gift diy: monogrammed ipad sleeve

I wanted to share with you guys one of the diy gifts I made for some friends and family. I adjusted the ipad measurements to also fit a kindle for each of my sisters- super easy and everyone loved them! I somewhat followed the instructions from this tutorial but simplified materials and added the initial stencil for each of the recipients. Here's what you'll need:

• Adhesive-backed felt sheets (mine were 9"x12" packs from Wal-Mart)
• Lightweight material for inside lining
• Rotary cutter or scissors
• Cutting mat and ruler
• Matching thread
• Letter stencils
• Gold (or any color) paint and stencil brush
• Sewing machine
  

Here's what you do (following the photos clockwise):

• Cut all of your pieces to size (leaving the inside lining material slightly smaller). Your felt and lining should be cut to about two inches larger (length and width) than the device you are planning to fit into it. I simply googled the dimensions for each of mine.
• Pull the adhesive paper off the back of the felt BUT it works best for sewing if you leave a small strip of paper on the two sides and bottom. This way the adhesive won't stick to your sewing machine- unfortunately I learned this the hard way.
  
• Place lining fabric face up on the back of the felt and smooth down to the adhesive. Leave about an inch of room at the top for folding over for a seam. Now fold that seam over.
• Repeat this with your other piece of felt and lining to create the back of your sleeve.
  

I didn't get photos of the actual sewing process, which is probably best due to my severe lack of skills in sewing anything except paper garlands. Here is what you'll do for the sewing portion:

• Sew each of the top seams over.
  
• Place your front and back pieces together FELT to FELT side. This will make your bag inside out. Sew the two sides and bottom together.
• Flip this inside out and viola- your sleeve is made! Pull the corners out square, cut any loose strings, and flatten (or iron if your patient).

Lastly I added a stencil monogram onto the front of each for a personalized touch. I used a gold paint that is supposed to mimic gold foil but you could really use any craft or fabric paint. (The photos below are from a different set of bags so the colors/fabric are different)

• Tape your stencil down so it won't move.
  
• Use your stencil brush to apply paint and allow to dry before trying to move the stencil.
• Admire your work!
  

You can easily make one of these in under an hour or quite a few in an afternoon. My loved ones really liked theirs so I will probably be making more in the future. Have fun crafting!