Here is an easy and quick project for you at the beginning of 2020. I’m going to show you how to make your own tablet or phone stand. It’s basically a rice bag, or bean bag if you want. Rice or beans will add weight to the stand and will support your electronic device on different surfaces, like your bed or the sofa. On Etsy you can find them for 15 dollars. I just bought a bag of rice for 2 dollars and used some fabric leftover from a skirt!

I also tried to make the rice bag as small as possible. I don’t like to have a huge bulky bag on my sewing table. That’s why the pattern piece is a little more complicated than some other tutorials. A rectangular pattern piece makes it bulkier.

Mix and match whichever fabric you like. You can sew different fabric scraps together. If you want, you can add a loop for your cable or to hang the stand on a hook, or add a bigger loop for a handle.

If you are looking for a project with a lot of sewing fun, this is not it.. But, it’s a quickie with a great result!

• A little piece of fabric 16 by 12” (I used leftovers from the Benartex fabric that was in our November Sew Happy Box)
• Matching thread
• A bag of rice or dry beans
• A little strip of matching ribbon, about 3 inch long (or an extra strip of fabric to make the loop yourself)
• Soft filling (I used filling from a pillow)
• One-sided firm fusible interfacing, a little strip of 1 inch by 6 inch (the type of stabilizer you use for bags)
• Sewing gear: fabric marker, cutting mat, ruler, rotary cutter, sewing machine, sewing pins
• A funnel– you can also use a piece of paper and roll it into a funnel.

Follow these steps to draw the pattern piece without a printed pattern.

Draw a rectangle 16 by 12 inch, draw a line at 8 inch to divide the rectangle in two rectangles (8 by 12 inch), measure and mark 6 inch to each side at the bottom. Go from these markings 4 inch up and draw 2 lines. Connect the end of these lines to the top corners. That’s the pattern piece.

And now … it will go fast!

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, mark the turning holes and the placement of the ribbon. Pin together, right sides facing. Fold the ribbon in half, pin it close to the fold, in between the fabric, with the raw edge facing the raw edge of the fabric.

Close the seam with stitching at ⅜ inch and leave an opening (the turning hole + the hole through which you will insert the rice) between the fold and the ribbon. Do not touch the short end yet. Trim the thread ends and the corners.

Now turn the project right side out through the turning hole. I make my holes rather small because I don’t like hand stitching and I’m not good at it. The smaller the better. But sometimes it is really hard to turn your project through a 1 inch hole, so you might want to make them a little bigger :-)

Mark 2 rows for topstitching along the fusible strip. I used a heat erasable marker so I could iron away the marks after I stitched.

Now you have 2 compartments, the small one in the front, and the big pyramid. Stuff the small compartment with soft filling until it’s packed, and close the opening with a hand stitch.

Stuff the big compartment with rice or beans. Use a funnel to do this. Don’t fill it completely with rice. Go as far as you can go, and then fill the tip of the stand with soft filling.

YAY! The tablet stand is ready. Ready to make another one?

Sew sew sew!

Don’t forget to check out all of the nifty tools in our store (heat erasable pens, the wool pressing mat, rotary cutter, extra blades, the non-stick ruler, quality scissors…)!

An
Sewing enthusiast and sewing blogger/vlogger for Madam Sew
I share all my projects on Instagram @an_madamsew