for sunday morning

The beauty of the laptop is that is can go anywhere, right? But the hazards of going anywhere are a bit hard on the good ole laptop, and I’m constantly fretting over the scratches and dangers my laptop might meet in my backpack. So I finally decided to make a laptop sleeve. Problem was, I didn’t like anything I saw online. It was all… too little, or too complicated, or too ugly. So I made my own how-to. So, here’s how to make a cloth laptop sleeve.

Step one:

Gather materials. That will be: A sewing machine, thread, scissors, a ruler, a marking pen, quilt batting, buttons, and any little extras you want to embellish with. Figure out what fabric you want to use- it’s your chance to express yourself!

Step two:

Measure your laptop. These are the measurements you’ll need for a 13″ MacBook. Side A: 39×28cm. Side B: 39×37.5cm

If you have another kind of computer-

Side A: Length + height (from the table up, how thick it is) + 3cm for seam allowance. That’s your length. Now take the width + the height +3 cm = that’s your width.

Side B: Same Width as A. Length is the same as A, but add however long you want the flap of your sleeve to be.

Step three:

Measure and cut your fabric. This will be the lining.

Cut another set of Side A and B for the outside of the sleeve- but make this one 1cm longer on width and length.

Step four:

Cut out some batting that is 3cm shorter in width and length than your original measurements. This will make the seams less thick.

Step five:

Place the batting in the middle of the wrong side of the corresponding lining piece. Sew around the square of batting to applique it to the lining. You may want to put tissue paper between the batting and your quilting foot on your machine because the batting tends to get caught in the foot. Sew batting to front and back pieces.

Step six:

Sew your front and back lining pieces together (right sides facing) with 1.5cm seam allowance. Do not sew the top where the flap is. See if your laptop fits inside it at this stage. If not, you’ve got some wonky measurements and you need to correct those before continuing any further.

Step seven:

Sew a bottom into your bag by flattening the bottom seam and sewing it to the side seam as pictured.

Step eight:

Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the outside pieces of fabric that do not have batting sewed to them. I pieced a top for mine because I couldn’t decide on one fabric. Be sure to iron your cloth before sewing together.

Step nine:

Turn the outside casing right-side out and put the lining casing inside of it so that the batting is sandwiched between the two layers. Now fold down the hem of the shorter front side of the bag and turn it to the inside, pin, and sew straight across.

Step ten:

Next, do the same with the cover flap of the bag, bringing the top edge down and folding it under to avoid any raw edges. It works a bit like bias tape at this point and frames the lining nicely. You’ll have to finagle the corners, maybe rip out a few stitched to make things lie flat.

Step eleven:

Decide your button placement and make some button holes. Velcro works too, but I’m not fond of the noise as I’m opening my laptop in a quiet cafe, so I went with buttons. Sew a zig-zag stitch in a rectangle a little bigger than your button, then cut a slit in the middle.

Step twelve:

Sew on your buttons, and you’re good to go! It’ll surely put a smile on your face every time you take your laptop out with you in the world. Don’t forget to add your name for supreme personalification. (That’s not a word, is it?) I carved a rubber stamp from an eraser to stamp the fabric- maybe that’ll be the next tutorial?

Good luck!

I made this video for Threadbangers but I figure you guys could get some use out of it as well. It’s not hard to sew, and learning to sew starts with simply changing what you already have. To modify clothing, just take something you don’t like out of your closet and make it into something you love! Threadbanger does a lot of tutorials on that, so check out their site. And if you want to make a cute Japanese-inspired jacket, check this movie out:

Sometimes you just a need a scrapbook that is yea-tall and yea-wide. For such occasions, I make my own instead of trying to find a boring one at the store. It’s really easy, fairly fast, and super cheap!

What you’ll need:

Fabric, cardboard, double-sided tape, white glue, a ruler, an exact-o-knife, scissors, a paint brush for glue, a sharpie, hingey-clippy-ring things, grommets and a hammer (not pictured).

1.) Measure how big of a book you want. Remember to leave about 1.5-3cm for where the book will be “bound.”

