I admit to being a die-hard book fan. I love the smell of books, the soft crack of a new spine being opened, the crisp turning of pages. I didn’t think I’d ever fall for eReaders. But… I also didn’t think I’ve ever learn to program my smart phone. So never say never! Now that we’ve accepted these cool eReaders into our world, we must give them a suitable carrying case! Today’s final project in the new Kissing Booth collection by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics is an eReader/Device carrier. We made our sample for a Barnes & Noble Nook®, but at a finished size of approximately 7″ wide x 9½” high it will also easily fit a Kindle® or the new iPad Mini®. The device drops in through a zippered top opening, there are handy pockets front and back, and we added a cool detachable shoulder strap. 

Our carrier is made using four pre-cut Fat Quarters. For more information about these and other pre-cuts, check out our Pre-cuts Lesson tutorial from our friends at Fat Quarter Shop. 

Kissing Booth is available now at in-store and online retailers. We found a good selection at these Sew4Home Marketplace Vendors: Fat Quarter Shop, Fabric.com, and The Ribbon Retreat.

Our thanks to Moda Fabrics for sponsoring our wonderful Winter series. We’ve brought you over three weeks of projects and how-to tutorial, moving you through the holidays and getting your thinking about those 2013 sewing resolutions. Stay tuned for a Great Giveaway tomorrow, featuring pre-cuts from four of the collections you’ve seen…. and drooled over (yeah… admit it!).

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome 4120DC) 
• Quarter Inch Seam foot (optional but helpful since all the patchworking is done with ¼” seams)
• Walking foot with adjustable quilt bar (optional but helpful for the quilting stitches)
• Zipper foot
• Satin Stitch foot (optional for topstitching)

Fabric and Other Supplies

• FOUR Fat Quarters (If you choose not to use Fat Quarters, you’ll need four coordinating 18″ x 22″ cuts or better still four ½ yard cuts – this amount gives you enough to fussy cut your pieces either horizontally or vertically based on your motif): we used the following fat quarters from the Kissing Booth collection by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics:
  Front main: We Belong in Cherry Cordial
  Back main: Grunge in Cherry Cordial
  Pockets (front and back): Love Letters in Cherry Cordial
  Lining: We Belong in Crème Brûlée
• ½ yard of 45″ medium-weight fusible interfacing for the waistband and pockets; we used Décor Bond by Pellon
• Scraps or ¼ yard of low loft batting; you need just two pieces, each 8″ x 10½”, we used scraps from our stash
• 2 yards of 1″ cotton webbing; we used black
• Scrap or ⅛ yard of ⅛” ribbon for the zipper pull; we used black
• ONE 7″ standard zipper for the top; we used black
• ONE 7″ decorative zipper for the front pocket; we used a brass metal zipper – you could also use a chunky sport zipper
• TWO 1″ plastic D rings to match webbing; we used black
• TWO 1″ plastic swivel hooks to match webbing; we used black
• All purpose thread to match fabrics for construction
• All purpose thread in a contrasting color for the quilting lines; we used a pale pink
• Heavyweight thread in a contrasting color for the webbing; we used a heavy cotton in natural
• See-through ruler
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Straight pins
• Tape measure
• Hand sewing needle

Getting Started

1. From the fat quarter for the front (We Belong in Cherry Cordial in our sample), cut ONE 8″ wide x 10½” high rectangle.
2. From the fat quarter for the back (Grunge in Cherry Cordial in our sample), cut ONE 8″ wide x 10½” high rectangle.
3. From the fat quarter for the pockets (Love Letters in Cherry Cordial in our sample), cut TWO 6½” wide x 11″ high rectangles.
4. From the fat quarter for the lining (We Belong in Crème Brûlée in our sample), cut TWO 8″ wide x 10½” high rectangles.
5. From the batting, cut TWO 8″ x 10½” rectangles.
6. From the interfacing, cut TWO 6½” x 11″ rectangles.
7. Cut the cotton webbing into TWO 11″ lengths and ONE 50″ length

