DS Case Tutorial

A DS case tutorial! Woohoo! After an exhaustive search I came up with two different options, but no real tutorial. I loved this one, but the person who posted it got it from a site that is no longer in existence. I also liked the idea of this one where there is more of a tutorial but there is nowhere for the actual device to go, only the cartridges.
Well, we can't have that now, can we? So here goes my version, which you will unfortunately have to follow as I figure it out! I made mistakes on this project so I will give you the corrected versions as I go. If it contradicts the pictures, I will let you know.
Before starting this project, you have a decision to make. I ended up making my first one too long but this ended up giving me an idea. You can make it long and create a small pocket on one end for the charger, or you can make it to fit the DS only. Your decision. Also, I know there seems to be a ton of steps but it's really not as complicated as it looks.

1. Pick out suitable fabric. I went with some brown canvas I had on hand, as well as some Dinosaurs by Michael Miller for the liner. You will also need medium weight clear vinyl (can be found on bolts in Walmart if they carry fabric), fusible fleece, quilt binding tape (optional), thread, a 3 inch piece of sewable velcro without sticky back (the glue gums up your needles and machine) and either a teflon foot or a walking foot for your sewing machine. For cutting, you will need a self-healing mat, a ruler, and a rotary cutter.

2. Measure your DS. My children have a DS Lite. I measured from end to end which was 5.5 inches. I cut each piece approximately 9 inches wide by 17 inches long but the width ended up too long for just the DS and a wee bit short for adding the charger.  I would suggest approximately 10 inches wide if you are planning on adding a charger pocket; for a case to carry the DS only, cut it to about 8 inches wide. The one I made is fine but I wish it fit a bit snugger around the DS.
I also measured the cartridges to make sure they will fit in the pockets. Our cartridges were approximately 1 1/4" wide and 1 1/2" tall.
3. Cut your fusible fleece about 1/4 inch or less short all the way around to keep it from being bulky in the machine. I added the fleece to my liner because my outside fabric was a heavier weight canvas. If you choose to use a cotton on the outside, it might be easier to attach the fleece to the outside fabric. If you choose cotton for your outer and inner fabric, I would also suggest adding some light weight interfacing to your liner fabric to give it a bit more weight to work with. Iron it on using the directions that came with it.

4. Next, decide where your cartridge pockets will work best. Think of your fabric as being set up into quarters. The very top quarter will be the flap for closure. The 2nd quarter of the fabric will be where the cartridge pockets are placed. The fourth quarter will be folded upward and sewn to the 3rd quarter to create a pocket for the DS. I placed the DS on the bottom of the fabric and rolled it up once to gauge where the DS pocket would  be when it was all sewn up, and then I pinned it. Then I figured out where the top would fold over and pinned. The space in between is where the cartridges will live.

So the foldover fabric for the flap is at the top and the part that holds the DS is at the bottom. The part I am showing with my fingers is where the cartridge pockets will go. Be careful to attach the cartridge strips pretty centered in that area so that the case will close correctly. You may have to do some reworking as you go.
5. Now it's time for cartridge pockets. Your clear vinyl will be cut into strips a little wider than the width of your fabric. Your top to bottom width of the vinyl (pocket depth) will depend on whether or not you are using binding tape. I did use binding tape in order to have a finished edge. My pockets were two inches deep. Because mine were so deep, I was only able to add 2 rows of pockets. I originally made them smaller, but the binding tape ran right across the names of the games so I redid it to make the pockets deeper. If you want, you could make the pockets smaller and have the cartridge names emerge from the top of the pockets. That might give you an extra row. I have smaller kids and wanted to make sure cartridges were securely held in the pockets. I will suggest that, if you are not planning on using binding tape, be sure to cut your vinyl with a rotary cutter and ruler to get a clean edge.

6. Attach quilt binding tape to the tops of each pocket strip. I was actually able to use a regular foot on my machine for this part, but I would recommend the walking foot for the remaining times you are sewing over the vinyl.

7. Determine how many rows of pockets you can place in your project. I set up my fabric with pins so that I knew where the flap would be and where the DS pocket would be. This way I knew exactly how much room I would have for cartridge pockets.

Place the strips along the center to see how many you can add. I closed it all up to  make sure they would all fit.

As you can see, only two rows fit snugly in mine. Make sure they are pinned securely in place.

8. Sew your vinyl strips onto the fabric. You will first sew along the bottom of each pocket strip.

Then turn your project to the correct placement and stitch along the very right and left edges of the vinyl to insure it doesn't move while finishing up.

9. Pocket time! Our cartridges measured approximately 1.25" wide so my pockets are about 1.5" wide. I divided 1.5 into the width of the case to determine about how many pockets I could get out of it. Six pockets would have taken me to the absolute edge and I knew I would lose some of that room with the sewing up of the project, so I went with 5 and started in the middle creating my pockets. I used my disappearing ink pen for sewing to make dots of where to sew. Then I sewed from the top edge of the top pocket binding to the bottom vinyl edge of the bottom row pocket.

10. This is when I placed my velcro on my canvas. However, I am going to ask you to wait on this one. It gives it more stability if you do it later.
Instead, now is the time to do any decorating of your case if you plan on it. I added an appliqued initial. First I placed all my fabric together as it would look when I got it sewn together. I rolled it up with the DS inside to judge where the back of the project will be.

Flip it over to the back and set pins at the top and bottom of the section so you can gauge your working space. Remove the liner so you are just working on the canvas. I found an applique letter online, printed it, and cut it out.

 If you are planning on appliqueing anything to your project, you will need a small piece of coordinating fabric and a small piece of Heat n' Bond. I attached my Heat n' Bond to my piece of fabric as directed.

Next, turn your letter BACKWARD and trace it onto the paper side. Cut it out and remove the paper. Place it where you want it on the project and, following the directions on the Heat n' Bond, iron it in place. You can then either use a straight stitch or zigag stitch to stitch it into place.

11. Let's sew this puppy together! Place like side to like side of fabric. Pin You are going to sew a 1/4" seam all around the edge of the case leaving about a 3 inch hole on one side for turning.

Clip your corners. Turn the project inside out being sure to push the corners out. Push the fabric in at the hole and pin it together. You will now stitch all around the edge of the project, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the edge.

12. NOW is when I want you to attach your Velcro. Fold up the piece the way it will be when it is complete to determine where your Velcro needs to be placed.  Pin into place and sew. One will be on the inside of the flap; the other will be on the canvas (outer fabric) side.

13. Flip the project back to where you are looking at the liner. Fold the bottom 1/4 of the fabric up and pin into place. I put the DS in to gauge exactly how high it needed to be. Sew along each side to create a pocket for the DS.

If you are adding a side pocket for the charger, place the DS in the pocket and push it to the left. Pin alongside the right side of the DS and place the charger on the other side to insure fit. Sew a line along where the pins are to create one large pocket and one small pocket.

You're done! How cool is that?

Here is the one I made for my daughter. I still have to fix a few things on hers.

Hers has the second pocket for the charger. Because I added a strap as well, the charger pocket sort of makes the case bend a little when carrying it. So, your choice. Also, if you add a strap, attach it at the bottom of the DS pocket like I did and it will be in the correct place at the top when you fold the case together.

Thinkin' about linkin' so here we go!