How to Make a Moleskine iPad Case
BY Brandon 
06. Jun, 2010 
65 Comments
Putting a case around an Apple product gives me mixed emotions. Apple puts so much devotion into designing their products that every detail has been thought about. Holding a bare iPhone or iPad, it just feels right, the only thing they don’t seem to take into consideration is: what if it is dropped, what if it is put in a bag, what if it rests on a rough surface, what if its in a pocket with keys? A case is needed.
I always like to find a case that is as elegant as the Apple products themselves. For my iPod, I ended up loving the invisible shield, for my iPhone, I think there is no better case than the Incase slider, and now with my iPad I am back in this hunt. Having heard very mixed reviews about Apple’s own iPad case, I searched the web and found the DODOcase.
The DODOcase is everything I wanted out of iPad protection. It is light, let’s the Apple product stand out, protects the screen, and feels like a book when held (gives the ereading experience a little old school flare). Best of all, they look just like my beloved Moleskine sketchbooks, which would not only look awesome sitting side by side, but offer some camouflage when carrying the iPad around the city. The problem? They are handmade, so have a 4-6 week wait (add another week for shipping) and they cost $49.95 with shipping.
About to move on, I watched the video they have posted on their site about how they made the cases and had a little brainstorm. Having gone to school for graphic design, I had taken a class in traditional bookbinding and the process they use to make the cases is that same exact process. I went to my favorite book binding supply website, Hollander’s and did a run down of cost.
Supplies
- 1 sheet of liner paper – $3.50
- 1 sheet of Imitation Leather Black Morocco (brown also available) - $6.75
- 1 sheet Davey Binder’s Board .098 – $3.75
- PVA Glue - Thin 4 ounces – $3.25
- Black elastic ribbon – AC Moore – $1.50
Total = $18.75
Compared to $49.95, that’s a bargain! Plus, I was able to get my own custom liner paper (there’s unlimited options online), unlike the DODOcase, which at the moment only offers red. Hollander’s moves fast and I received the shipment in about four days. If you are crafty, the process is pretty simple and can be completed in about two hours (drying time excluded).
Please do not take this as anti-DODOcase. It is because I love them so much that I decided to make one myself. If you don’t have the time to make one yourself, looking at the cost of the supplies and the fact that it comes with a nice foil stamping and beautiful bamboo seat for the iPad, $49.95 is a deal for something handcrafted like the DODOcase.
Directions
1.) Make sure you are working on a clean level area and use a cutting board.
2.) Measure out the dimensions of the cuts on the binder’s board with a pencil. I used 8″ x 10″ for the covers and .75″ for the spine. To get the curve look on the edges, trace the iPad.
3.) Using a metal ruler as a guide, cut the binder’s board with a utility knife. This will take many tries before cutting through the board.
4.) Lay leather on table and size up the cut board. Remember that you will need to leave about a millimeter of space between the covers and the spine in order for the book to fold. Cut leather to size.
5.) Remove boards and brush on book binding glue so that the whole back is covered. This will require some extra weights or hands, as the leather will start to roll as it gets moist.
6.) Put binding board back on the leather and press down.
7.) Round out corners of leather with scissors.
8.) Fold edges around binder’s board. For the corners, wrap leather around the corner and use a hammer or other blunt object (I used the back of a metal ice cream scoop) to hammer corners to shape.
9.) To remove bubbles and ensure a strong bond, place a bunch of heavy books (I find art history texts work best) on top. Let sit for as long as you can.
10.) Create two holes in the back cover 2.5cm from the top and side. Look at a moleskine journal for reference. I found that a 1/2 inch flat-head screw driver struck by a hammer works perfect.
11.) Thread elastic ribbon through the cuts and loop around. You can place iPad in the case to make sure it is the right tension. It should be comfortable to bind iPad shut, but be completely tight. Once you have them in place, glue the tabs on the inside down to the board.
12.) Now comes the tricky part that makes buying the DODOcase a pretty good deal, making the holder for the iPad. In most cases I have seen online, like Griffin’s, they use a four corner holder. To do this, take the imitation leather and cut four 1 inch strips.
13.) I then sized up the loops on the iPad and taped them to a piece of paper to hold them in place. Don’t worry about how it looks, it will not be seen anyway.
14.) Size up and cut the liner paper so it covers the entire inside of the cover. Cut four slits so that the holder loops will poke through where needed.
15.) Coat the back of the liner paper and the holder loop and paper completely in glue and afixe to the cover. Make sure you smooth it out as much as possible. Let dry completely.
16.) I put an Apple sticker on mine, but you can decorate as you see fit.
The Bottom Line
So far, I must say I am pretty proud of how the cover came out. I can not speak for durability, but as it is made of the same materials as my Moleskine and I carry that thing everywhere I go, I think the case will be around for awhile. I will say that I am now completely comfortable with putting my iPad in my bag, as the screen is completely protected with a hard cover.
