Road Test: The Lap App
Driven by Clare Mooney
As a lover of hand sewing and hand embroidery, I can’t tell you the number of times I have lost a pin, a needle, a reel of thread and even my scissors under my leg, wedged between the cushion and arm of the couch — and in the case of pins and needles, actually in the arm of the couch. I won’t even start on the time I sat on a flower head appliqué pin. Ouch.
So for me The Lap App is simply genius. This light-weight table sits comfortably on your lap and is fully adjustable so you can choose the height and tilt of the working surface, which is fabulous as you can adjust it to the type of work you are doing at the time. It comes with a padded cotton cover with a pocket in the top left corner to hold your scissors, seam ripper or other tools. The cotton cover is removable and washable.
Learn to paint with fabric and thread to create a landscape quilt!
Then, underneath on the base there are three spindles to hold reels of thread and a strong magnet for holding pins and needles. I placed at least 10 pins on the magnet while I was sewing and it held them fast. When you peel off the cotton cover you will find a sand paper surface underneath which you can use for tracing and marking. The Lap App also comes with an ironing cover, so when working on a small project you wont need to jump up and down for the iron — you can use your mini iron with the Lap App and ironing cover.
I used the table while I did some simple hand sewing and it was such a wonderful experience to have all my tools in a secure place — I wasn’t searching for them all the time. The table is so light that you hardly notice you have anything on your lap. The table also provides a surface where you can rest your forearms or hands when you are sewing so you don’t hunch over your work.
The Lap App is made of natural baltic birch and pine woods and features special star knobs that are very easy to grip and manoeuvre, making it easy to adjust. The base and working surface each measure 8in x 12in and the centre pedestal measure 5in.
You can purchase replacement cotton covers and ironing covers and there is also a pattern available so you can make your own cover and customise the look of your Lap App.
As a hand sewing enthusiast, this is a must have item for me. I thoroughly enjoyed road testing it.
The Lap App is available in Australia from Sarah Fielke and Handcrafters House. See the Stockists & Contacts list for further details.
