Kobo Kozy

Welcome the handmade Kobo Kozy into the world.

A week-ish ago I received my Kobo eReader. It’s exactly what I want (no frills) and I’m pleased with it. I’ve been tossing it unprotected into my bag and yesterday realized that’s probably a bad idea, so on the way home from work I stopped by JoAnn’s Fabrics to get some materials then got down to work…

My inspiration was, loosely, this coat{.broken_link} which Strobel acquired a few months ago. The thing is tough as nails and a decent color. I chose to use some cotton duck which closely resembled the coat however it lacks pizazz and is, well, a bit butch for my tastes. So I decided to spruce up my kozy with some soft (easy on the screen) and lovely red Chinese dragon brocade. The method, in brief (for reference in case I decide to do this again):

Cut two 7″x8″ pieces of the cotton duck, two 7″x9.25″ pieces of the brocade and two 7″x8″ pieces of cotton batting. Make two duck+batting+brocade sandwiches, lining everything up at the bottom and being sure the correct sides are facing the correct way. Sew around the sides and bottom of each sandwich. Take excess brocade at the top, fold it over once (edge of brocade now at edge of duck/batting) then again over the duck (forming the top edging on the front) and sew across the top. Put a quilted pattern on each side (I’m learning sewing as I go so my pattern is a very simple rectangle, 2″ in from each edge). Place the pieces together, duck sides facing, and stitch around sides and bottom, making sure to reinforce at the edges by the top opening. Trim off excess from seams, also snip the corners and turn the whole thing right side out. Voila, a Kobo Kozy.

If I do this again I’d make the pieces 6.75″ wide instead of 7″. The Kobo fits nicely but I’d prefer if it were just a smidge more snug.

More pictures are available at Flickr, including pics of the first (far too small) attempt.