Weight wise, because it is mostly paper and cardboard, it adds very little bulk to the iPad. It feels about the same weight as a book of the same size. Some cool features are similar to other book-like ebook cases. It adds a nice thickness to the iPad when held that feels just like holding a book, making reading in iBooks feel absolutely natural.
When closed and viewed from a distance, the case is almost unrecognizable as the $500 device it really is.
For when the iPad is put on my lap or on a table, the cover can be folded back into a stand to make the perfect amount of incline to make typing much easier. The case can also be used to make the iPad stand up for watching videos.
I have to warn that this is not a project for anyone with little to no crafting experience. Bookbinding is definitely an art and like I stated, I took a college class in it. From every review I’ve read, the DODOcase is worth every dollar, but if you want to give my process a try, for under $20 I doubt you can find a case of this quality. Add to this that the case will be completely unique to the rest of the world and I think I found a case suitable of carrying my beloved iPad.
Update 7/2/10
Wow. The response to this post has been completely overwhelming and I thank everyone for their kind comments.
On June 17th, I woke up to find that the MDP servers had been completely crushed. Lifehacker.com, a Gawker Media blog devoted DIY, design, and how-to’s had featured this post. I couldn’t even take a moment to bask in the fact that my creation was being featured on one of my favorite sites, as I worked with my hosting provider to get the site back up. At this time, the post has been read nearly 60,000 times and been reposted on sites throughout the world in France, Australia, China, and Japan. This is easily among the most eyeballs to ever see a work of mine and the most read post in MDP history (yes even beating my infamous “Dark Marks and Other Failed Harry Potter Tattoos“). As a content creator, this is severely exciting and surreal.
If you found this post through Gawker or another site, I thank you for reading and urge you to browse MDP a bit. There is much more content just like this to be found.
Secondly, the guys over at Dodocase found the post and after talking to Patrick a bit, I am an even bigger fan of their product than before! They really seem to care about their product and seriously make each case by hand. I was able to pick up a bamboo tray from them and installed it into my case, making it as close as I can get to an actual Dodocase without buying the real deal.
In short, as I mention in the post, after making just one of these, I think their product is fairly priced at $59.95. The bamboo tray works flawlessly and since it holds the iPad completely still, makes it feel identical to holding a book.
It has been about a month since I completed my case and I have barely taken my iPad out of it. The case is holding up as well as any notebook and is starting to get the little bumps and scrapes that they get too, giving it the worn character that my moleskines always seem to get. As it is the case that is getting the “character” and not my iPad, I could not be happier.
Pirate
Very cool and looks nice Brandon! I’m so proud of how far Modern Day Pirates has come too since the early days of reading it. Keep it up!
You are giving all our secrets away
! Nice job, I love the Robot Liner. If you want to buy a wooden tray we can give you a special deal. Just shoot me an email.
That would be awesome. I shot you an email.
Wow! Nice work. Looks like DODO on the outside.
I have been planning for a few days to do exactly this and for the same reasons (love the case don’t want to wait!). Great minds think alike I guess. I’m going to try to make a version of the wooden bumpers with molding pieces on the 4 sides. Crossing my fingers.
This is really and truly amazing, I’m going to post a link on Facebook!
I just have one question… in step 12 you wrote to cut four 1″ strips of leather… are those really 1″ wide? They look thinner than that.
Thanks so much for sharing, this is great!
Dear BRANDON, We are the online community of Moleskine in China, moleskiner.cn, I would like to check with you if we can translate your great article into Chinese?
Thanks!
Thanks for this and the DoDoCase links. Am making my own Moleskine case now. I’ve used real leather as I’ve got some pieces left from a pair of trousers I found in a charity shop for a few pounds.
I’ve varied the design a little, putting a microfibre insert on the touching the screen, and behind the insert, I’ve put a gusseted pocket. Just waiting for glue to dry on the leather so I can assemble it. Email me if you’re interested in seeing the final product.
Thanks for the useful ideas for making a reasonably priced homemade case for the iPad, especially since it’s such a fragile device. It’s almost like making a homemade book cover for school books. ingenious I say. Keep up the good work.
The bamboo tray was the biggest selling point for me on the DodoCase – I’ve been very happy with mine (it was worth the wait!), but I admit I’ve fantasized about switching out the liner paper for something cooler.
Very cool. I didn’t want to wait on the DODO case so I bought a $3 clear hard cover off of ebay. I took an old fake leather composition book which happened to be the perfect size and ripped out the pages. I then glued the hard case to the appropriate inside panel and I had a 5 minute, $3 DODOcase. I may spring for the real thing at some point because mine does everything the same except it’s hard to get the iPad out of the case.
DONT PANIC! hitchhiker’s guide, love it!
