Nintendo DS Lite Case - Supercute Quilted Version With Storage Pockets

Moms are people too. Some moms play video games, and really all moms appreciate it when expensive 1.25 inch game cartridges don't get lost. Personally, I like a little bit of cute with my practicality, and this case fits the bill. It has one velcro pocket for the Nintendo DS, one velcro pocket for games, and one velcro pocket for the charger. And, after all those little pockets get velcro-ed shut, the case folds in half and zips closed to ensure that no tiny pieces go missing. Yay! Plus, the case is quilted, which means more padding in case of dropping accidents. The fire flower applique is a complete bonus. It's not functional at all.

Step 1: Materials & Notes

half yard aqua fabric
scraps of red, yellow, white and green fabric or felt
half-inch double fold bias tape
20 inch separating zipper
quarter yard accent fabric (mine is a polka dot)
thin quilt batting (I like cotton)
stick on velcro
thread
sewing maching
scissors
pins
iron

All seam allowances at 1/4 inch unless otherwise specified.

Step 2: Cut the Fabric

From Aqua:
cut two 9 x 17 rectangles
cut one 6 x 6.5 rectangle
cut one 6 x 3.5 rectangle

From Accent Fabric:
cut two 5.5 x 4 rectangles
cut one 10 x 5 rectangle

Step 3: Quilt the Fabric

Lay one of the 9 x 17 rectangles over the batting and smooth flat. Pin the two layers to each other here and there.

If you can adjust the foot pressure on your sewing machine to make it lighter, do so now.

Quilt straight lines, spaced 1 inch, across your fabric at a 45 degree angle from the edges. If your machine has a quilting bar, do this by quilting one good line, then following that line using the quilting bar. Otherwise, mark each line using a ruler. After covering the whole piece of fabric in diagonal lines, make perpendicular diagonal lines going the other way. This will make 1-inch squares.

Cut both 9 x 17 rectangles--the quilted one and the un-quilted one--into a 12.5 x 9 piece and a 4.5 x 9 piece.

Step 4: Applique Fire Flower!

From scrap paper, cut an oval that is 4 inches across its widest point. Then cut two progressively smaller ovals to nest inside the first oval.

Cut three ovals from the scrap fabric using the templates you just made: red=large, yellow=medium, white=small.

Cut a 3.5 inch stem and two leaves from the green scrap

Lay out your 9 x 12.5 quilted fabric and pin the red oval and the green stem to the right side. Sew in place by stitching 1/4 inch from the oval's edge. Then follow by stitching on the stem, leaves, yellow oval, then white oval.

Step 5: Make Pockets and Flaps

For clean edges and stronger pockets, all the pocket pieces and flaps are made by sewing together all four edges (minus a 1.5 inch opening) of a rectangle with right sides facing. Then, the rectangle is turned right side out (through the opening) and pressed smooth.

Quilted DS pocket:
Line up the edges of the 9 x 4.5 quilted square and the 9 x 4.5 un-quilted square, right sides facing. Sew along one long edge. Flip seam the right way and press.

DS flap:
Fold the 10 x 5 rectangle you cut from the accent fabric into a 10 x 2.5 rectangle. Following the method described at the top of this step, stitch around the three unfolded edges, leaving a 1.5 inch opening for turning. Turn right side out.

Pleat pocket (for games):
Fold the 6 x 3.5 rectangle you cut from the aqua fabric into a 3 x 3.5 rectangle. Following the method described at the top of this step, stitch around the three unfolded edges, leaving a 1.5 inch opening for turning. Turn right side out.

Flat pocket (for charger):
Fold the 6 x 6.5 rectangle you cut from the aqua fabric into a 6 x 3.25 rectangle. Following the method described at the top of this step, stitch around the three unfolded edges, leaving a 1.5 inch opening for turning. Turn right side out.

Two smaller flaps:
Fold the 5.5 x 4 rectangles you cut from the accent fabric into 4 x 2.25 rectangles. Following the method described at the top of this step, stitch around the three unfolded edges, leaving a 1.5 inch opening for turning. Turn right side out.

Press all rectangles flat

Step 6: Attach Pockets and Flaps

First, pin the pleats in the pleat pocket by folding one of the 6-in sides over and back on itself in two evenly-spaced places. (See photo for good visual detail.)

Cut four 1-inch pieces of adhesive velcro. Stick the velcro to the fabric as shown in the photo--prickly side on the flaps and soft side on the pockets. The adhesive is pretty good for helping you achieve just the placement you're looking for, but it isn't very durable. So, sew around the edges of each velcro piece. (Sew the tops and bottoms separately. )

Pin the pockets and flaps to the un-quilted 12.5 x 9 piece of aqua fabric, according to the photo. Stitching close to the edge, stitch around the sides and bottom of the small pockets, and along the top edge of the flaps.

Step 7: Bind It Off

Make the "quilt sandwich": Lay out the quilted, appliqued piece, right side facing down. Place the piece with the pockets and flaps on top of it, right side facing up. Place the quilted DS pocket, right side up, on top of the right side of the sandwich, tucking the DS flap over the DS pocket. Place a few pins around the edges (pin heads toward the center) to hold the layers together.

Unfold one side of the double fold bias tape. Fold the end of the bias tape in a half inch, and align the rough edge with the edge of the case's front, centering the end of the bias tape on the quit sandwich (photo 1). Pin the tape all the way around the quilt sandwich, and tuck under the other end of the bias tape once you come full circle. (You can miter or curve corners.) Stitch the tape to the sandwich using a half-inch seam allowance and sewing through all layers. Trim the seam allowance to about a quarter inch.

Fold the bias tape over to the inside of the case. Open the zipper and align the beginning of one zipper side with the beginning of the bias tape (photo 2). Pin this side of the zipper halfway around the case. Then, take the other side of the zipper and pin it around the other side of the case.

Flip the case to its front. Stitch right on the binding/case front seam, stitch through all layers. This will catch your zipper in place.

You're done! Make your DS nice and cozy inside its new home.