Antique Lace Laptop Cover

Hi Everyone!

Okay, so it's taken me a year to get back to blogging!  But I have a good excuse. Actually, I think it's a great excuse.  I've been doing YouTube videos and making journals and journal pages, cards, tags and envelopes.  I've put the link to the right of the screen; just click on the image there, which is some journal cards I've made.

But today, I wanted to do a "blog tutorial" of sorts, rather than a video, of how I made my antique lace laptop cover.  Before I do that though, I want to give full credit to CRISSIE CROSSER, of Crissie's Attic on YouTube.  Crissie did a tutorial that was just great. It was SO EASY to follow that I literally made my own laptop cover in about two hours!  So please check out her two video tutorials, and I'll put a link below for you.

So, let's get started!

This is the finished cover! Again, this only took about two hours to complete, start to finish!  Admittedly, mine looks completely different from Crissie's, but I followed the same pattern and instructions.  My intent was to have a cover that resembled Crissie's "tattered lace" one.  However, when I went searching for lace scraps, I came across this stunning lace table runner remnant.  I've had it for years, so it was a pleasant "surprise" to be able to finally use it!

This is the reverse side.  Isn't it lovely? How could I NOT use it?!  And the really neat thing was that it was exactly the width I needed!! So this goes down in my book as "it was meant to be"!

The first thing you want to do is determine how big your cover needs to be. I just used an old piece of quilted fabric I had, which was thick enough to provide sufficient protection.  Using my laptop as a guide, I wrapped a cloth tape measure around it to determine how much length I needed to go all the way around the piece (both sides), including enough to form a "flap" on the front, as well as how wide I needed.  Then I cut my quilted fabric to those measurements.  

I cut out another piece of medium weight interfacing the same size as the quilted piece.  This helps add structure to the overall piece, as well as providing additional protection.  Stitch these two pieces together around all four sides, leaving your edges raw. 

I also like to "test" my measurements at this point, to make sure I have sufficient fabric. Math and I don't always get along, so I follow the old adage of "Measure twice (or three or four times), then cut once" (hopefully).  In this picture above, you see that I've wrapped the two pieces around the laptop and I have plenty for a fold-over flap closure.

Because my table runner was only a remnant and not long enough, I decided to use two layers of lace.  This would be a great way to use an old damaged lace tablecloth!!  As luck would have it, I still had some of this lace (pictured above) left over.  Believe it or not, this "lace" was originally a shower curtain that I found at Wal-Mart years ago! They only had the one piece, and I've used it in many projects over the years.  To get the size I needed, I just laid my quilted piece of fabric over it, then cut around it, and included about an inch and a half over on all sides.  I think using two panels of lace added to the richness of the piece!

I then folded the lace over the edges of the quilted piece on three sides (top and both sides), and stitched it down.  I wanted to leave the bottom "fringe" visible, so instead of turning it down, I just top stitched the lace onto the edge of the quilted piece to hold it in place.

This is a reverse shot of the picture above.  In Crissie's video, she makes it even easier by leaving all the edges raw, rather than folding lace over it.

This picture shows why I wanted to leave that bottom "fringe" showing.  Isn't it beautiful? Even as it is now, it looks lovely.  But wait.....we're not finished yet!!

I layed the quilted piece down flat, then pinned the lace remnant over the top.  I then stitched all the way around the lace remnant.  I also stitched along some of the major "decorative" lines on the remnant center, to ensure it wouldn't slip out of place. 

Decide the placement of velcro if you want them, and stitch them to the upper and lower corners.  HOWEVER, I have since removed these velcro pieces you see in these pictures because I determined that the flap was long enough to stay closed without the Velcro.  And let's face it, it looked ugly! :-)

I then brought up the bottom of the quilted fabric piece, about two thirds of the way, pinned the sides together and topstitched them, creating an "envelope" for the laptop to sit inside.

This is the picture of the cover without the jewelry piece attached.

This is a picture of the reverse cover.

And this is a picture of the cover with the jewelry finding.

Here's a close-up of the jewelry finding. It's just plastic or perhaps resin, but it looks like antique ivory!  I found it several years ago at Hobby Lobby and it had a round metal disc glued onto the back, for it to be made into a necklace.  I removed the metal backing and, because it has small holes toward the end of the "leaves", I was able to sew it onto the laptop cover rather than glue it.  I didn't want to ruin the fabric with glue if I changed my mind later and wanted to remove it.

NOW......

 HERE'S A WORD OF WARNING!!!

Using old lace is very, very TRICKY!!  Because it's VERY, VERY OLD, it is also VERY, VERY FRAGILE!! And must be treated with GREAT, GREAT CARE!!!  How do I know this, you ask?

Well, here I was, pleased as punch with my "new" antique lace laptop cover.  I had it displayed on my secretary (Furniture, that is; not a person!).  I was SO PROUD!! Which of course was my DOWNFALL!!  Some hours later, when I decided to look something up on the internet, I went over to said lovely antique lace laptop cover and, without thinking, quickly took hold of the flap and yanked!! 

