Create and Sew a Wacom Tablet Protector Sleeve

I'm a desk klutz. If there is a liquid, heavy object, or random food particle near me it will undoubtedly land  on the one object it has no business touching. One of my beloved desk residents is my Wacom drawing tablet. This was a gift from the DH and I want to keep it and use it for many years to come. I have lived in fear of keeping it displayed on my desk for the noted reasons. I also need to transport my tablet, and I don't want it cracked in the process. Worry no more, I've sewn up a quick and inexpensive sleeve that it slips into to help keep it safe.

* You can score big points for just creating a sleeve for your SO to keep their expensive gadgets in without having to purchase the gadget too. :) A thoughtful gift that keeps on giving.

I love Wonder Woman and used her as the inspiration behind the construction of the sleeve. I created a free machine embroidery design element from the Wonder Woman logo. This was my first attempt at such a piece, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. There's always room for improvement, but I really enjoyed attempting a new technique that can be applied to any number of projects.

My favorite childhood toy, a 1976 Wonder Woman doll, was my lovely assistant and helped me photograph the tut.

While these instructions create a sleeve for a Wacom tablet, you could follow the general instructions and create a sleeve for any electronic device. ** The logo element I created was attached to the sleeve prior to sewing all fabrics together. Jump to step 8 if you want directions for the design element.

Be kind to your Wacom tablet and it will be kind to you. :)

Step 1 Supplies and Measurements

Measure your device.

You'll want length, width, and thickness.

I'm still learning when it comes to machine sewing, so I always tack on a few more inches to provide me with a little more wiggle room when it comes to sewing seams and matching up fabrics. Every time you need to flip the sleeve inside out and sew you are "eating" some of the length.

The equation I used was the following:

IR stands for inside room. This is a little extra I throw in so the device isn't so tight.

Width of fabric needed:
L + H + IR + 1.5 = my length measurement (see "L" designation on photo)
(9.5) + (.5) + 1 + 1.5 = 12.5"

Start of fabric length needed:
W + H + IR + 1 = my width measurement (see "W" designation on photo)
(8.75) + (.5) + .25 + 1 = 10.25"

Flap & Pocket measurement:
12.5 x 6.5 
(length measurement of sleeve) x (desired width measurement)

So for this project I needed my fabric selections to be 12.5" W, but don't cut yet! We still need to calculate the length in step 2.


Newspaper Template
Grab a section of the newspaper and make yourself a template for your pattern.
This really helps me visualize my project. I take notes directly on the paper. I cut the newspaper template to the exact sizes that I am considering for the project.


You will need:

General Supplies

1. Scissors / Rotary Cutter
2. Sewing Machine and appropriate needles for the chosen fabrics
3. Thread(s) that matches your fabrics
4. Ruler
5. Self-healing Cutting mat
6. Snap Fasteners
7. Section of the Newspaper

Fabric

1. Fabric for exterior of the sleeve
2. Fabric for interior of the sleeve
3. Fabric for exterior pocket (I used the same fabric as the main exterior, but you could shake it up)
4. Polyester Quilt Batting - You can use cotton or bamboo too, I just had some polyester left over, so I used that.



Optional supplies to help create a design element & assist with sewing

* Walking foot for Sewing Machine
* Felt - to use as a backing for your logo design
* Iron - to press your fabrics
* Printer copies of the design element you wish to replicate on your sleeve
* Additional thread(s) for your embroidered design element
* Cross stitch floss
* Iron-On Transfer Pencil
* Embroidery needle

Comments

[frac]

funnily enough I was planning on make a sleeve for my bamboo tablet this weekend! thanks for the instructable

[WingsandFences]

Awesome! Let me know how it goes, feel free to post some pics. Happy to help if something turned out unclear.