DIY Duct Tape iPad Cover

This DIY cover is durable, dirt and water resistant, and the best part? When you’re bored of the geometric design, you can rearrange them into a new funky design!

What you need

iPad (or any other device)
Duct tape in blue and red, 1 roll each (you can use any other colors you like)
Scissors
Velcro
Tailor’s chalk or pencil
Felt

Instructions

Make yourself a stylish geometric soft case for your iPad with your favorite colors! Lined with felt on the inside to protect your device and closes with a Velcro flap, this soft case is not only a snug fit for your iPad, but can also be easily adapted for other devices such as a Galaxy Tab, HTC Flyer, etc.

Tip: The blade of your scissors might get sticky with the glue substance from the duct tape. To remove this sticky residue that may prevent the scissors from cutting sharply, simply dab a piece of cotton pad with nail polish remover and clean your scissors. The sticky residue will melt away!

Gather your supplies:

Step 1:

Fold your felt into half.

Step 2:

Lay your iPad on top of the felt. Mark the felt around your iPad with the tailor’s chalk approximately 1/8 inches away from your iPad, and cut the felt.

Step 3:

Unfold the felt and “hem” the top and the bottom with the blue duct tape.

Tape the top and bottom with only half of the width of the duct tape touching the felt [see next image].

Step 4:

Flip it over to the back, and fold down the duct tape to stick onto this side of the felt.

Step 5:

Trim excess as marked by dashed lines above.

Step 6:

Fold the felt back into half. For stability, you may clip the top together with paper clips or pegs.

Step 7:

Tape the right side, again only using half the width of your duct tape so you can fold it over to the back.

Step 8:

Flip it over and tape it down to seal the right side of your case. Then, remove any paper clips/pegs at the top of your opening, and tape down the excess duct tape into the case [see next image].

Step 9:

Now we’re going to make sure your case is a snug fit for your device. Slide the iPad into the case, and pinch the felt on the left side to see how much excess felt you will need to trim if needed.

Step 10:

With the iPad inside, seal the left side of your case in the same way that you did on the right side. Again, you may hold the top opening with paper clips or pegs to stabilize it temporarily.

Step 11:

Trim off excess tape at the bottom.

Step 12:

To make the Velcro flap using the duct tape, tape down a strip from the centre of the opening on the top of your case. Leave an excess of about 5 inches and cut.

Step 13:

Fold the excess flap of duct tape down so it sticks on its own to form the flap.

Step 14:

To give the flap some strength, tape over it with with another layer of duct tape.

Step 15:

Fold both sides down to secure. We will attach the Velcro later.

Step 16:

Starting from the centre, tape the first row around the body of your case so that your tape ends back where you started at the centre point [see next image].

Step 17:

This is what you should have after taping a few rows (depending on the width of your duct tape). Don’t worry about keeping the centre points straight, as we will be covering that up later.

Step 18:

To finish off the bottom end, stick down half the width of your duct tape so the excess can be folded over to cover both sides.

Step 19:

Trim excess on both sides.

Step 20:

To hide the centre meeting points of your duct tapes, tape a vertical strip over it (align it to your Velcro flap so it looks more even).

Tape the top excess into the opening of your case [see next image].

Step 21:

To attach the Velcro onto the flap, first cut the Velcro to about 1 ½ inches, and separate the “furry” side from the “prickly side”.

Step 22:

Cut a piece of duct tape that roughly matches the height of your flap.

Step 23:

Fold it into half sticky side out and cut a window in it. The window should be at least 2/8 inches smaller than the size of your Velcro piece on all four sides.

Step 24:

Lay the duct tape down with the sticky side facing up, and place the first piece of the Velcro “furry” side down so that it peeks out of the window in your duct tape. Stick in place.

Step 25: 

Do the same with the “prickly” side of the Velcro. Don’t worry if both duct tapes are not the exact height, because they can either be trimmed off or folded into the case later.

Step 26:

Stick the “prickly” Velcro piece onto the inside of the flap. Press down duct tape firmly until you can see the outline of the Velcro shape. This helps to secure it firmly from wear and tear.

Fold in or trim away any excess if needed.

Step 27:

To mark the spot where the “furry” side of the Velcro should be on, insert the iPad into your case.

Since the iPad (or any other device) may not be entirely flat and adds spatial volume to the case, its best to have the device inside the case to determine where’s a realistic point for your Velcro pieces to meet.

Flip the flap closed and mark the spot where the “prickly” Velcro hits [see next image].

Step 28:

Place the “furry” Velcro piece onto the position you marked. Fold in/trim away any excess and you’ve completed the flap!

You’ve completed the base! The front and back should look like the images below.

Now onto the geometric decoration 😀

Step 29:

Using the red duct tape, cut out a square (you can match the length against the natural width of your tape to get an easy square).

Step 30:

Cut diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner, and you will end up with two triangles.

Step 31:

Place the first triangle on the front of your case and repeat the process to build a geometric motif horizontally on the front of your case [see next image].

Step 32:

Using the same technique, build a geometric motif on the back of your case, but this time placed vertically down the centre of your case.

Congratulations! You’ve made your very own soft case for your iPad!