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Quilting the main front and back panels

1. Find the main front panel, the main back panel and the two batting pieces.
2. Pin a batting piece to the wrong side of each fabric panel. Pin along the raw edges as well as through the center to insure the batting doesn’t slip. As usual, you will remove the pins as you sew.
3. Thread your sewing machine with the all purpose contrasting thread (pale pink in our sample) in the top and bobbin.
4. If possible, attach a Walking foot with an adjustable quilt bar. If you do not have this option, you can first mark quilting lines to follow on the right side of each panel with a fabric pen or pencil (since you are working on the right side of the fabric, make sure the pen or pencil will wipe away or vanish with exposure to the air). You could also use painter’s tape as guidelines as we did in our Casserole Carrier project. 
5. The first and last row should each be 1″ in from the raw edge. The inside rows should be ¾” apart. There are NINE vertical rows total.
   

Prepare pockets

1. Find the two 6½” x 11″ pocket pieces and the two 6½” x 11″ interfacing pieces.
2. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse an interfacing piece to the wrong side of the each fabric piece.
3. Fold one fused pocket piece in half so it now measures 6½” x 5½”. Pin together the 6½” raw edges. This will be the bottom edge of the pocket.
   
4. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch together. Press the seam open.
5. Turn right side out through the open sides and press flat so the seam remains along the bottom edge. Set aside.
6. On the remaining pocket, use a fabric pen or pencil to draw a horizontal line 1″ in from each 6½” raw edge on the wrong side (the interfacing side).
   
7.  Along the bottom edge, fold along the drawn line and press in place.
   
8. Along the top edge, fold the raw edge down to meet the drawn line and press in place (this is a ½” fold). Fold over again ½” and press again, encasing the raw edge to create a ½” double fold hem.
9. Find the decorative zipper. With the pocket piece still wrong side up, slip one side of the zipper tape under the top hemmed edge. The top zipper stop should be ½” from the left raw edge of the pocket. The end of the zipper will extend beyond the right raw edge by several inches. The zipper should be closed at this point. Pin in place.
   
10. Bring up the bottom single folded edge of the pocket piece so this folded edge is aligned below the opposite side of the zipper tape. Pin in place. The zipper is still closed.
    
11. Open the zipper all the way.
12. Attach a Zipper foot.
13. Open out the pocket so you are working with just a single layer and the bottom side of the zipper. Edgestitch the zipper in place.
    
14. Fold the zipper back into position, but still keep it open. 
15. Edgestitch the top portion of the zipper through ALL the layers.
    

Attach pockets

1. Attach a Standard presser foot or a Walking foot. We used our Walking foot because of the thickness of all the layers.
2. Find the front and back quilted panels and the two prepared pockets.
3. Place the back quilted panel (Grunge in Cherry Cordial in our sample) right side up and flat on your work surface. Place the plain pocket on top so the bottom of the pocket (remember, the seamed edge is the bottom) sits 1″ up from the bottom of the quilted panel and the left raw edge of the pocket is flush with the left raw edge of the quilted panel. Pin in place.
   
4. In necessary, re-thread your machine with contrasting thread in the top and bobbin (the same thread you used for the quilting stitches).
5. Edgestitch the pocket in place across the bottom only.
6. Topstitch one vertical dividing line through the pocket. This topstitching should be perfectly in line with the panel’s third quilting line from the right.
   
7. Find one of the 11″ lengths of cotton webbing.
8. Position it vertically on the panel so the right edge of the webbing is 1″ in from the right raw edge of the panel and the left edge of the webbing is covering the right raw edge of the pocket. Pin the webbing in place at the bottom.
   
9. Find one of the D rings. Slip the top end of the webbing through the ring, folding the raw edge to the back until the top edge of the D ring is 1″ down from the top raw edge of the panel. Pin in place.
   
10. Re-thread your machine with the heavyweight thread in the top and bobbin.
11. Edgestitch the webbing in place along both sides and make an “X Box” just below the D ring to secure. We attached out Satin Stitch foot for this step for better visibility.
    
