Thomas is giving me an e-reader for Christmas, which one was the problem, or I was the problem being pathologically disabled when it comes to making any purchasing decision. After a lot of research and comparing this I what I found: You must look at the screens side by side to realize that the kindle screen is very good while the Sony screen is very poor. I think that the touch function makes the glass thick and therefore cloudy. Furthermore the touch screen is no Iphone, you really have to go at it. It is true that the software on the Kindle was created by cavemen but it works and for now that might be good enough.
I took the Kindle Thomas ordered for a test drive, actually transferring and reading a book on it. The little buttons on the side make it so easy to turn pages that I would not want to lift my other hand and touch the screen, I am one more level of lazy now. At best Buy we compared the two products with a couple of other customers and when I told one woman that she could read Midnight Sun on it she got a semi crazed look in her eyes which would be pretty entertaining expect for my corresponding ear to ear grin and nods.
But Christmas is regrettably next week so I had to give it back. To calm a bout of terrible separation anxiety, I made a cozy cover for the "thing" last night. This was a perfect opportunity to try embroidering with the Bernina Stitch Regulator ( In case your new here, I have the good luck to contribute to The Sewing republic and in exchange I get to sew on a fab Bernina Aurora complete with an automated quilting foot called BSR).
Here are my findings as a list, they could be equally useful if you are using a traditional quilting/darning foot. The BSR made this project so much fun I am looking around for more things to scribble on.
1. Draw your motif well, with a purple pen. Don't get ahead of yourself or it will disappear before you get there.
2. The larger the motif/letters, the easier it will be to sew over.
3. Use the clear foot attachment on the BSR to improve visibility.
4. If you have a choice, go with the foot pedal, not the on/off button. For many machines the foot pedal is all there is, but in this case it's a good thing. I liked having this type of control with very small loops.
5. Using the same color in the bobbin would be a good idea. I should have followed my own advice. You might also want to loosen the tension a bit.
6. I went over each letter about four times, but not individually. Rather go over a group of letter all at once. It helps, trust me! For example, above in the word "lecture", you might want to sew the l and the e together.
7. Use quilting gloves, even if you think you don't need them, you do!
8. Finally the more contrast you have between the base fabric and the thread the harder it gets to hide mistakes.
There is at least one tutorial for a Kindle case out there, but I wasn't in the mood for the flap. I wanted something very simple with a tighter closure. Admittedly mine is not as feminine and in the end I haven't tried it on, but if enough of you want to know more I will whip up something after the Holidays.
well that pouch is enough to covert me to a kindle lover!
Posted by: montague | December 15, 2009 at 12:34 PM
Congratulations in advance! This is a very cute cover. Did you line it with cotton or something like flannel? I'm surprised you didn't knit something in wool and then felt it - maybe you want two covers???
Btw - If I can I would like to come use the stitch regulator again. I just made a fun quilt (ck my blog) that I think would have been perfect for the Bernina! I hope to soon be good enough to do free motion on something bigger than 16 x 16.
Posted by: Lisa | December 15, 2009 at 05:57 PM
You did a fabulous job with the Bernina Stitch Regulator! After playing around with my BSR, I figured out that I felt much more in control with the stop/start button. Isn't it great that you can do it either way?
I hope you post more about the Kindle after using it for awhile. My husband is interested in one and reads a lot!
Posted by: Erika Mulvenna | December 15, 2009 at 08:02 PM
I have a Kindle (love it--I have 511 books on it right now), and I currently am stuck with the cheapest cover I could buy. Plain black leather. Not so fun or creative. I'll definitely have to try my hand at making one!
Posted by: Heather | December 16, 2009 at 06:39 AM
C'est super mignon! Bravo!
Mais je ne suis pas certaine d'avoir envie d'un kindle... De toutes façons, les livres téléchargeables ne sont qu'en anglais alors je ne pourrais pas le prêter à mon mari ni à mes amis en France, et moi ce que j'aime dans la lecture, c'est la partage...
Tu nous diras si c'est bien!
Posted by: Sylvie | December 17, 2009 at 12:07 AM
oups... Je voulais dire LE partage. Désolée pour la faute de frappe.
Posted by: Sylvie | December 17, 2009 at 12:08 AM
I really like your case! It was at the request of mom to have a flap - but should I be lucky enough to have a Kindle one day - I think i'd like one like this. :)
Posted by: Christina | December 18, 2009 at 10:49 PM
When he contacts Random, Random reveals that Eric has contacted him and revealed the full extent of his defenses, which are vast and powerful.
Posted by: Juicy Couture Handbags | November 15, 2010 at 08:42 PM
This is a great gift idea! Last year I gave my mom a kindle...this year I think it's gotta be a kindle cover! Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: Claire | November 29, 2012 at 10:55 PM