Where did you get the Wallpaper?
http://gizmodo.com/5564925/an-official-moleskine-kindle-case-no-modding-required
I wonder if a iPad case will be next?
But, they need to move the writing pad to the right side.
Great article! I will be making one of these for my iPod Touch.
How did you customize your unlock screen image? I love the Don’t Panic screen from Hitchhikers. Does anyone know if this is possible on iPod Touch?
By popular demand, here is the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy wallpaper I designed from the post:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/47580557@N07/4709398277/
Thanks for all the kind words. I would love to see pictures of any finished products. Post them here!
Would you sell me one?
I’d very much like to buy this! Will you offer for sale?
Brett, as I mention in the article, Dodocase.com sells a beautiful handmade case that I replicated for this post for $49.95. Considering the cost of my supplies is about $20 and they also give you a nice sturdy bamboo tray for the iPad to sit in, I think it is far worth the price.
I want a link to that hitchhiker’s wallpaper….
Beautifully done, and love the choice of wallpaper there.
Question, though: when it comes to the measurement of the spine, was there an exact width that you chose, or did you just guesstimate with the iPad as a reference point? Looks like whichever route you took, you choose wisely.
Again, beautifully done!
Some how I missed the link to the wallpaper last night.. it was almost 2 am, go figure…
I noticed though that its not the correct resolution. Should be 1024×1024 so it rotates properly.. Did you make the wallpaper? Or did you find it somewhere, I’d love a copy of it @1024^2
I’ve finished my case last week, but from an email from this page, I’m posting a link to photos of the case. Go to
http://www.equiton.net, then click on ‘Photos’ to see it in all its glory.
Great project, well executed, beautiful result. Like terrance, I’m also curious about the dimensions of the spine, as well as the back and front cover boards. It almost feels like you left them out of this sentence:
“I used for the covers and for the spine.”
Anyway, I might give it a try this weekend! Thanks for the inspiration.
I’m sorry, looks like I forgot to add the measurements, but I updated the post with them. It is 8″x10″ for the cover and .75″ for the spine. For the curve on the corners I traced the iPad, so that it matches.
While I have to compliment you on the moleskin ipad case, my son pointed out that you and I have “Don’t Panic” as our screensavers. Did we both get an iHitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy iPad edition?
Awesome. Thanks, Brandon!
I’m in the process of making one for my boyfriend’s iPad. Instead of risking the bookbinding myself, I bought a $10 hardcover sketch pad from Michael’s craft store, and took all the pages out. It seems to be going smoothly so far, still need to find black elastic. Thanks for the step-by-step!
This is a great looking DIY case. I bought a Dodocase cause I don’t have the skill to make one like you. However, the quality of yours is also top notch.
Amazing is all i can say
. the dodocase does look sturdy enough.
Thanks for the guide! I’m currently following it as I make my own case.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratzlaff/tags/ipad/
Again, an awesome job. Followed it to the letter up until it came time to put the leather strips in there as the means of holding the iPad in place. Decided to take a page outta the DODOcase’s book, and went with some wood. Balsa, though, since it’s substantially cheaper and easier to work with. Thanks once more for an oustanding DIY!
Thanks for the tips – I actually just finished using these instructions to create (out of an actual moleskine that I took apart) a cover for my nook.
The midsized moleskine was actually pretty much the right size, but I obviously needed instructions to turn it into an e-reader case, and this was very handy. Mine’s nowhere near as “finished” as yours, since it’s the first crafty thing I’ve ever done, but I’m still pretty happy with it. At least until moleskine answers my pleas and makes an official cover for the nook like they’ve made for the kindle.
Thanks for posting this guide. I recently finished my iPad case based on your design, but with some changes to the materials. Photos of the case and the build are on my site:
http://crossgeared.com/stuff/p=1780
When I saw your post (via Lifehacker) on the Moleskine-iPad cover, I asked my mom to help me create one.
Great success: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mokblog/sets/72157624507014943/
Mate, what a great job you have done making your iPad case. And congrats on gettomg featured in LifeHacker!
Have you tackled the iPhone yet?
Have you tried any other materials, such as leather? I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has successfully created a leather iPad case.
Comment me at: http://www.getipadcase.com/contact as I’d love to feature it!
Thank you for this — I came via the folks at Macgasm and I think you’ve managed to give me the missing piece I need to do a knitted TARDIS case (because the iPad really is bigger on the inside). I’ll probably actually use my existing Apple case as a underpinning so the knitted part can be removed (and cleaned) if the occasion warrants.
Hey man nice work. I’m inspired to make my own as well! Any tips on making one with a flap closure? You know the journals that have a piece of leather that surrounds the opening and then a leather tie that wraps around the journal? Would love your input. Thanks!
As an alternative to DODO’s long waiting list, have a look at the cases on Portenzo.com, they are practically identical right down to the bamboo tray and their customer service was superb (they refunded me the duty i had to pay to get it to the UK).