Laptop Lap Pad

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Do you ever use your laptop while sitting in bed or on the couch? I have a desk where I can sit and work on my computer but more often then not I end up sitting somewhere else with my laptop on my lap. This project is perfect for those times. My husband actually requested that I make it for him and it turned out to be a really quick project.

This month Fairfield World challenged all of their Master Makers to make a project using Poly Pellets which are weighted stuffing beads. I have used them in lots of projects in the past but always in stuffed animals or toys and I wanted to do something different this time. I was talking to my husband about it and telling him that I was having a hard time coming up with an idea. The ideas that I had I either wasn't quite sure how to make them work or I just didn't feel like they were very good ideas. He told me that earlier that day he had been sitting on our bed typing on his blog and he had used a beanbag type cushion that I had made on his lap to put his computer on. He really liked having something to set it on and it worked pretty well but it wasn't really the right size so he wondered if I could make something that was similar but sized and shaped better for what he wanted to use it for. The original cushion was made with beanbag filler, little tiny styrofoam balls. That filler made it more moldable than something like regular stuffing would make it but we thought it would also be nice to give it a little more weight and the Poly Pellets would be perfect for that, especially since the finished product was going to be considerably smaller than the other cushion. Because Poly Pellets and beanbag filler are similar in shape I actually ended up using a combination of the two. I felt like that way I was able to fill it up and get the weight that I wanted without making it too heavy.

I drew up some sketches and figured out the measurements while Jake ran to the fabric store to pick out the fabric he wanted. It didn't take a lot of time at all to make. I can't say exactly how long it took to make because I had a lot of interruptions while I was making mine. I think it took me about 1 1/2-2 hours from when I started cutting it out to having it completely done but that included stopping to feed a baby, getting interrupted about every two minutes by someone who needed a drink or food or something else that they felt like they couldn't do themselves, and trying to remember to take pictures while I was making it. I am pretty sure it would be an under 1 hour project if I just sat down to make it. It is basically just a rectangular box shape but I wanted it to be a little bit angled so the side pieces are wedge shaped and the back is taller than the front.

How To Make a Laptop Lap Pad

Finished Size about 15" x 12" x 5"

You will need:

• 3/4 yard of fabric (1 yard if directional print)
• 3- 2 lb bags Poly Pellets
• bean bag filler (I used some that I had leftover from another project)
• rotary cutter, mat, ruler
• coordinating thread
• sewing machine

Instructions:

Cut the following pieces:

1- 16" x 13" (bottom)

1- 16" x 13.5" (top)

1- 16" x 3" (front)

1 16" x 6" (back)

2- 13" x 6" (sides)

Take your 2 side pieces (put them together either right or wrong sides together and cut at the same time) and place them on your mat. Measure 3" up on one side and place your ruler so that it goes from that 3" point on one side to the corner (6") on the other side and cut. You should now have side pieces that are 13" across the bottom, 3" tall on one side, and 6" tall on the other side with a diagonal cut across the top. If you cut them at the same time the same sides facing you should have opposite pieces which is what you need. 

Use a 1/2" seam allowance for all of the sewing. 

Sew the back (6" x 16") piece to the 6" side of the side pieces.

Sew the front (3" x 16") piece to the 3" side of the side pieces

You should now have a big circle.

Sew the bottom piece (16" x 13") to the bottom of the strips that you sewed together, carefully sewing around each corner and leaving an opening a few inches long along the back. 

Sew the top piece (16" x 13.5") to the top of the strips.

Turn it right side out through the opening left in the bottom. 

Fill the pad with 3 bags of Poly Pellets and as much bean bag filler as needed to fill it the rest of the way. A funnel made out of paper will help get all of the beads inside without a big mess. 

Pin the opening closed and sew shut. 

The beads allow you to kind of mold and shape it how you want it. I like to set it on my lap with the flat side down, angled side up and the taller side away from me so that it angles toward me but you could set it the other way too depending on how it is most comfortable for you.