Tablet Cover

One of my new things that I am going to try to be better about is to tackle my projects when I bring them home and my excitement is still fresh. I have a tendency to get excited by cool ideas and craft supplies. I buy things and sometimes even start the projects, but then next thing you know I put them aside. They soon end up in a box or bin waiting for me to get excited again and finish. More often than not leading to no project, and extra supplies added to the stash "just in case" they come in handy for that awesome project in the future that I don't even know about yet. So, while I was at Hobby Lobby perusing where I shouldn't have, I saw these cute Rose Gold rhinestone letters. They were 50% off, so at a $1 a piece that made them a great deal. I also already had a project in mind. Which is always key when I start buying random things that were not originally on the list. Lately I had been meaning to do something with my tablet cover. The current letters were starting to rub off and peel. 

Last time I added a monogram to my cover I added the letters right on top. This time I decided to cover it in fabric first. The plain black did not do the rhinestone letters any justice. It also gave me a reason to use some fabric I bought for a shoe project that didn't work out. First I removed the old letters. Then I cut out 2 pieces of fabric to cover the front and back surfaces. 

Next I brushed on a layer of Tacky Glue. I originally was going to use Fabric Glue, but the Tacky had a better hold. I made sure to keep the glue layer thin to prevent it from bleeding through the fabric when applied.

I pressed down the fabric and let everything set for 24 hours. Once it was dry I cut around the edges to remove the excess.

Well guess what? I wasn't feeling it. There was a lot of black still showing, and the fabric edges were fraying badly. My original instinct was to cover the edges with trim, but I didn't see anything I really liked. I was thinking maybe I should have not covered it all and just changed the letters. However that would have been what a normal person would have done, and you know I always have to be more difficult that that.

So in the mean time while I pondered my options, I took to YouTube to see how well Mod Podge would hold up when sealing fabric. I happened to come across a ton of videos about using Fabric Mod Podge. I totally forgot that Mod Podge had expanded their brand from Matte and Glossy to about 15 different variations. Well apparently if you paint a layer of Fabric Mod Podge onto fabric first it prevents it from fraying when cut. Wow, I wish I would have known that first. It would have made application easier, and if it doesn't fray I wouldn't have needed trim. So, I decided to do a second fabric layer. I headed back to Hobby Lobby for more fabric and a jar of Fabric Mod Podge.

I cut out 2 more pieces of fabric, and then brushed both of them with a layer of the Mod Podge. I let them sit and dry for 24 hours.

Once they both dried, I brushed on more Tacky Glue and pressed the fabric down to the cover. However, I cut the pattern upside down. Ugh! I real wanted the triangles facing up. I debated redoing it and then decided that was more work than I cared for. So I went with the upside down triangles, and right now as I write this blog I had actually totally forgotten that the triangles were facing the wrong way. So I guess it didn't really matter anyway. 

I carefully cut around the edges removing the excess fabric. Getting around the hooks was not so easy, but I made it work. There was still a little black showing, but it was minimal so I was okay with it

Once I completed that I added the letters. They had a good adhesive on the back so, I just stuck them down and will monitor them if they start coming up.

Fabric Mod Podge is thicker than regular, and left the surface tacky. So to seal in the project and cover the sticky feeling, I brushed on a layer of regular Matte Mod Podge. 

So what do you think? This definitely was not a planned project, but it turned out well. I don't know if I would attempt it again though. Definitely not as easy or perfect as I thought it would be. Maybe next time I'll just paint one. Or I could just buy one that I like already at the time of purchase. Hmmm...Who am I kidding. As much as I love the ease of that 2nd idea it almost never happens. I some how manage to make a project out of anything and everything.

Until then....It's on to the next project