My dad loves his tablet. He's always checking email, watching videos, and catching up on Facebook. So for Father's Day I thought it would be fun to make him a little screen cleaner to wipe away the fingerprints. And I couldn't resist using English paper piecing hexagons and making it into a turtle shape. Dad's like turtles, right?
If you or your dad need to clear away the smudges on your phone, computer or tablet, why not make one...or a few? These definitely aren't fiber-free so they may leave a few bits of lint behind. But they are super soft and will wipe away dust and fingerprints.
Here's what you need:
Fleece
Cotton fabric
Felt
Thread
Embroidery floss
Turtle Screen Cleaner Template PDF
Use the 1-1/2" hexagon template in the PDF to make a hexagon (see my tutorial here). It seems a little strange to do this with fleece, but it works. Just make the seam allowances a little larger and be careful to avoid stretching as best as you can.
Cut a fleece hexagon that is just a bit smaller than the hexagon template. Cut a hexagon from fabric that is about 3/8" larger than the template. Center the fleece on the back of the cotton hexagon.
Lay the paper template on top of the fleece and baste the hexagon as you normally would.
Cut out a turtle body from felt, then remove the papers from the hexagon "shells".
Make a turtle sandwich! Place the felt body in between the shells, with their wrong sides facing.
Thread a needle with three strands of embroidery floss and stitch around the hexagon with running stitch, hiding the knots between the shell layers.
Can I just tell you that it felt very strange to make something like this and not put a face on it? It did. And yet, no face seemed like the right choice for this one.
Now this turtle is ready to rub his belly all over the screen and clean it up for you!
And now that I've made this little guy, I do believe that I need to make more screen cleaners, or maybe some other little critters that use fleece hexagons. They are just too fun, too soft, and too cute!
It's soooo cut and lovely. Thank you for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteHow cute is this?! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletec'est tellement adorable !
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness! i love love love love love this!! what a great idea!
ReplyDeleteYour turtle is soo sweet. Now I need to ask my Mom if she'll make me one for my birthday :)
ReplyDeleteYou just made my day thanks for sharing :)
Jessa
This is adorable - thanks for the tutorial! I can think of several people that I could make these for...nobody likes a smudgy screen.
ReplyDeleteSuch a brilliant idea! I love this!
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteHe is SOOO cute!! I need one for my tablet. It seems that Kettle chips make for a smudgy iPad screen. I've got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for this evening that links to your tutorial:
ReplyDeletehttp://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-turtle-tablet-screen-cleaner/2014/06/12/
--Anne
Love these as I do all your projects! Dad might need one and everyone else!
ReplyDeleteReally cute, and so simple. Hope your dad likes it!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea lol
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited by your fleece hexie. I've wanted to make some! Off to experiment.
ReplyDeleteVery cute! Would a microfiber belly work as well... although it is not as 'fluffy'. It may need padding.
ReplyDeleteMicrofiber probably would work! You could either add batting to that layer, or fatten up the turtle with stuffing!
DeleteAks everyone! I'm so glad that my turtley friend is loved!
ReplyDeleteThis is adorable can't wait to make these for my friends Thanks
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, you are the most clever-est person! This is *adorable*!
ReplyDeleteSuper cute, super clever and such a perfect 'dad' kind of gift. You're a genius! x
ReplyDeleteSo lovely, my daughter will love it! Thanks a lot :)
ReplyDeleteOhhh so cute and clever. Would be great for the kids as well.
ReplyDeleteAwww this is too cute!!! Maybe I'll make a mini version of it and use it both as a phone strap and screen cleaner! Thank you so much for the inspiration :)
ReplyDeleteI adore it!!! Cuteness!
ReplyDeleteOh how cute, and you know what you can make the bottom. "shell" out of the micro fabic cloth that most of us use for the screens to be cleaned, and still be as cute as can be. Well I am off to make a few "turtles" to clean a few screens......
ReplyDeleteI need to get some microfiber now!
DeleteThis is so, so cute! I can tell you for certain, though, that my dad would never use this. I would though :)
ReplyDeleteMy dad is an artist and loves quirky things. He also cleans his tablet screen way more than I do! Your could also make this without the turtle body layer for a more basic version.
DeleteThat is so clever!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun little project! So doable, thank you for sharing the directions.
ReplyDeleteThis is darling!! I am doing like 5 swaps rightow and looking for little trinkets to include and this is absolutely perfect!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea. I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic is this?! Definitely need to make one, or more.. great for pressies :-)
ReplyDeletethis is so cute, my grandkids would love it. Now, I just need to find a turtle shape or even just an outline for the turtle, I am not one that can draw. LOL!!
ReplyDeleteIf you download the PDF, there's a template you can use...then you don't need to draw it yourself!
DeleteMy mother comes into my room today.
ReplyDelete"Are you. . .paper piecing?"
Very cute idea ! I discoverd it via Spring cleaning as wrote Emmanuelle in is blog http://lemarquoirdelise.over-blog.com/2015/04/spring-cleaning.html
ReplyDeleteThank you !
ReplyDeleteVery good idea !
j'adore!
ReplyDeleteYour turtles are being created in FRANCE!! by women bloggers. Congrats for a great idea.
ReplyDeletejust what i need thanks for the tutorial
ReplyDeleteso enjoy my turtle, pleas can I take the instructions to share with a craft group that meets in our local library?
ReplyDeleteI tried making a sample turtle last night, using a microfibre cloth, and mine turned out a lot messier-looking than yours. (I don't know what I was thinking--I didn't even manage to keep the print on the fabric straight.) Any tips on keeping it all together nicely while you work?
ReplyDeleteI haven't worked with microfiber, but I know it's pretty slippery. My only suggestion is WonderClips. They should really help hold things as you stitch.
DeleteBTW, Anonymous: I love that comment about your mother asking if you are paper piecing.
ReplyDeleteCute! I'll have to make one of these for myself. The only fleece in my stash is fusible, but I'd think a hexagon shaped piece should work, and could even be fused in place.
ReplyDeleteI think I know why no face seems appropriate for this little guy. The normal orientation of a turtle has you seeing the back of his head - no face there. Since the turtle body is flat, as opposed to 3D like a real turtle, you don't have any side of the head to work with either. So your top view of the turtle is spot-on.
Fleece doesn't need to be hemmed, I think. It should not fray.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Our girls would love to make this for their dad. I'm pretty sure that they will change it up a bit and try to make a bear screen cleaner! Their dad is native american and all of our kids' names mean bear in different native tribes.
ReplyDelete