Materials needed:
Rotary cutter
Ruler
Cutting mat
Pins
Thread
Marking pencil or chalk that can be erased with iron or water
Sewing machine
Quarter inch foot
Walking foot
9” length Velcro strip
24”x13” piece of batting
2 rectangles of fabric for the outside and inside of the case of 23”x12 ½” each
Fabric rectangle for the pencil pocket of 9” x 12 ½”
Fabric rectangle for big notebook pocket of 14 by 12 ½”
Fabric rectangle for small notebook pocket of 9 by 12 ½”
2 bag strips of 12” length each
We will fold lengthwise and iron the fabric that will be used for the pockets
We will fold the pencil fabric right sides together and sew along the long edge to form a “tube”. Turn inside out and press
We will stitch the two fabrics for the notebook pocket along the folded edge. We will do the same with the fabric for the pencil pocket
We will then put the main inside fabric on top of the batting, right side up. We will then make a marking at the halfway pointon the longer side (that will be at 11 ½” from the edge). Starting on that mark, we will make a second mark at 1 ½” from the center point and on that mark, we will set the fabric that is already prepared to be the pencil pocket
We will sew along the bottom edge of the pocket (where we don’t have a stitch line)
We will then add markings on the pocket every 1 inch to leave space for our pencils. We will sew along each mark, backstitching at the beginning and end.
This stitch line must be done with the walking foot, given that we are sewing through several layers of fabric, including the lining fabric and the batting. This is where this foot is especiallyuseful
We will then line up the notebook pockets to the opposite side of the pencil pocket. First the big pocket and on top of that one, the smaller one, lining up the side without stitching to the interior lining
We will add a mark in the halfway point of each narrow side of the case (that is, at 6 ¼”, given that the side measures 12 ½”). This will allow us to add the case handles. Starting on that mark, we will make two additional marks, each one at 2” from the center. On those marks we will set the handles and pin, as you can see on the picture.
Once this is done, we will add the exterior fabric right sides together and pin all around the case, being careful to leave an opening for turning the work once we have sewn it together using the walking foot.
Once the stitching is all done, we will trim the excess batting and the corners, to then turn the work inside out
Once we have turned the work, we will press the edge very well and we will top stitch all around the case, closing the gap left open on the previous step for turning. This must be done using the walking foot and a stitch length of 3.0.
Finally, we will add a strip of Velcro to each side. We will sew all around the Velcro strip, making sure to backstitch at the beginning and end.
Now you only have to add your pencils, notebooks, etc! For you, your kids or your laptop (modifying the fabric sizes) or whatever you like!
Hope you enjoy it!
Warmly
Caro