2.) Measure some fabric so that when the fabric is folded in, it will cover all of your cardboard.

3.) Cut out two pieces of fabric. Iron if necessary.

4.) Use double-sided tape on the front of each of your covers. You could use glue, but it tends to make the fabric pucker and pull, so I use the tape to keep it in place while I glue the back.

5.) Once the front is adhered to the fabric, coat the back of your cover in glue. Use a paint brush to spread it out. evenly.

6.) Fold the bottom and top snugly onto the back. Check the front to make sure it’s even.

7.) Coat the folded upper and bottom fabric flaps with glue and fold in one of the sides. Smooth it out well!

8.) “Hem” your final edge with glue before folding it over.

9.) Using ample glue, secure the last flap on your book.

10.) Let it dry under something heavy- like your laptop, or a dictionary.

11.) Decide how many rings you want to hold your book together. Three is bare minimum. Decide some even spacing using your ruler and mark where you will put your holes 1.5cm in from the edge with a sharpie.

12.) Make a hole by any means possible. I twist my scissors back and forth like a drill until I have a hole big enough to fit the grommet through.

13.) Following the directions on the grommet box, hammer your grommets into your book.

14.) Wa-la! You’re done! Use a hole punch to insert memorabilia or scrapbook pages and you’re set!

Good luck with your projects! If you try it, share advice or upload your work! I’d love to see it.

What? There are no Easter Egg, PAAS dye-kits in Japan? Denied!

Quick, call mom for a recipe! Here’s what she says:

Put 1/2 cup of boiled water in a coffee cup. Mix in 1 teaspoon white vinegar (sushi vinegar works, too!) now add your desired amount of food coloring (in Japan this is powder, and it’s very strong, so add a little at a time). Wait for the dye to cool to room-temperature before dunking in your eggs.

Who could have known it was so easy? What exactly are those Paas guys selling, anyway?

I always empty-out my eggs by piercing holes in both ends of the egg and blowing the innards out so I can keep them longer, but it really makes them too fragile for children.

Here’s a quick tip on boiling eggs: Put one layer of eggs down in a pan and fill with water until it’s an inch above the eggs. Set on your burner and heat until boiled. Now turn off the heat and cover your eggs. Leave for 15 minutes. Run the pot under cold water, exchanging cold for hot, let sit in cold water until cool, then towel-dry and set to dry.

How about: “How did you get those rings of color on your eggs?” That’s an old textiles trick. Anyone who does batik already has a good idea. Start with yellow- dip the whole egg, but keep it light. Let dry. Now, using a wire shaped like an O with a projecting handle, dip the egg, crest-first, only 1/3 of the way into green. Let dry. Then dip the remaining about 1/4 into blue. On the other side, dip 1/3 into orange, then 1/4 into red. (purple might turn brown) You must keep colors going from light to dark- and mixing colors of the same warm/cool family otherwise you’ll get mud! Don’t forget to let them dry between dyes!

Good-luck! Happy Easter!

 

Back in American elementary school, I remember choosing Valentines for classmates was a horrifying affair. Should I go with my heart’s instinct to get My Little Ponies, or try to be cool and get Barbie? It was just so difficult. Looking back on those times, I wish I would have had the heart to make my own. Now that I live in Japan, where they celebrate V-day, but don’t give cards, I need something to state my heart’s affairs! So I’ve made my own with supplies at school.

Curtains usually aren’t fun to make, but these are!

Walking past my open window in my towel was not my idea of privacy. I needed a curtain! Thankfully, I had seen some trendy-chic curtains in the boutiques in downtown Takamatsu recently, and whipped up this super-quick curtain to hide myself from the world!

Just measure your window and add a few inches before cutting out a rectangle of fabric. If you want to make a casing at the top to thread the dowel rod through, you can, but I like the look of shower-curtain rings, and they are easier to move.

You can throw another strip of fabric in to offset your work. I suggest one plain fabric and one high-pattern for ultimate juxtaposition. Add ribbons, embroidery, iron-ons, lace,or whatever, and you’re set! Add clip-on shower rings, a dowel, hardware, hang and VIOLA! Trendy curtain finished!

