LeapPad case

Usually Sunday afternoons are good for getting some sewing done. This past Sunday, however, I didn't have any sewing projects going! It felt kinda good for a change, and I thought it sounded like maybe a good time to just sit down and read a book.

BUT! Here's what I ended up doing instead!

Can you guess how that's going to go together?

Okay, Courtney got a LeapPad last Christmas. If you're not familiar with them, they're sort of like an iPad for kids. You can play educational games on them, etc. (and purchase and download more games off the Internet), and even take photos and movies! Here's a pic of hers, with the 3 game disks she has for it.

I asked Courtney's mommy a few days ago if she thought it would be a good idea to have a case for it, and she said yes! I was just going to make up a little bag on my own, but decided on Sunday to search and see if there happened to be a tutorial for one. I was in luck! One had just been posted on Thursday here!

It looked like a nice tutorial, and I got kind of excited about it, so I started picking out fabrics. A long time ago, Jess had sent me this cute print that a friend of hers had sent from Japan (thanks, Megumi!), and I thought it'd be perfect for the LeapPad, what with the alphabet on it and all.

With a white background, though, I figured it'd get dirty pretty fast, so I decided to laminate it! Also a long time ago, I'd bought some iron-on vinyl, and it was perfect for this project. (That's the curled up white stuff in the first photo.)

I cut the case out on Sunday and sewed it on Monday! Here's how it turned out:

It's pretty colorful, including the yellow main lining and the red pocket lining.

Here's the back... isn't that fabric cute?!

The laminating went well, although the vinyl did get pretty crinkled when turning the bag inside out a time or two in the sewing process. But I was able to just put the paper backing over it and iron it again, and it turned out fine. It also adds a little water-proofing to the case.

Here it is, stuffed:

It was a perfect fit (the LeapPad gets turned the other way and fits snugly in the padded pouch). The only thing I'd do differently if I made another one is put the velcro closer to the edge of the flap. It fastens okay, but the flap doesn't lie down as well as it should. I tried to think of a way to rectify it, but it would've messed things up and involve hand sewing, so I just left it as is. It still holds the pouch shut well enough. Other than that, I'm happy with how it turned out, and Courtney likes it, too!

Linking up to Amylouwho's Sew & Tell: