Padded Nintendo DS Case

I guess Pockets and I are on a Nintendo kick.  Let's keep it going!

I saw a tutorial on how to do this on Pinterest.  And since I've started playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I've been taking my DS with me everywhere just in hopes of getting new houses in my HHA gallery.  It's been banged up pretty bad just hanging out in my purse, so I thought having a padded case would be a good idea.

Needed materials:
19 inch x 8 inch piece of fabric + ~5 inch x 7 inch scrap
19 inch x 8 inch piece of fabric in a contrasting/complimenting color
19 inch x 8 inch piece of batting
An elastic hair tie
A button
Thread
Sewing machine

First what I did was figure out the measurements I'd need.  My 3DS is 5.5 inches by 3 inches.  So, I made the width 8 (adding on an extra inch for seam allowance, then the extra half inch for the thickness of the DS).  For the height, I just put my DS down on the fabric and rolled it up three times, with a little extra for the flap on top.



In the diagram, I have spaces for velcro, but decided against it as I worked.  Instead, I used a button and a hair tie.  But, velcro at the places indicated would also work.

For my fabric choices, I had a cute print of dachshunds that I chose for my outside.  For the inside, I used a dark blue corduroy.



I cut out a 19 inch by 8 inch piece of each of my fabrics, and the batting.



To find out where the pouch would go, I pinned all my layers together (to be sure the fabric laid right) and put my DS inside.  I folded up the bottom part, which will be the DS pocket, and positioned my scrap fabric above it.



I ironed my scrap, folding all the edged in about 1/2 inch to an inch.





Pin the pocket in place.



Then I folded it up to make sure all the pieces were in the right place.



Perfect!  So I took off the corduroy layer and sewed the fabric scrap down (leaving the top open for the pocket).  I used a zigzag stitch for more decoration and a stronger hold.

NOTE:  I forgot to straight stitch the seam of the scrap before sewing it on--I had to do it later.  To make it easier, sew the TOP SEAM ONLY of the pocket onto itself.  This will give you a nice clean seam on top.



Here it is in place on the corduroy.



 

Now, we need to stack our layers.  Put the fabrics face to face (right side to right side), and put the layer of batting on top.





I have never sewn batting on the outside before, and I was a bit worried that it would get pulled into my machine.  But, the tutorial I was following did it this way, so I gave it a try.  I put the batting on the bottom, just to make sure I got all the edges of the fabric sewn properly.



Stitch a straight seam around all the edges EXCEPT one (the top).  I accidently left the bottom open, so this messed up my attachment of the hair tie a bit.  It was fixable, but would have been easier if I'd left the top open.  The top is the side closest to the sewn on pocket.



Now, flip it inside out (like a pillowcase), and pin the unsewn edge under.



If you left the top open, insert the hair tie now.  (Look for the directions on that a little lower).



Sew the opening shut.  I used a zigzag stitch because it will match the zigzag on the edges of the pocket.  (If I had left the top open, I would have just done a straight stitch.)



Now for the DS pocket.  I put my DS inside and folded it up as high as I needed.  That extra few inches really helps with the DS's thickness.



Pin it, then sew with a straight stitch.



Now for the fastening.  I had to seam rip the center of my top stitch.  Then, placing the hair tie inside, I restitched the hole close.





Then I hand stitched a button onto the place the flap met the outside.



And you're done!  I may have to end up putting a snap or something on the inside pocket.  But, I think the case is wrapped tightly enough that the games won't fall out the way it is.  We'll see.



 


~Buttons

Ridiculous Craft: Mario ? Box Doorstop

I did a silly thing today guys.  I was cleaning my sewing room (photos to come) and my poorly hung door kept swinging partly closed.  And it drove. Me. Insane!

Tangent: I went to party city with Betty the Bakeress (Button's and my sister-in-law-ish) because she wanted to bring a gift basket in to work for a co-worker, she's so thoughtful.  And I saw some Super Mario Bros tin candy containers.  I've had a power-up mushroom for ages and so couldn't resist getting the 1-up mushroom, the star, and a ? box.  I have plans in mind for something awesome with the mushrooms but I didn't have any specific purpose for the star or 1-up box.

So today when I was cleaning and realized I needed a doorstop I decided it would be a perfect ridiculous/temporary craft for the ? box.  Making a doorstop this way seriously is so easy I feel a bit silly posting about it but here goes.