If you make a half-curtain like I did, it lets lots more light in, and it leaves room for flower vases ala old salad dressing and spice containers! Fabulous! Try it!

There is a type of person who spends their walking time looking down at the ground, searching for small things that fit in the pocket. I am one of these people. Be it cities or beaches, I watch my feet for springs, seashells, glass, rusty gears, or anything shiny. When you begin to collect too much of something, you realize you’d better do something with them before your friends question you. This is one of my solutions:

Mosaic Stepping Stones

My brother came to visit me in Japan and we made these one night after a day at the beach collecting rocks and glass.  Here are the supplies:

Old Cardboard boxes (or a mold)

WD-40

Dry Cement (Can be found in bags at hardware stores)

Disposable stir-stick

Measuring cup (and water)

Gloves, newspaper, bags

Rocks, seashells, glass, ceramic… broken stuff!

Carefully read the directions on your cement. Every mix is different. Generally speaking, you need to mix the cement with a specific amount of water listed (start with less and add more as needed because you can’t take the water back out!)

Step Two:

Make your cardboard molds. (see cement-reading image) I made some simple squares with old boxes and duct tape, but you could make circles, hexagons, or whatever floats your boat. Make sure they are deep enough to make the height of stone you need (Don’t go under 2 inches) and makes sure there are no holes for the cement to get out, especially the corners!

Step Three:

Spray the inside of your molds REALLY well with WD-40. This will make sure you can get the cardboard off your stepping stone in the end. I suggest this be done outside.

Step Four:

Mix cement with a disposable stir stick (we used an old umbrella handle). Just mix in 75% of the water first, then add more as needed. Be sure to wear gloves because cement is not exactly a healthy medium to get on your skin and it will dry your skin harshly. We did this outside to minimize mess.

Step Five

Put your WD-40′d molds on a protected surface (newspaper or garbage bags) and pour the cement into the molds you’ve prepared. Be sure to pick up and drop your molds from a height of 1 or 2 inches a few times to settle the cement and prevent air bubbles. You can use a piece of scrap cardboard to scrape the top to make it as flat as possible. Test your cement to see how wet it is. If you press your stir stick into it and the hole fills with water after you remove it- it’s too wet. Wait a while for it to set. 5 minutes or so usually does it, though you can wait 15 or 20.

Step Six:

Now for the fun part. Get out your boxes of junk. Some people actually have a pre-drawn designs in mind, but I prefer random. Press pieces into the cement. Make sure to press them in far enough that they are almost flat with the cement. This will minimize the chances of them falling out after they dry. Remember to push them straight down and do not wiggle them as that will create a gap between the cement and the piece. Keep a paper towel nearby to wipe off cement or water from the tops of your pieces as you go. Try to work from one corner of your mold to the opposite side to avoid unplanned gaps.

Step Seven:

Now that your cement is looking beautiful, put it in a safe place where it will not be disturbed for a few days. Closets are nice because the temperature does not fluctuate. Keeping them outside risks serious cracking as temperatures shift. Make sure your pieces remain absolutely FLAT as they dry or else your stepping stones will be warped and crack when you step on them. Also, cover your stones with a grocery bag to keep air flow to a minimum and slow down the drying process.

Step Eight:

The usually curing time is 48 hours for cement, but there are always variants. I wait 3 days to be absolutely certain. When the time of unveiling comes, remove the cardboard from your mold (it usually has to be torn, but you could wet it as well), and admire your work. Some people like to spray the surface with clear acrylic spray as it will keep the porous holes of the cement from absorbing dirt and water, but if you don’t use it you’ll survive.

At this point, especially if it’s your first time, you may find some of your pieces (especially round objects like rocks) are wobbling or have plainly fallen out. These can be affixed back into their holes with some epoxy or gorilla glue. Every Chinese garden I’ve been to with cement, rock walkways has the same problem, so I don’t feel too bad about it.

I hope you have fun making your own stepping stones. If you do, please upload and post pictures of your projects and any tips you want to share. Now go use up those boxes of miscellanea!

