Spring Fever Sewing

So, who out there hates those ugly black neoprene and nylon computer bags? Yeah, me, too. It's been an ongoing battle to find a bag that is a) cute, b) durable, and c) roomy enough for all my stuff. I've gotten tired of lugging my netbook, purse, and assorted books and notebooks around in separate bags, too.

I've been looking for a decent, pretty netbook sleeve since getting my netbook, and nothing has ever really wowed me. I've had the ugly black bag, a brown neoprene one, and everything in between. This, in addition to carrying a purse. Over the weekend, I happened across an adorable tote bag at Joann Fabrics. The inside, unfortunately, was one large space...and you know that means hunting for your stuff at the bottom of that inner-bag wasteland. Then I saw the butterfly fabric that matched it, and I knew I'd found something I wanted to use to make a sleeve that finally fit my netbook properly.

Assuming I could find a pattern, and sew it. Anyone who knows me is pretty well aware that I am not known for my sewing abilities, however, I have been known to sew a straight line when necessary.

I bought the tote, fabric, and notions, then went right to Amazon and found a tote organizer that will fit inside the tote. This is basically the "guts" of a purse, with separate pockets and whatnot for all your smallish things, while still allowing space inside your bag for something big, like a notebook or binder (or netbook sleeve and cords). Whoever invented this thing is brilliant, because now I can change out bags and just put the guts in whichever one I decide is "it" for the season. So, here is the pile of crafty stuff I started with:

I managed to find a very easy tutorial for a Simple Laptop Sleeve that didn't require a great deal of skill to construct. Elizabeth explains everything carefully, with step-by-step pictures. Positively wonderful.

So, after two evenings at the dining room table, I wound up with something beautiful that fits my netbook. What do you think?

If I can do it, so can you. Believe me! I was worried enough about the end result at first to want to farm it out to a quilting friend, but it really is that easy. I will try to edit this post with some better lighting so you can see the beautiful colors in this fabric. It didn't take much, either. You probably have enough scrap lying around to knock one of these together! I'm thrilled with the end result, and now I (and my "stuff") will be ready for spring!

Edit: Here are some pictures taken in better lighting, so you can see the finished product more clearly!