Kindle Cover {tutorial}

As promised, here is my Kindle Cover tutorial {sorry for the delay...we had some friends come visit, and I didn't coordinate my time before their arrival very well - but we had a blast!}.

Supplies:
1 Charm pack or assorted scraps {for outside}
5/8 yard print
Velcro
Elastic {choose a color to match the reader, not the cover - I used black}
Buckle {optional}

First, measure your reader, my Kindle Fire measures 7 1/2" x 4 1/2".  To determine the measurement, double the width and then add 2 1/4" {note, the Kindle Fire that I have measure about 1/2" thick.  If your reader is flat or nearly flat, remove 1/2" from the width.  For the height, add 3/4".  So, the finished measurement for the Kindle Fire cover is 11 1/4" x 8 1/4".

Arrange your fabric as desired for the outside.  For the cover on the top I used half hexagons, you can print the template here.  For the cover on the bottom I used blocks from The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book.

After piecing the outside {I am hoping to make a few more of these, so I'll update with other ideas!}, layer with batting and quilt to a piece of fabric.  Next, cut to pieces of fabric 1/4" narrower than the cover, fold these in half to make the pockets for the inside of the cover.  There should be a gap between the pieces, as shown:

Along the folded side of the left pocket, stitch the elastic in place separate from the outside of the cover.  Stitch 1/8" and 1/4" from the edge {by stitching in two places, the pocket does not curl up when the Kindle is placed in the cover}, as shown:

Stitch the loop side of the Velcro closure to the front of the cover.  Then, place both pockets on the wrong side of the cover and stitch 1/8" from edge of cover outside to keep pockets in place.  Then, attach the other sides of the two elastics, plus the remaining two elastics in the corners, as shown:

Next, make the closure as you desire.  Here are the two methods I used, the buckle{honestly, I didn't write down the dimensions because it will vary for any buckle!}:

and the flap {my flap is 2 1/4" wide before seam allowances}:

Sew your closure to the outside of the cover before sewing the binding, like this:

Then, cut one 1 1/2" x WOF strip for the binding.  I'm going to use a single fold binding method.  The construction is similar to the traditional double fold {see my binding tutorial}.  Sew the binding to the outside of the cover:

Then finish the binding like this:

I had originally machine finished my binding on the Farmer's Wife Kindle Cover, but since I decided to change the white elastics out for black, I was happier with the hand stitching on the Hexagon Kindle Cover, so I hand stitched the binding back down, here's the before:

And the after:

I think it is much improved!  Then, I just cut a piece of plastic canvas and slip it in one {or both} of the pockets to give it a nice sturdy shape!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.  I am making a cover for a friend, and she has a Kindle Keyboard, so I will update with details on arranging the elastics for minimal interference you can see it here!

And, if you make a cover using this tutorial, I'd love to see it!  Please post it to our Flickr group!

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