In case accordion books aren’t your style, here are some tutorials that I can’t beat:

~A cute, fast, small book that ties with ribbon. OLW’s Tips and Techniques (If you have time, check out their One Little Word scrap-book challenge, but beware because they’re seriously addicting.)

~A secret compartment book! Bre Pettis makes great YouTube videos. Get ready to cut it up!

~A bigger book from paper and glue- no sewing or making holes! A really great step-by step video from Photojojo: I love this one! I admit I haven’t tried it, but I’m in love with the idea of trying it. Someday it’ll happen.

If you have some great links about making books, let me know and I’ll add them to to list.

I am a fabric-aholic.  I know I’m not alone.  I buy fabric whenever I see something I like, and it’s rarely in small quantities.  Sometimes I get the feeling that the fabric is too pretty to waste on a project.  That’s when I started thinking about this book.   Taking a corner of your favorite pieces of fabric and putting them in a book not only preserves them for you to look at later without rifling through folded flats, but it frees you from feeling like you have to save the fabric.  It’s also a great book to make for small children who love textures, colors, and accordion books.

 1.   Decide on a shape that you want your fabric to be seen- a square is probably the smartest, but you aren’t limited to that.  Here, I’m making a book with kimono scraps, so I’m using a kimono shape.

2.  Draw that image with a thick marker and photo copy it as many times are you have pages in your book.   (I used MS paint to make my lines straight)  Remember to make an even-number since the book will be back-to-front pages.

3.  Glue this piece of paper onto a piece of sturdy paper, poster board, or cardboard.  I always save that white stiff board that comes in packaging when you buy things that need to be kept flat.  That makes this project a little more environmentally friendly.  By the time you glue them all, the first one should be dry.

4.  Using an exacto-knife, cut out the design from inside the black line, leaving the outline on the paper, but creating a window in your cardboard page.

5.  Now, cut a swatch from your desired fabric.  Using glue on a paint brush (or your finger), on the BACK side of the page, apply glue to the area around your cardboard window.  Lay the fabric over the window so that the right side of the fabric is facing out through the window.  Straighten and smooth out creased.  Repeat until all pages are done.

6.  Lay your pages out on the floor.  Decide what order they will go in.  Lay half of your pages face down.   Pick some string, lace, yarn, or ribbon to hold your book together.  Measure and cut them to be the length of your book as it is laid out on the floor.

 

 6.  With that gluey paint brush, glue the ribbon, lace, etc, to the BACK of one half of the cards.   Try not to get glue on the fabric as it will seep through and be seen from the other side.  Make sure the ribbon lies flat, and try to keep the distance between the page constant.

7.   Without waiting for the ribbon to dry, coat the surface of the cardboard (don’t get glue on the fabric) with a thin layer of glue, and press the wrong side of another page to the face-down page, making a ribbon sandwich.   Repeat until all pages are glued down.  You may want to put some heavy books on the pages so they dry flat.

 

8.  If you want a tie to close your book, don’t forget to sandwich that in between the layers before you glue the first and last pages together.

Wa-la!   Here is your book.   Now you can decorate the pages, write on the margins explaining why you like that fabric, where you got it, how much it cost… it makes a great memory book.

Good luck!

Sometimes the simple is overlooked.  This is a great, fast decoration, and it makes the room smell lovely.

Materials: 

   Oranges (or lemons, ponzu, clementines, etc)

   Whole Cloves

Directions:

Think of a simple linear design that can be easily transfered to a round surface.

While it is possible to draw on the surface of your orange with a marker, it isn’t a good idea as you will see the pen lines after you’ve finished.  Instead, try marking the corners of your design with sewing pins, then connect the dots with the cloves.

The cloves have sharp ends, so use your thumb to push the cloves directly into the rind of the citrus.  The clove will soak up the juices of the orange and send them wafting through the air.

Easy, huh?  So easy, even kids can enjoy it.

If you’re looking to help the oranges sit still, you can put them in a big bowl with potpourri, or make stands out of pine or twigs, fastening them with wire to make rings.  You’ll figure something out!