I’m glad I saw your post. It reminded me I have this old seat cover - I couldn’t get rid of it because the pattern is cool. I think it might make a nice sleeve.
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Yeah!! That looks like it’ll be great to upcycle! Also you are correct, that pattern is rad. 
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Ooh! I hope you enjoy your framework 
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Yes thank you! 
I am so far!!
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Alright so now that [redacted] has been sorted out and my Framework’s being set up with all the programs and files I need etc, I can spend some time on the sleeve!
First off, I took off one of my experimental paintings from earlier this year off its canvas frame (for other reasons) so I can use it to estimate how much canvas I might need.
While INITIALLY it looks promising, I’ve encountered a couple of problems with this size (con’t)
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It fits really nicely widthwise, the laptop being almost exactly the same length as the working area of the painting which means that the rest can be used for seams -
The other dimension, length + height only just fits and doesn’t leave very much room for seams let alone any padding.
One way to compensate would be to use a zipper, but as I’ve demonstrated, the longest zipper i currently have falls short of 3 sides (and I have other uses for it so I’m reluctant to use it anyway), but I do have other zippers if I just wanted it to open one side.
It also doesn’t have any leftover canvas for pockets! So I think it’ll be easier to go for a bigger size.
GOOD NEWS is I have bigger canvases, so that’ll be my next test.
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So you know how the Framework bezel is attached magnetically
Discovered something by accident:
Which makes sense in hindsight but was not expecting!
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Yep, the thing is covered in magnets! I’ve actually used some of them at the edge of the chassis as screw trackers when I’m taking it apart.
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Hello everyone! I disappeared for a month! Holidays happened and then I got sidetracked for a bit.
Few days ago I started working on this again, in no small part to getting a lil nervous about keeping my Framework safe.
So some process shots from painting a canvas:
I ended up accidentally painting a flag! Also I used my laptop itself to do the measurements for this, which is foreshadowing.
Then today I got to work, first on the lining:
And put in the fake fur for the padding, and checked to make sure it fit the laptop. It did! So I moved onto the next step, the canvas outer layer:
I was using clips instead of pins in order to minimize the amount of holes I was making in the canvas. If there isn’t a proverb about spending so much time congratulating yourself on avoiding a mistake that you miss the bigger mistake, there should be one.
Sidenote, flipping canvas inside out is very difficult and there was a moment when I realized I’d handled something exactly like this before and that I’d reinvented the camping bag. Anyway.
Tested to see if the outer sleeve fit my laptop and it did. Snugly.
That’s when I realized it.
It’s been a month since I worked on this and there was something I hadn’t done when I made my calculations earlier and hadn’t checked when I’d painted the canvas:
I forgot. To account for the padding.
If I put the laptop into the lining and try to put it in the outer sleeve, it just won’t fit. Even trimmed.
If I try to widen the outer sleeve by making the seam allowance smaller, there will be a line of holes in the canvas from the original seam.
My options are these:
- Remove the fur from the lining and try to make makeshift padding with some other fluff I have
- Make 2 sleeves, one with the lining and one with the canvas, have the canvas one be non-padded and just for waterproof protection if I have to go out in the rain or something (with my backpack providing padding), and a padded sleeve for around the house.
- ???
I’m also running out of supplies, notably.
BUT I do have something to protect it in the meantime, so that’s something.
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Have you considered leather? Sustainability wise, you could go to a thrift store and buy an old jacket or the like. I’d imagine that sustainable sources of new leather are not cheap.
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Oh nice!! It came out great, it looks so snug and protective!
I’ve honestly never worked with leather! I’m not against it, but I seem to remember that it often requires different tools or more heavy duty sewing machines machines (and at the current moment, since working on my sleeve last, I’m uh, Between Machines, shall we say). I could be wrong, though, I really don’t know very much about it, so I could look into it!
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Thanks for the suggestion. Just ordered the felt laptop sleeve. Dimensions for the 13" Macbook sleeve are 13.5" x 10" (34.3cm x 25.4cm)–the same as the sleeve that came with my Dell XPS15 (which I’ve been using, but is now beginning to self-destruct).
The felt/leather looks really nice.