Kelly loves the ipod nano that she received for her 13th birthday.  It’s just that it’s so cute and SMALL! That’s our Canadian quarter beside it…see how small it is?  It’s a little too easy to lose!  I thought I’d make her something to keep it a little more safe and visible! I made a little ipod holder out of felt.  I chose orange felt to match Kelly’s tangerine colored ipod nano. Sorry…I don’t have a pattern…I just made it up as I went along.  It was also night-time and I didn’t take any pictures.  I put the whole thing together while we watched The Mentalist.  Not bad for one hour’s work! For the open window of the ipod holder, I wanted to reinforce it, to make it extra strong to keep the shape.  Using the sewing machine, I sewed the white square of felt onto one of the orange pieces, before I sewed all the pieces together.  I used a tight zigzag stitch to make it really strong.  After it was secured in place, I carefully cut the inside square out of the white felt, and then the orange felt to reveal the window of the ipod nano.   I used the machine to sew the two pieces inside out, together with a third (white) piece to make a pocket for the earphones.  I sewed the white flap into the side seam with the machine…and just had to double check it before I sewed the other side seam.  I was just a little surprised that this worked! When I turned the felt right side out…it was just want I wanted! I like the chunky handmade look of the felt with hand stitches, so I reinforced all the edges (and the bottom of the earphones pocket) with hand stitches. I used the machine to reinforce the button hole…not so neatly. I didn’t mind reinforcing the earphones cable hole by hand. I wanted to get the right location for the earphones cable hole, so I did this after the rest of the ipod holder was sewn together. I was pleased at how secure it feels. Clearly, I am an amateur at sewing, but I think the imperfections are part of its charm!  (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)  I like the look of it and Kelly likes it too!  She now has a cozy home for her ipod nano and earphones.  I was inspired by these “mixed tape” felt cases.  These are infinitely more professionally made and available for purchase at this etsy shop. read more...for Equipping Catholic Families!