BeanBag Reader/iPad/Tablet rest - Tutorial

I needed a super quick project for something to make my 8" tablet a little more upright on

(a) my work table for reading blogs/tutorials/Fat Quarterly and 

(b) my knees when reading in bed.

I have always had a problem reading in bed - I fall asleep pretty quickly.  Even when I've just woken up and try to have a little quiet time before getting up for work!

So, I made myself a little pyramid bean bag and filled it with some out-of-date couscous I had knocking about at the back of the cupboard.


I added a few drops of lavender and rosemary essential oils to the (dry!) couscous - they are both relaxing smells for me, but the rosemary is to aid concentration, in the hope that I can stay awake that little bit longer!

I used to thin my oil paints with oil of spike lavender - I could work for hours with really good focus and concentration and my flat wasn't overcome by turpentine vapours. 

No wonder all those Victorian lady painters used it! I have to say that my sitting room smelled delicious all day and I managed to maintain focus long enough to re-organise my sewing space (again!) and do a lot of cleaning and tidying.  Win Win.



Anyway … if you'd like to make one it's easy peasy …



I just used a scrap of Echino I had left over from my upside downside journal/tablet cover  … (still going strong since April - I think I'll do a tute!)

My scrap was 12" by 12" which was perfect, as my tablet is 8" x 6".





Please note - these measurements will NOT be big enough for an iPad rest … you need to have at least the width and height of what you want to prop up!

If you want to make one for your iPad I suggest you start off with a 14" or 15" square.



It's very easy … fold your square in half and sew up 1 long & 1 short side …   Fill  with rice or beans or sand or diamonds (about 2/3 - you can pin it and play a bit to get the right degree of squidge … fold top edge in by 1/4" and THEN squeeze the opening to bring your side seam to the middle, pin and stitch across the top.

Voila! 

If you have a microwave (and were to use wheat or rice not stale couscous!) I guess this would double as a heat relief pack too!  It was wonderful next to my pillow -  the lavender was oh so calming, and YES I did manage to read for a whole hour before crashing out!

To get the best angle of 'prop' pick the bag up by two corners and shake contents down … then place on table, lap etc. with emptyish portion closest to you and nestle tablet into place … woot!!

This project took about 20 mins start to finish (including pics) so why not have a go?...  if you make one, do post your finished attempts in the Pings Flickr tutorials group!

Keep Taking the Tablet ...

Keep Taking the Tablet ..., a photo by Sarah @ pingsandneedles on Flickr.

About six months ago I bought a very cheap 8" non brand Android tablet, which I kind of forget I have, because it isn't the fastest little worker - although it does connect really well to my wifi, so until now I used it for quick catch up emails and Reader browsing, but not much else.

I am delighted that I have finally found a very real and very useful niche for it.

It is my portable library.

 Heaven. On. Toast.

Don't get me wrong ... nothing replaces a paper book for touch and smell and memory. My dad was a publisher and I am surrounded by books and wouldn't have it any other way.

But ... there are times when digital will most certainly do.


Kindle's installed so I can read and download books. I can make the time to read more easily now that I have choice on me at all times and maybe only able to snatch a few minutes.

I'm a big fan of copyright free downloads, great crime and science fiction as well as classics...  I have bought the odd book too ...


All my text books and resources are scanned as pdfs so I can read and plan with them without having to schlepp tons of books everywhere ...

I have my fave quilt tutorials saved as pdfs too, as well as pics galore. And, of course, my issues of Fat Quarterly.


Technology is a wonderful thing, when you can make it work for you.

So, although the tablet isn't really whizzy enough for me to use for blogging or serious nerdy working, it is absolutely welcome and much appreciated chez Pingaling, as a constant source of eye candy and inspiration and timesaving wizardry.

It's really brilliant not to have to print anything and fabtastic to be able to zoom in on pictures. Recipes are my next challenge, sometime this century.

Any other tablet users out there?  What do you use yours for?


!! Don't forget to vote for your favourite Scrap Baggers here !!