12. Set this panel aside and place the front panel (We Belong in Cherry Cordial in our sample) right side up and flat on your work surface.
13. Position the zippered pocket in the same manner as above: 1″ up from the bottom edge and with the left edges flush. Pin in place.
14. Re-thread your machine with contrasting thread in the top and bobbin (the same thread you used for the quilting stitches).
15. Edgestitch across the top of the pocket. We used a standard presser foot.
    
16. Edgestitch across the bottom of the pocket. We used a Walking foot.
    
17. Edgestitch down the left side, double stitching across the zipper. We used a Satin Stitch foot.
    
18. Trim away the excess zipper.
19. Find the remaining 11″ length of cotton webbing. Position on the front panel, attaching the D ring as you did above for the back panel. Pin in place.
    
20. Re-thread your machine with the heavyweight thread in the top and bobbin.
21. Edgestitch the webbing in place with a securing “X Box” as above.

Top zipper and final exterior construction

1. Re-thread your machine with construction thread in the top and bobbin.
2. Place the completed front panel right side up and flat on your work surface.
3. Find the regular zipper.
4. Place the zipper right side down (teeth down) on the front panel. The zipper should be centered on the panel and the top edge of the zipper tape should be flush with the top raw edge of the panel. pin in place along this top edge only.
   
5. Attach a Zipper foot. Stitch the zipper to the front panel.
6. Attach the opposite side of the zipper tape right sides together with the top raw edge of the back panel being very careful to align the quilting stitches on the two panels. Stitch zipper to the back panel.
   
7. Flip the unit to the right side and press the panels away from the zipper.
   
8. Re-attach a Standard presser foot.
9. Fold the panels right sides together aligning the sides and bottom edges. Pin in place along the sides and bottom. Unzip the zipper to allow you an opening for turning. 
   
10. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the bottom, pivoting at the corners. Trim the corners at a diagonal. Set aside.
    

Lining

1. Find the two 8″ x 10½” lining pieces.
2. Turn under the top raw edge (one 8″ edge) of each lining ½”. Press
   
3. Place the two lining pieces right sides together. Pin in place along both sides and across the bottom.
4. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch along both sides and across the bottom, pivoting at the corners. Clip the corners at a diagonal.
   
5. Turn the lining right side out. Gently push out the corners so they are nice and square. Press flat.
6. Find the exterior bag. It should still be wrong side out. 
7. With the lining still right side out, slip the exterior bag inside the lining so the two bags are now wrong sides together.
8. Align the bottom and side seams. The top folded edge of the lining should fall below the zipper teeth by about ⅛”. If it doesn’t, adjust the fold to fit and gently re-press.
9. Pin in place through all the layers. 
   
10. Thread the hand sewing needle.
11. Slip stitch the lining to the bag, using very small stitches. Stitch along the front and the back, but leave the lining loose where it wraps over the side seams. This allows some “give” in the lining so it folds smoothly as you zip the bag open and shut.
    
12. Turn the bag right side out through the zippered opening. 

Zipper pull and shoulder strap

1. Find the ⅛” ribbon. Fold it in half, slip it through the hole in the zipper pull, then pull the tails through the loop to secure – as if you were attaching a gift or price tag.
   
2. Find the 50″ length of cotton webbing and the two swivel hooks.
3. Slip one end through each swivel hook, folding the raw end to the back by about 2″. Pin in place. Make sure you fold back to the same side on both ends; you don’t want any twists or turns in your shoulder strap.
   NOTE: The cotton webbing doesn’t really ravel, so it isn’t necessary to turn under or otherwise finish the raw end. You can use a dab of seam sealant if you feel so inclined.
   
4. Re-thread your machine with the heavyweight thread in the top and bobbin.
5. Edgestitch the webbing along both sides and make an “X Box” just below each swivel hook to secure. We used our Satin Stitch foot again as we did above.
   
6. Clip the shoulder strap in place on the two D rings.
   

Project Design: Alicia Thommas  
Sample Creation and Instructional Outline: Debbie Guild