Tutorial: Custom Laptop Sleeve (with photos this time!)

hello, i hope everyone had a good weekend!  

today i'm reposting my tutorial on making a custom laptop sleeve, but this time i'm including photos for those of you who are visually inclined.  i know i am!  

 Supplies:
-main fabric
-lining
-batting or fleece for padding
-4" strip of velcro

for the back:  first start with the length and width of your laptop.  add seam allowances on every side, and a flap (mine is 5") on one side.  for a 13" macbook, i used 10" x 18".  you will need to cut one piece main fabric, one lining, and one batting in these measurements.

for the front:  again start with the length and width of your laptop.  add seam allowances on all sides.  on the right side, left side, and bottom, add the depth of your computer.  one side should only have the seam allowance added!  for a 13" macbook, i used 12" x 15".  you will need to cut one piece main fabric, one lining, and one batting in these measurements.

next, baste the main fabric to the corresponding batting.  read more about basting here.  i will refer to the main fabric and batting basted together only as the main fabric from now on.  take the front pieces of main fabric and lining, right sides together, and sew across the top.  this should be the edge that only had the seam allowance added.  flip right side out and press.  you can add some topstitching here if you'd like.  center and attach your velcro about 1 1/2 inches down depending on your flap size and laptop dimensions.

next box the corners of both front pieces.  read more about boxing corners here.

now lay the front piece on top of the back piece of lining, right sides up for both.  pin and sew in place.

now it should actually start looking like a laptop sleeve instead of just a pile of fabric.  at this point you can check to make sure your laptop fits correctly before moving on.  or just admire your work.

next lay back piece of main fabric on top of everything else, i folded it in the middle so you can see.  pin and sew in place leaving a small opening on the top of the flap.  

to close the flap topstitch all the way around.  center and attach your velcro about 1 inch from the edge, depending on your flap.

and now you have a cool new padded laptop sleeve!  these are pretty simple to make, measuring and cutting is really the most time consuming part.

if you're not particularly inclined to sew your own i have these for sale in my Etsy shop here.

linking up these blogtastic bloggers.  happy crafting!

diy laptop sleeve tutorial

i'm sure pretty much everyone in this day and age has a laptop right?  well as i'm sure you all have noticed laptop accessories can be...lacking.  i mean who really wants some plain black neoprene case to carry their laptop around in? when you can have a totally cool, custom made sleeve made from any fabric you want??

my laptop sleeves are completely padded, fully lined, and they have boxed corners for an easier fit for you laptop.  here's my chevron/blue version...i was really tempted to keep this one for myself.  i might end up making another to keep...even though i already have a laptop case.

 or for something different this one is made from echino bird print fabric with the same blue lining.

these sleeves were actually a lot easier than i thought and i completed one in less than an hour, well technically less than an episode of bones lol.  these sleeves were made to fit a 13" macbook but i will try to describe a process to make one for any size laptop.  the tutorial for how to make a padded laptop sleeve:

supplies:
-main fabric
-lining
-batting (i used basic polyester batting)
-velcro (i used a 4" strip but you may want 2 strips or a bigger strip if you have a bigger laptop)
-interfacing (optional)

the pattern is made of 2 rectangles, for each rectangle you will need 1 each of main fabric, lining, and batting so you will end up with 3 rectangles of each pattern or 6 total.

the first rectangle is the back-or the measurements start by measuring your computer:
width=width of your computer + seam allowances
length=length of your computer + flap (i added 5 inches)  when calculating flap length don't forget to consider the height of your laptop

the second rectangle is the front and will include the boxed corners:
width=width of your computer + height of your computer + seam allowances
length= length of your computer + heigh of your computer + seam allowances

to mark the boxed corners, mark off a square in two bottom corners that are the height of your laptop + seam allowances.

cut velcro strips as needed


first start by basting the main fabric to your batting, this will make it muuuch easier to work with.  i won't be referring to the batting anymore but when i say the main fabric i mean the main fabric with the batting attached.

go ahead and box the bottom corners of the front pieces of main fabric and lining fabric.  then take these two pieces, right sides together, and sew across the top.  flip right side out and press.  you can add some topstitching across the tip here to durability.  then pin and sew the velcro in place.  depending on the size of your flap it should be around 2 inches down from the top edge.

next lay the front pieces right side up on the back piece of lining fabric.  both pieces should be right side up.  pin and sew in places.  (if you want to add your velcro without leaving stitches on the outside, use some interfacing where you will be placing the velcro and sew in place now.)  place the back main piece of fabric on top of the other pieces, right sides together.  sew all the way around leaving an opening somewhere on the flap to flip right side out.  press, and top stitch all around the flap closing the opening.  if you haven't already, pin and sew your velcro in place.  i sewed my velcro through all layers of fabric just to reduce the pull on a single piece of fabric each time you open the flap.  press again and it's ready to use!!  your very own custom laptop sleeve!!

if you're not inclined to sew your own you can find my chevron pattern sleeve here and the echino bird print sleeve here.