OUCH!! 

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

Said lovely antique lace laptop cover now had a large ripped hole in the bottom right edge!!!

I was heartbroken! I only had a very small piece of the remnant left over, not enough to redo the cover.  So I mulled over it, cried over it, mulled some more, then added brooding to the mix.

It took me about three days to come up with what I HOPED was a solution.  Using the very small piece of table runner I had left, I METICULOUSLY cut out the three remaining leaves and the two remaining "curly boot" shapes that just happened to still be a part of the design, then I glued them down over the torn place on the bottom right, as well as other places I considered to be "pressure points" or "weak areas".  And here is the finished piece!

Compare this picture to the one below and see if you can tell where I added the additional pieces!

Look on the very bottom of the flap hanging down.  No "curly boot" cut-outs on this one!

Now look just a bit higher, on both sides of the lower flap.  No "leaves" on these areas either!

So the moral of this story is.......don't be proud!

Just be happy with the gifts God has given you and use them wisely. 

And don't yank on old lace! It does NOT appreciate it one bit!! 

Hope you enjoyed this "blog tutorial".  I much prefer writing than talking in a recorded video.  However, I also love watching and listening to videos too.  So now I've done both!

Here's the link for my video "flip through" (not a tutorial):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzK9YST_pjA&t=6s

And here's a link to the two videos Crissie Crosser did, which are tutorials (and fabulous ones at that!!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yh7n...

and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqbiT...

Hope you have a lovely day and a FABULOUS weekend!

Take care and may God bless!

Jan

A Tour of Fursdon House Studio!

Hi Everyone!

I was looking around the other day in my studio and decided it needed a proper clean-up, sort of a spring cleaning if you will.  So after a couple of days cleaning, I started thinking about how beautiful everything was, how fortunate I am, and also how appreciative I am that Nigel built it for me.

Actually - if you want the REAL story - he built it for himself, as a sort of potting shed, even though he had already installed French doors on the thing!!  Anyway, at the time, I kept all my crafts in the spare bedroom, which dearest husband never really cared for. He thinks bedrooms should look like.....well.....bedrooms!!  Hmmm......Oh well, we all have our faults! 😉

Anyway, one day while I was working in my "bedroom studio", Nigel came in and very casually asked me if I thought I could get all my crafts inside his almost completed "potting shed"!!  Well, you can imagine my reaction! After picking myself up off the floor, I immediately assured him that "Of course it will!!  Are you serious? I mean, really serious?" 

Actually, I had no idea if it would all fit or not; I just knew that I'd make it work one way or the other!! I had seen pictures of artists' studios in magazines, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever own one for myself!!

And there you have it! The rest was history! Although I do have to elaborate a little. As you can imagine, I was just thrilled to have it "as is", but I should have known Nigel had other ideas.  So off we went to the local Home Depot (Nigel's home away from home!!) and we picked out tile for the floor (I was going to settle for a carpet remnant!) and paint for the walls (in my favorite aquamarine, which he doesn't really care for)!  And then.....yes, it gets even BETTER!! ----  we went over several design changes he could incorporate, which included two loft areas! Yes, I'm SPOILED!!  And NO, I'm not sharing him with anyone!! 😊

Anyway, the result was FABULOUS!!  But I'm just slightly prejudiced.  So judge for yourself!!

Fursdon House Studio!!

Nigel built this himself! No architect. No help.  Just Nigel and his amazingly creative mind!!  The only part he didn't do was the metal roof.  He wanted to emulate his favorite Windsor architectural style (his family does hail from England, after all!).  To achieve this, he covered the walls in some kind of metal netting, then spread mortar all over it (i.e., the metal "net" gave the mortar something to adhere to). He can give you a much more detailed (and correct) description. 😊 Hey, at least I didn't use the word "thingy" or "whatchamacallit"!!

Yes, he also created the walkway, as well as hand carving the rock and making the steps leading inside!!  The next photo shows off the rock steps better!

Come on in!!

Here we are, in Fursdon House Studio. We'll start with a counter-clockwise view!

In this picture, you can see my hand-made sign on the door, which was nothing more than a purchased bulletin board from Hobby Lobby, along with wooden letters that I just adhered to the board with Elmers.  Immediately to the right of the door, you can see a tall cabinet.  My grandfather built this himself and I cherish it! It holds all my bins of ribbons and trim!! Okay, okay......it holds MOST of my ribbon and trims!  It originally had a screen door attached, but I've removed it for easier access. It's stored behind it should I want to put it back on.

