SO... I looked all over the internet and could not, for the life of me, find an Innotab case pattern. I thought, Surely I'll find one- it's supposedly one of the hottest toys on the market for Christmas this year, and roughly the same size as the Leap Frog LeapPad- the other popular choice of the season. I was wrong. Couldn't find one anywhere. I looked for about two days and finally came across this blog on Woven Pages by Elena. She gave a brief tutorial on how she made a case for her daughter's Nintendo 3DS. It was so cute, and inspired me to create a case that was perfect for my little girl's Innotab. It cost about $16 for materials- which is roughly what I would pay for the clunky, plastic and mesh case at Target (including tax)- only this one (I think) is WAY cuter:) It holds her Innotab and nine cartridge games. Here are a few finished pics, with the tutorial below. P.S. Forgive me if I misspell. I'm in a hurry so my daughter won't walk in on me and see the pics I'm posting, as she will not receive this for another 7 days. WOW! Only 7 days till Christmas:)
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| Inside is fleece, which protects the case from scratching. I used two pieces of fleece on the front and back sections to add thickness to the bag. Innotab fits snugly inside. |
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| Pockets are on the back of the bag. Three rectangular pockets held shut with velcro. |
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| Game cartridge pockets. Three large pockets with three sections each. Holds a total of nine cartridge games. |
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So here ya go-The tutorial:
First, you'll need to gather supplies and cut your fabric. Disclaimer: I am not an expert. This is a rough tutorial, based on my memory and a few notes & pics I took while making the case. I tend to wing-it when I sew, so this may annoy some, while it may inspire others. I just hope it helps someone, even if only a little!
BEFORE YOU CUT: Note the direction of your pattern and cut it accordingly. My pattern had little trees, so I had to check before I cut or sewed anything together to make sure my pattern was heading the right direction.
I used 1/2 yd fabric and about 3/4 yd fleece. If I had used Option B for my pocket covers, I may have needed a bit more fabric.
STEP 1:
I made the pockets first.
*Place the fleece over the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the edges of the fabric over the fleece and sew. See pics:
Next, add velcro to the right side of the fabric. I put the soft side here so that if it wasn't shut well (you know kids), it wouldn't scratch and hang on her clothes.
Next, sew the pockets onto the bag. The bottom of the lowest pocket starting at about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bag- center them the best you can. Sew around the left side, bottom and right side of each pocket. Leave the top open.
Then, sew two seams, at 2.25" into the pocket from either side (see pic). This creates the compartments for the pockets. Do this for all three pockets. You'll want to leave half an inch or so between pockets to give yourself enough room to sew on the top flaps. I'm sure this is all as clear as mud.
To make top flaps, either A: Fold edges under and hem (this is what I did). Later, use fabric glue or a no-fray solution to prevent it from unwravelling.
OR
Option B: Cut your fabric strips at 6x8", fold in half (inside out), sew along three sides, and turn inside out. Turn exposed edge inside of itself and hem shut. (this is what I would have done if I'd thought of it sooner and had a little more fabric)
OR
Option C: I'll let you make this one up on your own. I'm sure there's always room for improvement:)
Sew the top flaps onto the pockets by placing them with their right sides to the right sides of the back fabric. Sew them as close as possible to the pocket tops, without sewing the pocket tops closed.
Trim excess fabric if you used Option A. Wait to add the no-fray until you're completely done with the project so it can dry overnight. Add velcro to the pocket top flaps.
Step 2:
Next, sew the fabric pieces together so that you actually make a bag! I've assigned letters to the fabric diagram to make it easier (I hope).
Should look something like this when you're done:
Step 3:
Sew the fleece pieces together to make a bag, the same way you sewed the fabric pieces with ONE EXCEPTION: Double up your front and back pieces. Lay two front pieces on top of each other and treat it as one. Do the same with the back. When you sew the sides on, you'll actually be sewing three layers of fabric.
(In this pic, the top layer is a side and the bottom two layers are identical "front" pieces.)
You will have two bags. The front and back of the fleece liner will each be two layers thick:
Step 4:
Turn each bag inside out. Place the fleece liner inside of the fabric bag, so that their right sides are together. Hem around the edge where they meet, but LEAVE THE TOP-FLAP EDGE OPEN.
Turn the bag inside out through the top flap edge. Should look something like this:
Tuck the fleece liner into the fabric bag, tuck the top flap edge into itself, and hem shut.
Sew velcro into place so that you can fold the flap over and close the bag (refer to picture near top of post).
Step 5:
Fold two 3x5" fabric strips and the shoulder strap strip in half (right sides together). Sew along two edges and turn right-side out. Press if desired:
Attatch D-Rings to purse with strips. Loop the strip through the D-Ring, then sew onto bag. Be careful not to hit the D-Ring with your needle:)
Loop ends of shoulder strap through the D-Rings and sew. This is not an adjustable strap- if you're feeling super skilled, go for it- I am not there yet:)
You should now have a cute Innotab Case! I hope it was clear enough to make some sort of sense... or at least inspire you to make your own cute little child's tablet bag. Thanks for reading!
