Friday, December 27, 2013

Holy Coloring Book, Batman!

I've talked to you folks about my adorable brother before. 

A few years ago, I made him a coloring book holder (following instructions from Martha), which turned out to be a big hit. 

Matt's a great artist and coloring (and music) help him deal with crowds of people when we're out and about. Since Matt has both Down's Syndrome and Autism, lots of strangers about and noise really stress him out. Coloring helps him stay focused and deal with the stressors.


However, that particular holder had seen better days...

Way better days.

So I was on a mission to make a new one. 


Once you've followed her (or others, there a million tutorials on these across the web) instructions, they're pretty easy to adapt. 

Her instructions call for felt, which makes a little sturdier case, but I was on the hunt for something a little more fun and colorful than I'd made the first go round. More Matthew-like.

So when I found this Batman fabric at JoAnn's, I knew I'd hit gold. 

These guys are the bomb. Every sewist should own one. They make turning out corners a snap.
Matthew loves Batman.

For example, when he stays at our house, he has a rotating set of DVDs that seem to live in his room. Among these are Batman Returns, Friends Season 4, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

What can I say? He has eclectic tastes.


The problem here was making it sturdy enough. Cotton alone really isn't going to work. So I got some pretty heavy duty Pellon interfacing and hoped for the best. 

I think it was Pellon 65, or something of a similar weight.


I tried to incorporate the Batman fabric in as many places as possible, including in the pen holder (Matthew is particular; his preferred medium is gel pen) and the notebook holder. 



I have to say, I think it turned out pretty well. He seemed to like it. 


I did inadvertently put my label on the front rather than the back of the book, but as far as mistakes go, that's pretty minor.


Notebook slides in on the right and pens go in on the left. 

So glad this experiment worked. It's actually much sturdier than the original. I am beginning to become a huge interfacing fan. The right stuff makes all the difference, although it is sometimes difficult to decide what type is right for a particular project. 


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