Patchwork Tablet / Laptop Case from Army Pants (ACU's)

I made a laptop case awhile ago but I didn't have much time to make it so it came out a little crooked and I didn't take pictures for a full tutorial. Since then my husband and I purchased new tablets and while they were in the process of shipping to us I used the dimensions online to make our cases. The first one I made needed a bigger seam allowance and space to allow for the padding. Hopefully my husband can find a use for the case-- if not I will be giving it away to someone with a smaller tablet.

I have used the same pair of ACU bottoms (Don't ask me what it stands for! It's code for army uniform, but not the dress uniform because those are called Class A's) for a few different projects so all I have left are scraps. I patched them together to get the sizes I needed. If you are going to do this, sew everything together before cutting it down to the final size. It saves you from heart ache in case your seam allowances were just a tiny bit off.

Also, at a recent Business Expo I talked to a lady selling cloth diapers and covers and she told me that fleece was completely waterproof. I think I might have heard that before, but it never had really sunk in. I used a double layer of fleece for the padding so that it would also help protect the tablet from any water too.

My dimensions are for a 10.1 inch tablet. They measured it 10.4 inches x 0.4 inches x 7.1 inches. If doing a different size, be sure to give yourself plenty of extra room. It can always be made smaller later. Also, a bigger pocket can fit on this case, feel free to make it wider but not too much taller.

Materials:
Outer Fabric- 2 10x14 Pieces
Lining Fabric- 2 10x14 Pieces
Padding (Fleece)- 4 10x14
Pocket Pieces- 1 8x9, 1 3x9
Pocket Pieces Liner- 1 8x9, 1 3x9
Velcro- 8 inches
Zipper- 16 inches (I used a 22 inch one and trimmed it later)
Secret Note (optional)

Directions:
Pocket
Once you have everything cut to size as listed above, it's time to sew the pockets. Because the pocket pieces were patched together there are open seams on the back that need to be covered. Pin your front sides together of your pocket piece and your pocket liner, and sew the outsides. For the larger piece leave the bottom open. For the smaller piece only leave a small opening on one of the longer sides. The opening can be ironed down to match the rest of the seams, and they will be sewn shut when they are sewn to the bag or when the velcro is sewn on.

When they both are finished being sewn and ironed, the velcro can be added. The hook side should go on the smaller piece.

Now the pocket can be sewn to one of the pieces of outer fabric. Make sure to use plenty of pins so that it doesn't shift at the last minute or you'll have a crooked pocket. Sew the three outsides of the pocket, and the one top side of the flap.

Secret Note
I wrote a note for my husband on fabric with a sharpie and zig-zag stitched it to the lining to keep it from fraying. It looks like it is written sideways so that it can be seen just on the inside of the zipper. If you do this, it needs to be done before everything is sewn together.

Sewing Everything Together
Now that all the pieces are ready (unless you are going to embellish them more than I did) it is time to sew your case.

Lay down one of the padding pieces. On top of that (make sure the top sides of everything match) lay down a lining piece (face up) and then the zipper (face up). Next lay down one of the outer pieces (face down) and another padding piece. Pin them together. Use your zipper foot and go down the entire length of your fabric.

Of what you have just sewn, pull pack everything so that the zipper is showing. You can iron everything down so that its out of the way. You are going to put the rest of your pieces together just like you did for the first. Reminder: Padding, Liner(Face Up),Zipper (Face Up), Outer (Face Down), Padding. Sew these ones just like you did for the first side.

Now it's going to get a little trickier. (It's tricky, it's tricky...) Your outsides (and the padding with them) will be together and the lining (plus padding) will be together. You will sew a big rectangle around them, leaving an open space about the size of you hand in the lining side. Wait! Make sure your zipper is halfway open before you start, or you may regret trying to save money on a store bought case. If it's halfway open it's all good, you can save money in peace.

Before you pull it inside out, clip off each of the corners, and cut at notch at the zipper. It will make your final product look a bit more professional. (I love when people question me if I made something because it looks so "store-bought" that they can't tell. Like my messenger bag)

Pull it inside out and poke out the corners of the outside with a stuffing stick or a skewer. They are pretty much the same thing. To sew the lining shut you can either hand stitch it with a whip stitch (this is the best looking) or you can be lazy like me and do a quick sewing machine stitch to keep it closed. It's up to you.

Once your lining is stitched closed you can play with the zipper, and let your tablet try it on. Also, check out my girly Ruffled Tablet Case that has a couple things done differently on it.

Want more sewing projects?
Remote Control Holder Pillowcase
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Ruffled Curtains
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