Make an eReader Case Out of Old Pants!

Sharing is caring!

Hi Honeybear Lane Readers! Rebecca here from B.Life (the life behind the bags) with a sewing tutorial for all your seamstresses out there.

It’s beach time in America. Lots of travel, vacations, and relaxing amidst sand and water. And since no one reads real-life books anymore, e-readers have become the beach companion of choice! Only problem is, they cost so much, you want to do everything you can to protect it. Especially my husband’s – he’s accident prone. Yet, it was really hard to find a masculine e-reader cover. So, I made one… out of an old pair of pants.

And because I used an old pair of pants, it came complete with TWO pockets. One buttoned one and the original side pocket. Perfect for ear phones and pens.

Want to make one for yourself?

All you need is an old or thrifted pair of pants, a zipper, and some padded lining material. I like to use the already quilted and padded material that can be found at Joann Fabrics. Easy.

Measure your e-reader and cut out two pieces of lining material that is 2 inches wider and taller than the e-reader. (My e-reader was about 5×8 – so I cut my pieces at 7×10). I then use the lining piece as my pattern to cut out my pant pieces. Be sure to leave the pocket intact if you want to use it as a functional pocket!

If you’re going to add a personalized tag to your product, now is the time to do it. I get mine here. But there is also a fun tutorial for making your own here.

Take your zipper and with right sides together, pin it to the front outside piece of your cover. Use a zipper foot and sew that baby on.

Take your first lining piece and line it up on the opposite side of the zipper. If you look closely in the picture below, you’ll see the khaki material on one side of the zipper (already sewn on) and the lining material is on the other side.

When you separate the two materials, your cover should look like this (so far).

I like to stop here and iron the lining back. A professional seamstress once told me that the difference between a handmade-looking product and a professional-looking product was the use of an iron and steam.

To attach the second outside piece, lay the piece we completed out on the table. Take your back outside piece and line it up with the top of the zipper. Pin and sew.

To attach the next lining piece, lay it out on the table. Then, place all three layers of sewn pieces on top of it. Line the back lining piece with the top of the zipper and sew.

Confused? Here’s a picture of your fabric sandwich so far. The layers go from top to bottom: outside piece (right side down), zipper, outside piece (right side up), inside lining, inside lining. Looks appetizing, right?

Open the cover so you have one outside and one inside piece on either side of the zipper. Iron it flat and unzip the zipper halfway. I repeat: unzip the zipper halfway. If you forget this step, you will regret it later on.

Unfold the cover so that the two outside pieces are right side together on one side of the zipper and the inside pieces are on the other side.

Be sure both “teeth” parts of the zipper are folded toward the lining pieces. This will make a nice clean finish at the end. Pin the zipper in such a way that it forces the teeth to point in the correct direction.

Sew all the way around your cover with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Leave an opening at the bottom of the lining (see arrow).

Cut off the corners and trim off the excess zipper.

Turn the cover inside out through the opening you left in the lining.

Fold the opening in, pin, and sew it closed.

Stuff the lining inside, and use an iron with steam and flatten out the seams.

Done! Cute, right? Now you won’t have to worry so much about sand getting in your beach bag and into your e-reader.

Of course, if you don’t want to make one (or aren’t sure you want to tackle the zipper)… I make custom e-reader and iPad covers in my shop! I’d love to make one for you!