Nook/Kindle Cover // DIY

I currently have 271 pictures waiting to be cropped and/or edited for this blog. And I haven't even finished taking pictures of completed projects OR gotten half way done with my loooong list of projects to do this summer. I'm saving all of that work for my midnight shifts when I'll need entertaining and can use my laptop at work. So get ready for some great stuff coming up this year on Elemental Carbon. I promise it won't disappoint :)

I'm going to try and start doing more sneak peeks during the middle of the week, so be sure to come back and check what's coming up!

I used some of the money I am making from my summer job and splurged a bit. I bought myself a Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight (that's a mouthful!) We get to read at the front desk for my job so I have been using it a lot.

When I first bought it, I looked into cases and covers for protection, but they started out at $35 which just won't cut it for me.

So like all crafty people would, I made one myself! I didn't have any tutorial to go off of, I just made it up as I went! I ended up staying up until 1 am making this cover the exact same day that I got the nook. I was too excited!

I am quite proud of how it turned out. It ended up being $10-$15 (much cheaper!). And a lot of the supplies (like extra fabric, extra elastic, extra double sided fabric tape) I can use again for other projects!

Hello there!

I found this gorgeous fabric at JoAnn's (big surprise, huh?) for $6/yard. I got half a yard (and now regret not getting more!) so the fabric ended up being only $3. Plus I had some left over.

This tutorial can be adapted to make a cover for just about anything!

Want to learn how to make one yourself? Read on!

You'll have to bear with me - it's quite a long and wordy tutorial, but I tried to be as specific and detailed as possible. (Lots of pictures, too!)

Here's what you'll need:

-double sided fabric tape (You need the stickiest stuff you can get or else it will just peel right off) I got Aleene's* from JoAnn's*

-thick felt or thin batting - I bought mine by the yard at JoAnn's*

-fabric (1/2 yard will do)

-elastic (I think mine was 1/4" or something like that)

-hot glue gun

-sturdy cardboard or another type of base (it has to be sturdy and able to be cut. I actually bought this brown cardboard paper mache box from JoAnn's* that I could tear apart and was about the same thickness as cardboard but even sturdier. See picture in the tutorial below of the lid of that box)

-scissors (for the double sided tape I HIGHLY recommend getting a pair of dollar store scissors that you can ruin because at the end they will be so sticky you can't cut anything. Trust me, I learned this the hard way)

Here's what you do:

1. Take your Nook/Kindle/iPad/etc. and lay it on what you are using as a base. Trace around your Nook. Cut out a square that is larger than the Nook (the size you want the cover to be). Cut out. 

Trace the cut out square on another piece of the material you are using for the base.Cut out so that you have two squares - one for the front and one for the back. Then cut out a thin piece for the side/binding. Make it the same height as the other two larger pieces. See picture below.

2. Once the base pieces are cut out, cut out pieces of felt/batting to give them a little padding. I cut mine the exact same size as the base rather than trying to wrap them around because I thought that would add too much bulk. Hot glue the felt/batting to the base pieces.

Side view of the side/binding piece with the felt:

3. Cut out pieces of fabric that are an inch or two bigger than the base pieces. Using the double sided fabric tape (I cut it in half down the middle to make thinner strips and make it last longer), start wrapping the fabric around the base pieces and secure all edges in place. 

Wrap the fabric pretty tight. I usually did one side then stretched out the other so that it was snug. When you get to the corners, you may have to cut some excess fabric off.

4. Now for the side/binding. I took a scrap of fabric that was barely longer than the height of the cover. I pressed the top and bottom edges then pressed it in half to give it a clean, finished look. Then, I took double sided fabric tape and attached the thin strip of fabric covered cardboard with felt and attached it. 

The scrap of fabric allows the cover to be flexible and move around whereas the thin piece of fabric covered cardboard (pictured right above this step) made the cover looked more finished.

5. Now that all of the separate pieces are done, now it is time to assemble the whole thing.

Using the double sided fabric tape, attach all three pieces together. Then, flip it over to the inside and hot glue pieces of elastic to hold the Nook/Kindle/etc. into place. I also added a longer strip of elastic (glued at the top and bottom) so that the cover could be secured shut when not in use. (see finished product picture at top of this post)

6. Assuming that you don't want the inside to look like cardboard and edges of fabric, now is time to finish off the inside. Cut pieces of fabric that are slightly bigger than the front and the back of the cover. Press the edges underneath so that it has clean edges. 

Using the double sided fabric tape, attach these pieces of fabric to the inside of the front and back covers. This also helps hide the edges of the elastic. After attaching with the fabric tape, I lightly went over the insides with the iron to make the edges look even crisper. If you do this, do it very lightly!! The fabric tape ended up melting through a bit (see picture above), so I had to make a pocket to cover it up.

And here's the finished product!

Thanks for being patient with my super long tutorial!

*I am not associated or sponsored by any of the products mentioned in this tutorial.

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"Her mouth speaks from that which fills her heart."

-Luke 6:45