Materials:

Hollow item of your choice
Pennies

You have the extensive list of mats?  :D

Put the pennies in the hollow item.  Since I did just want kind of a temporary solution I didn't want to use sand.  I figured it would leak all over the place and also I just didn't have any.

HOORAY!!

Now just find a poorly hung door and voila!

So easy it's not even a legitimate craft, kind of like this recipe (hilarious comments FTW) but it sure looks ADORABLE as my doorstop.  :D  

One big plus to this "craft" is that the possibilities are almost endless.  Sally forth and make doorstops my friends!!

UPDATE: OMG guys!!  I just had a stroke of brilliance!  Additional materials: Thumbtack, plastic quilt thread.

I tied the quilting thread around a thumbtack and then looped the thread around the ? box a few times and hung it from the ceiling!!!  I am immensely pleased with it!  Much more legitimate this way.  Let's see how long I resist punching it.  :D

~Pockets

How to Make Pikmin Hats

Pockets and I both enjoy gaming.  Most of the time, the games we like differ greatly.  However, there's one that we both have a passion for: Pikmin.  We aren't hardcore gamers, just recreational gamers, and we both agree that the first Pikmin (originally released on the GameCube) is too hard and scary.  I barely remember playing Pikmin 2 (also on the GameCube).  But, when I got my Wii U for Christmas, I just had to try Pikmin 3.

Needless to say, I fell in love with the game.  The controls are so simple, the storyline is interesting, the characters fun, and the Pikmin adorable!  There isn't a single thing I dislike about the game.  And this rekindled my love for the Pikmin franchise--so much so that I bought 1 and 2 on the Wii to give them another try; I am immensely enjoying 2 at the moment.

On to the point.  This past Friday, the Play Nintendo Tour came to a local mall.  To celebrate this, and to be a total nerd, I thought it would be a good idea to make fleece Pikmin hats.  It took some thought, but in the end, they weren't too difficult to put together.  In fact, they were quite easy!

So here's a list of materials you'll need:
Roughly 1/3 yard of fleece in the color of your Pikmin
Green fleece
Batting or poly-fil
Hat pattern (I got mine here)

The green fleece is for the leaf at the end of their stem.  If you want to do a bud, you'll need white/pink/purple (depending on which Pikmin color you choose) and green.  If you want a flower, you'll need white/pink/purple and yellow.  Also, for the flower--and I'll mention this later--you may need an adhesive fabric.

The first thing to do is decide which color Pikmin you want.  Each has different traits that you can embellish on your hat:

Red has a pointy nose
Blue has a pink mouth
Yellow has big years
Rock has jagged edges
Pink has wings
Purple has feelers
White has red eyes (I didn't include eyes on any of the others, but since it's what distinguishes the Whites, I would include it on this one)

So far, I've completed 5 of the 7--with plans to finish the other 2 this week.

This will go step by step with how I created the hats.  I won't divide it by color, rather, I'll show the different ways to add the embellishments as we go along.

Step 1:  Pattern

I searched endlessly on Pinterest until I found a pattern that would work for my purposes.  I mentioned it in the list of materials, but I'll post it again.  It's called the Halloween Hat Pack from FleeceFun.com.  This site has a wonderful video tutorial which really helped when I was attaching the stem.  They also have a free pattern you can print off, in many different sizes.

I printed off the large adult, even though my head is tiny.  I figured I could always take the material in if necessary.

So, print out the pattern and pin it to the color of fleece you're using.  You'll want to have it folded, so you cut out two pieces at once--a front and a back.

 

With your two pieces together, right side to right side, sew up each side to the top V.

 
(You can see here I wanted to add a brim to the Blue Pikmin hat.  So I cut off the bottom inch and sewed it back on.)

Set this part aside for the moment.  We'll come back to it later. 

Step 2: Make the Stem

This part can get a bit tricky, depending on how much effort you want to put forth.  Making a stem with a leaf was incredibly easy.  However, for variety, I wanted to make a bud and a flower (because we all know that flower Pikmin are the best!).  

But first, we need to make a pattern for the stem.  I drew this freehand on a piece of paper, making sure I made it as long as I needed, in relation to the hat I had already cut out.  


 


I don't think it needed to be so wide at the bottom, but it didn't hinder the design either.

So, put the pattern on your fabric (again, we want to have two layers for a front and a back).  Pin it and cut it out.

Do the same thing for a leaf, keeping the size consistant with all the other parts.  Cut out a front and a back as well.