And the ladder!!  Yes, it's multi-colored because I was determined NOT to go with the ordinary!!  I've thought of changing it out to something else, but haven't taken the plunge yet.  Besides, it took FOREVER to paint.  Poor Nigel - he just kept walking past me as I was painting it, shaking his head in wonder!  Let's just say his tastes are ...... quieter?  😏 

And where does this ladder lead you might ask?  To my two loft areas of course!! And Nigel being the wonderful husband he is, and knowing how graceful his wife is NOT, he installed a metal rod that runs the length of the base of both lofts.  He attached two heavy duty hooks on the top end of the ladder, which don't show up in this picture but which literally drape over the metal rods and secure the ladder. It isn't connected permanently, so I can move it from one side of the room to the other.  This area is perfect for storage, as you can well imagine!

The metal shelf in the corner is where I store some of finished shop items (i.e., my tea cozies, aprons, etc.), as well as projects "in the making".

Here's a better view of one of the lofts.  The chandelier was from my brother. Can you believe it - he was going to throw it out!!  Fortunately, I came to its rescue!! I took off all the glass prisms and ropes of glass trim, and they're all stored on that three-tiered table.  I'm quite convinced that one of these days, I'll come up with some way to use them! Until then, I love just looking at them!  And when I'm being really good, I put chubby little candles (about 2 inches in diameter) on all the spindles where the lights originally sat. It looks lovely when lit, but talk about heating up the place!!  

Not to mention the fire hazard, which Nigel was quick to point out! So practical!

A closer look at the tiered table! Yummy!  A favorite of mine. I love "tiered" pieces!  And my sewing desk.  It was an old desk that the girls used when they were little, which I just repainted.  The front did have an opening to it, but I needed some place to store my stamps where I could see them (i.e., out of sight, out of mind).  So sweet husband cut me a piece of plywood, to which I adhered strips of pre-painted white trim that serve as narrow shelves - perfect for stamps and die cuts!! 

You can also see some of the Williamsburg style fruit plaques on the wall that I make for my shop.  This wall constantly changes; that's the great thing about peg board!!

Another view of the desk and the corner of all the metal shelves located on the back wall.  I made the sewing machine cover for my granddaughter's sewing machine, but she's kind of outgrown the "crafting bug" for now, so I confiscated it for myself.  The cover, not the bug; I already have the bug and that sucker is embedded!!

That shirt started life out as a very plain one that I heavily embellished with lace, buttons, beads, etc. I've thought about selling it, but I just like looking at it. So there it hangs!

A good view of the shelves that hold all my "bits and bobs", as well as the drawers underneath that hold all my fabrics.  Most of the "bits and bobs" came from thrift shops, yard sales and bargain stores, or were given to me by very generous and wonderful friends and family!

The apron is one I literally just finished and was photographing it for my online shop at Etsy.

At the top left, you can see a child's dress on a mannequin. My mother-in-law gave me this. It's beautifully hand-embroidered and is from about 1900!! 

The limb is one from the Monkey Puzzle tree! I love it's gnarly look! And no, I didn't cut it off.  A thunderstorm last year hit a tree beside it, and a huge branch fell off on top of it. I was able to save several pieces and I'm happy to report that the Monkey Puzzle has rebounded nicely!!  Behind it sits the small heat/air unit I purchased before I retired (when I could still afford things like that!). Before that, I just relied on a fan and a heater, but Alabama weather - especially in the summer - is just too humid to be comfortable for any length of time.

Oh, the fun I have in here!!  The table is one my Mumzie gave to me! The base is from an old Singer Sewing Machine.  Both my grandmothers used sewing machines like that so I was quite happy to have it. Every time I look at it, I'm reminded of Gran and Grandma, as well as how much sewing has changed over the years!  And that bench used to belong to my Gran. I love it!

Another similar view, this one showing the beautiful purple "Fairy Dress" that I found at a thrift shop for my granddaughter when she was little.  She loved it and wore it over and over. I loved it too, so much so that I couldn't part with it, so it gets a place of honor here so I can see it all the time!  

That little bear in the frame (immediately to the right of the dress) is one that belonged to my oldest daughter.  She's 37 now!! How time does fly!!

Turning the corner again, this shows off the Singer Sewing Machine trestle better!  The plastic bins behind that hold all my paper crafting supplies, which I'm about to take off on a new venture for my shop - but more importantly, for ME!  I'm going to try my hand at making elaborately decorated journals! More to follow, so stay tuned!!

Almost finished! I love looking at all the artwork my granddaughter made for me when she was little! The felt alphabet hanging was one I made for her.  Or I should say, remade.  My aunt had the original, which had a dark blue background, which I believe she found at a thrift shop. I always admired it so when dearest granddaughter made her appearance in the world, I knew I had to make one just for her!! Inside each pocket is an object that begins with the letter on the outside of the pocket (i.e., a mouse for the letter M, etc).  

Now that I have two new grandsons, I'll have to redo it a little because little hands have lost a couple of the pieces! 😊

You can also see my "Wreathus Bulbus Maximus".  I had great fun making it and I keep it up all the time. It's made entirely from vintage glass Christmas balls.

Well folks, that concludes my little tour of Fursdon House Studio!  I hope you enjoyed it and maybe even found some inspiration for making something crafty!! 

Have a lovely and blessed day!

Jan