Introduction: Tablet Holder Pillow

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About: I'm a professional writer and an amateur sewist, builder, hot gluer, dremel user, crocheter, painter, paper crafter, and baker.

Now, I love to read. I love to read so much that I literally have too many books for the number of bookshelves I own. My apartment is all but overflowing with books.

So in order to relieve some of that, I recently bought myself a Kindle Fire. I mostly check out e-books from my local library onto it. I love it! I normally read in bed or in a cozy chair, so I thought if I made a stuffed e-reader holder I could make reading an even cozier experience.

I think this pillow/e-reader holder would make a really good project for beginner sewers. It's really just sewing several straight lines -- nothing too fancy.

I also think it'd make a really good gift for children who like to read -- especially in the car on long road trips!

Keep in mind, you will have to change the dimensions of your cuts to suit your iPad or another type of tablet/e-reader, as this pillow was specifically designed for a Kindle Fire 8. Let's get started!

Supplies

  • 2 13-inch squares of fabric
  • 2 10-inch squares of fabric
  • Filler - something to stuff the pillow with like poly-fil or microbeads
  • Needle and thread
  • Sewing machine
  • Sewing pins
  • Scissors
  • Pinking shears (optional)

Step 1: Cut Your Fabric

Like I mentioned in the supplies list, you'll need to cut two 13-inch squares of fabric and two 10-inch squares of fabric. It only looks like I have one of each in the photos, but that's just because they're stacked on top of each other.

Step 2: Make the Triangles

Cut the two 10-inch squares in half on the diagonal, so you make four equal-sized triangles.

Fold over the long edge twice, pin, and hem it using your sewing machine. Do this for all four triangles. These will be the four pockets your e-reader sits in.

Step 3: Pin Triangles to the Front

Place the four triangles on top of one of the 13-inch squares of fabric. Overlap the triangles so each triangle has two visible corners. Keep adjusting things until it looks good, and test your e-reader before you pin down the triangles.

Cut off the excess edge fabric so none of the triangle edges overlap the 13-inch square underneath.

Once you've pinned the triangles, add in your e-reader once again. You'll notice that if you just sewed the pillow as-is, then the e-reader would fall down too far into the pockets. To fix that problem, you need to top-stitch where I've marked in red. This way the e-reader will stay in place. So pin where you need to sew, remove the e-reader, and top-stitch where you marked.

Step 4: Sew the Back

Place the other 13-inch square of fabric on top, right sides together. Sew all the way around, leaving a 1-inch seam allowance and a five-inch gap at the bottom. Cut the corners and/or use a pair of pinking shears (if you've got 'em) to snip off the excess fabric all the way around.

Step 5: Stuff the Pillow

Turn the pillowcase inside out, using a chopstick or a knitting needle to gently poke out the corners.

Start stuffing the pillow with poly-fil (or microbeads or whatever you want), while frequently testing the e-reader. You don't want it too stuffed because then the e-reader might easily pop out of the pockets. But you want it stuffed enough so it's comfortable. Preference also comes into play here, so just use how ever much feels right to you.

Use a ladder stitch to sew the opening closed.

Step 6: Finished

And that's it! That's all it takes to make a cozy e-reader holder. When I read, I often curl my legs up so this pillow is really perfect for leaning up against my legs.

It was a quick project and it's something I'll use for a long time.