 



















































To make a front and a back, we want our fabrics to be mirror images of each other.  So take one stem and place the leaf on top.  Take the other stem, and make the leaf a mirror image to the first.  Put the leaves face down (so the stem and leaf are facing each other right side to right side), then sew a straight stitch across.

 

If you want, you can add some decorative stitches on the leaves to give them a bit more detail.  It didn't take long, and it turned out very cute, I think.

Now, with front and back complete, put them together, right side to right side, and sew all along the edges, leaving only the bottom open. 




Flip it inside out and stuff it with batting/poly-fil.


 

I added a bit of wire, to try to get it to stand up, but it didn't work very well.

 

For the bud, make a pattern that is a pointed oval.  You'll want to cut out four of these on the color of fleece you need.  (Yellow, Blue, and Red Pikmin have white buds; Purple and White Pikmin have pink buds; Rock and Pink Pikmin have purple buds.  You can find images easily using a search engine.) 



Sew the pieces together, right side to right side, and you'll get a bud!



From here, my sewing machine was useless.  The fabric was too thick to sew through.  A fancier machine might be able to do it, but mine couldn't.  I had to sew by hand.  So I took a few pieces of green fabric and sewed them around the bottom edges to be the leaves.

Then, complete the stem as above, EXCEPT you leave the top and bottom open.  Sew along both sides, then turn the stem inside out.  Hand stitch the bud to the top opening, and then stuff with batting. 

And now the most difficult: the flower. 

While at Joann buying more fleece, I was talking with the cutting counter worker.  She asked what I was making and I explained, and she gave me a great idea for making the flowers!  Using Pellon Peltex 2, a double sided, very stiff, adhesive fabric!



So I cut out white half-circles for the petals.



I put five of them in a circle with a yellow middle.



Then I cut out the Peltex and sandwiched it between another layer of all white.  I ironed them together (as the directions say) and then trimmed off the extra Pletex and bottom layer.  For sewing it onto the stem, I hand stitched five little stitches in the center of flower.

Using this method, It was actually easier than the bud.

Step 3: Attach the Stem

Taking the main hat fabric that we put aside, turn it sideways so the seam we sewed is in the center.

 

Flip the hat inside out, keeping the seam in the center.  Now, take the stem and turn it sideways, so the seams are in the center.   Pinch it flat, so the seams touch.


 

Now, place the stem inside the hat, and line up the seams.

 

Straight stitch across and trim off the extra fabric.

 

Step 4: Adding Embelishments

Rock: 

For the Rock Pikmin, I simply stitched on decorative lines, giving it a jagged look.



 






Blue:

 

I just added on a pink triangle on the brim of the hat.


(And of course, I took the picture before I put on the mouth.)


Red:



For the Red, I cut out a pointy nose (front and back) and sewed them together.  Stuff with batting.

 

Attaching it was pretty easy.  I made a horizontal slit in the very front of the hat, right around the brim.  With the hat inside out, I stuck the nose into the hat, with the opening on the outside, then sewed it shut (just as we did with the stem).






Yellow:



Yellow's ears are huge!  So, what I did was make a pattern for the ears, again, keeping in mind the size to the hat.  In fact, I think the ears are a bit too big.

So, with the pattern, you want to cut out 2 ears, each with a front and a back (4 pieces total).  I also added a bit of a darker yellow to the center to give the ears some contrast.  You'll only need 2 of those pieces, as they are only on the front.

Sew the darker pieces to the front of the ears--making sure that the ears will be mirror images of each other.  Remember, one goes on the right side, one goes on the left.  Then, put the front and back together, right side to right side, and sew along both sides, leaving the bottom open.

 

With the ears, you need to do it before we stitch the hat together.  Put the ears inside the hat, with a bit of the open end sticking out.  Then sew up both sides to the V.

 




Pink:



For the Pink, I had to add wings.  I hand drew a pattern for a circular type wing.  Like the ears, you'll need a front and back for each wing--4 pieces total.



Sew them together, leaving the straight edge open for stuffing.

Similar to attaching the Red's nose, I cut two vertical slices on the back of the hat for the wings.  With the hat inside out, stick the smaller side of the wing through the slit (with the wing inside the hat) and sew it together.  Cut off the extra fabric.






 And here's a few pictures from the actual event.  We had a lot of fun!

Here's mine and Pocket's mom in the Yellow hat:

 

And I wore the Pink because it was my favorite!

 


~Buttons