Ipad Sleeve - Any Tips Before I Start?

[particle]

I got to play with my sister-in-law's iPad yesterday and would like to try making a case for one. I've never made a sleeve before and am looking for tips before I start cutting leather and wasting time. The only leather I have on-hand is 8 oz Wickett & Craig veg tan leather and some cheap 3-5oz I believe Tandy veg tan leather. I also have some suede pig skin that's quite thin - not sure how thick though - maybe 1/16" thick or less.

Should I make the sleeve out of 8 oz and use a welted seam? Or go with non-welted and use a larger stitch offset? Any pointers for an appropriate stitch offset either way?

Should I like the sleeve with the thin Tandy veg tan leather, or the suede pig skin, or fabric? I lean towards the veg tan liner since, like with guns, it should be less likely to collect dirt and scratch the finish of the iPad.

Anyway, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Like the title says - I don't own an iPad and my sister-in-law lives 30 minutes away so it's not exactly easy access.

[Sylvia]

Hi particle;

When i prototype I use the cheapest facsimile of leather I can find. Sometimes it is Denim from old jeans, sometimes it is a yard of some gawd awful upholstery vinyl that no one else wants because it's flaming orange with purple flowers or something weird. Sometimes it's vinyl from the back of a broken chair. For your purposes, I would use the vinyl because the fit and feel would be closer to the final product. But keep in mind that fabric or Vinyl will have it's own characteristics and stretch (or not) differently than leather.

As for welted seams that would depend on personal taste. That said, I've never used welting on a leather project. I tend to go for the most simple way of doing things. I am not sure what you mean by "offset" unless you mean seam allowance. If so that would depend on how thick the item is, they type of stitching, whether or not you are sewing with a machine or by hand. But generally a seam allowance is somewhere around 3/8" to 1/2" in garment sewing.. UNLESS you are sewing a french seam.. in that case it's traditionally a 5/8" total seam allowance... sew 1/4" of the allowance wrong sides together then flip it right sides together and sew 3/8" from the seamed edge. This captures the raw edge in between the second seam allowance. Here's a video to explain it a little better.

Now... there is no rule saying it has to be so the finished french seam is on the inside when complete. You can still sew one with the french seam exposed to the right side of the fabric... in fact it may be a great way to finish a piece that is made from 2oz finished upholstery leather. No edge finishing required. Of course with leather you may need to trim away one of the seam allowances before you flip and capture the edges in the second seam allowance to avoid bulk And of course you don't want to IRON the seam flat on leather.. just moisten and rub with a bone. Hmmm... I might have to try that. :D

As for your fitting her iPad... I've not made one. I would have her trace hers on an opened out cereal box and cut it out... then use something common like Quarters stacked so she can give you an idea of thickness of the thing. If she sends this 'pattern" to you, you can compare it to any pattern or template you have.

I agree that you should use Veg Tan and line it with thin veg tan.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Sylvia

[particle]

Thanks Sylvia - I just happen to have a few yards of various vinyl samples at home (I work for an architect in the Design department so samples frequently come through our office). Great idea!

Before she left, I traced her iPad on a sheet of paper, and also stood it on edge and traced the thickness. Regarding my comment about the offset - I was referring to how far to offset the stitch line from the iPad tracing. I figure if I use a welted seam, that will allow for a smaller stitch offset and a smaller overall width/height dimension, while also reinforcing the edge a bit. I'll be honest and say the following video has really kicked my tail and inspired me to branch out a bit from holsters. Actually, it's what he said at 2:10 that did it...

[bluesman1951]

When making these things dealing with wet leather and molds ,its best to find a plastic supply place and look in the scrap bin there . Make a piece of plastic shaped like your computer thing and think ahead the leather will shrink some so cut your leather so you can get your plastic out when the leather dries . That's my two cents here .

I got to play with my sister-in-law's iPad yesterday and would like to try making a case for one. I've never made a sleeve before and am looking for tips before I start cutting leather and wasting time. The only leather I have on-hand is 8 oz Wickett & Craig veg tan leather and some cheap 3-5oz I believe Tandy veg tan leather. I also have some suede pig skin that's quite thin - not sure how thick though - maybe 1/16" thick or less.

Should I make the sleeve out of 8 oz and use a welted seam? Or go with non-welted and use a larger stitch offset? Any pointers for an appropriate stitch offset either way?

Should I like the sleeve with the thin Tandy veg tan leather, or the suede pig skin, or fabric? I lean towards the veg tan liner since, like with guns, it should be less likely to collect dirt and scratch the finish of the iPad.

Anyway, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Like the title says - I don't own an iPad and my sister-in-law lives 30 minutes away so it's not exactly easy access.

[mlapaglia]

Here is a template for a laced version of an ipad sleeve. It might help you figure out the offset. Its Martha Stewart but dont let that stop you from looking.Id run my stitch line down the middle of where they have the lace holes. Edited July 30, 2012 by mlapaglia

[Northmount]

If you want a case that opens like a binder or portfolio, take a look at iPad.

Magnetic Screen on/off switchIf you put a magnet in the case (for ipad2) centered 6.5" from the bottom right and .25" in from the right (iPad held in portrait mode, home switch at the bottom), it will automatically turn the screen off when you slide it in the cover, and turn it back on when you remove it from the cover. The iPad and many other devices like BB phone have little magnetic reed switches embedded in them to look after the screen. You just have to find out where it is. An old case with this feature is a good reference.

CTG