rotary mat, ruler, and cutter, scissors, sewing machine, tape measure

Measure your eReader height and width to determine fabric size needed. My eReader measures almost 5" by 7 1/2" so I decided to use a piece of standard printer paper to help me cut and size my fabrics. Once I laid the eReader on the paper I could see that allowing space  for the seam the size would work, but I wanted to add a  little height so I could have a velcro closure above the eReader. Standard paper is 8 1/2" X 11", so I planned to cut and piece my fabric and batting to create a lining, padding, and top that were 9" X 11".

I chose to use an old pair of jeans for the lining and to add to my pieced section to create the top. Old jeans are nice and soft so they make a great lining, and being durable I thought it would be nice to have on the back of the outside as well. Corduroys would be great I think too. Cut the lining piece (jeans) to size (9" X 11") and then cut the batting to match. If you don't have batting handy but you have some leftover fleece it will make a great padding too. Next get out your scraps or leftover blocks and pieces from previous quilt project and lay them out to see how you want to piece them together for the outside or top of the quilt. This is when you get to be creative. Quilts are pieced in patterns and sometimes randomly. Lay pieces out until you find a combination you like. If you are nervous about the piecing step you could use one whole piece (9" X 11") of fabric you like for the top rather than piecing, you will still be able to quilt in later steps.

Sew together, using a 1/4" seam each piece that you have chosen for your quilt top. Be sure to iron in between each step. Once the top is pieced check to make sure it is the same size as the lining piece (jeans) you cut previously. If you chose to use one unpieced section of fabric instead of piecing you won't need to do any piecing, just go to the next step.

Before beginning to quilt double check your measurements. Layer all three pieces together; top, batting, and lining. Next wrap your eReader inside to make sure you have room for seams. I like to pinch the sides together to see how it will fit when sewn. After you are sure it is just right pin the quilt top to the batting. Leave the lining aside for now. Look at your piecing design and decide where you want to machine quilt some lines. I like to quilt along the edge of a seam, or sometimes I will quilt a 1/4" away from the seam to add an accent with the stitching. It is up to you how much quilting you choose to use. I chose to add a line down the center of the denim part of the quilt top for stability. Leave one or two lines of quilting until you go back and add the lining layer, then quilt one or two more lines to anchor all three pieces together. If you chose to use one piece of fabric rather than piecing the top you can choose where or how you want to quilt the fabric, maybe a grid or or vertical lines.

Use an overcast stitch to sew all three layers together along the top. This is essentially surging without a Surger. Next you need to add the velcro on the inside (on the denim).  I like to sew a line the entire distance of the top rather than just where the velcro is, it looks a little nicer but is optional. Once the velcro is sewn in place it is time to close up the cozy! Fold in half and pin the two sides that will close up your cozy, pin carefully making sure all the layers are lined up. Use the overcast stitch again along the last two edges. Your cozy is done! Grab your eReader and try it out.