So, my latest obsession is my eReader. I never thought I would ever care to own an eReader (I thought I was firmly in the camp of the I WOULD NEVERs), but I recently had to teach myself how to make ePubs at work and it became important to use one and to become familiar with them. I’ve had conversations with friends of mine who are not convinced, but I’ve been reading a lot more since buying it. I think it might be because of the novelty of it (so cute and tiny, tap tap tap), which is fine by me.
When Geoff and I moved into our current apartment I spent a week carrying my book collection up our steep side stairs, sweaty and overwhelmed and furious with myself for spending too many paycheques on books when I worked in bookstores. Thinking about how we’ll have to move again eventually makes me want to throw all my books into a dumpster. Don’t get me wrong: I love most of my books, and I love collecting books. I worked for a rare & fine book dealer for a time, cataloguing every bump and bit of foxing in his collection, sniffing the pages, and appreciating every detail that made a book collectable. When I see a physical copy of a book I typeset, of course it feels more exciting than when I look at the same book in PDF format. Part of the joy of books is the book as an object. But this is just different, and it’s so much easier on my shoulder than carrying a book or two in my purse.
I chose a
Kobo Mini for a number of reasons: I got it on sale for about the cost of two hardcovers, so it wasn’t
that crazy a splurge; I like the look of it and the interface; you can borrow eBooks from the public library. Some
independent bookstores use Kobo to sell eBooks, and you can also get eBooks through lots of independent publishers directly (e.g.
Coach House).
Anyhow! All that to say that I made a very specific type of leather good!
I don’t really like the covers you can get for eReaders, because they’re usually bulky and/or hideous. It was pretty simple to make because I kept it basic and as light as possible. I had a false start with one that I tried to make with a lining, so I left it unlined. I took a 12x12” piece of leather and trimmed it to size with a rotary cutter, using the reader as a guide.
I got some cute stretch velvet ribbon (pink, duh) from Mokuba, and sewed little triangles of leather to hold it in place on opposite corners. A button stud & a hole made with leather punch (borrowed from
Falconwright—thanks, guys!), with a small circle of leather glued over the back of the stud so the metal wouldn’t scratch, and ta-da, done. It’s pretty secure and the reader has yet to fall out.
As IF I would share some of the more embarrassing books I have on here!
A
pretty ANN-YA pouch to store the cord & reader together, hashtag pouch addict.
