Gayla Groom invented the eCoddle™ because she wanted an all-natural holder for her e-reader but couldn’t find one. She shares the invention with the world via a CC BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike) license . That means that you can make this device holder, and you can sell them, as long as you credit Gayla Groom for the design and as long as your versions also include the CC BY-SA license.
You can’t legally call them eCoddles™ without Gayla Groom’s permission, however, as she owns the trademark. If you would like to use the name, contact Gayla to request permission.
About Making eCoddles
An eCoddle requires less than $5 in materials to make. The pattern is free. Useful equipment would be a sewing machine, a scale, and a funnel, but you can make eCoddles without those things. Materials: 2 rectangles of fabric 9 x 10.5 inches, needle and thread, 5 1/8 cups buckwheat hulls.
To achieve the “magical” eCoddle behavior:
The ratio of fabric length to fabric width matters. The type and amount of filling matters. The way you join the corners matters. The type of fabric can influence the effectiveness of these factors.
But, with all that said, it’s basically a rectangle with the corners sewn together, and you should feel free to experiment.
We explain here the basic “Classic” configuration that we have arrived at after much experimentation and testing.
How to Make the eCoddle Classic
It’s a good idea to wash, dry, and iron fabric, but you don’t have to.
We like to use a pattern we cut out of interfacing marked in 1-inch grids.
But it’s also fine to just measure and mark a rectangle the correct size.
However you do it, cut 2 pieces of fabric on the lengthwise or crosswise grain, each 9 by 10.5 inches. They can match or be different fabrics.
Sew right sides together, using half-inch seams. Leave an unsewn area about 2 inches, preferably on the long side, where you can insert the filling.
Clip corners diagonally inside seam allowances to reduce bulk.
Turn right side out, using the 2″ gap you left.
Smooth out the rectangle.
Fold the length in half , so your rectangle is now 8 x 4.75 inches. eCoddles are reversible, so it doesn’t matter which side is showing and which is inside the fold.
Join the adjacent corners. You can handsew them together on the outside, or use thread pulled through, working from the inside… I used 3 strands of embroidery thread for strength — regular thread also works — and I just whip-stitched, more or less, the corners together.
I am not a seamstress! If your join ends up looking more like this, it will still be fine.
Fill with about 5 1/8 cups of of buckwheat hulls, via the 2″ gap you left – a funnel helps.
If you have a scale, that’s very helpful. With normal weight fabric, we aim for an eCoddle to weigh 8.8 ounces.
If you don’t have a scale or you want to experiment with the amount of filling, baste (preferably) or clip the opening closed.
When you’re happy with the amount of filling, hand-sew closed. The ladder stitch works great.
Massage the buckwheat hulls to distribute throughout the eCoddle. The sewn corners go on each side, as in the photo below. You now have a robust, healthy eCoddle.
It easily holds the Kindle, or your phone, securely.
To use an eCoddle, plop it down and put your device in the groove. To adjust the angle, just give it a poke.
