I had a request the other day from my daughter, could I make her a padded cover for her laptop, she carries it to college twice a week and she’s concerned it may get damaged…she’s been at college since September and the request has only just come in!!

I found a pattern on Sewmamasew by Elizabeth of ‘Oh Fransson’ I liked it as it has a flap to close. The pattern called for Velcro, I’ve got a strip somewhere, but could I find it…fortunately Helen preferred a button and loop anyway!

We chose a selection of fat quarters from my stash, they are ones left over from a quilt I’m making for her (ok so I made the top over a year ago but haven’t yet plucked up the courage to quilt it!!) They are all black and white prints. None of them were big enough to make the whole thing so I decided to piece them in strips with a narrow strip of dark grey in between. I then decided it would be a good idea to practice free motion quilting on it…I think I need a lot more practice! I did wavy lines on one side, then tried swirls on the other, hmm still not sure, I’m hoping practice makes perfect!

The pattern called for iron on wadding, I applied it to the flap and I also decided to apply it to the main pieces, despite having quilted it, as an extra layer of wadding would give it extra protection.

The instructions from Elizabeth were really clear and easy to follow and her formula for getting the measurements right to fit your particular laptop worked a treat.

The original pattern had a straight flap with a strip of Velcro, as I had to substitute it for a button I curved the flap so the single button held it neatly. My sewing machine wasn’t too happy with all the extra bulk from layers of wadding and fabric, especially when sewing the bottom, but Elizabeth’s tip to start in the middle and stitch outwards worked a treat, I just put my foot down and went for it!!

Helen’s pleased with her laptop cover and I’m pleased as it used up the remains of four fat quarters from my stash!