I needed a case for my new iPad. Everyone and their brother seem to be making them. I didn't want the ones everyone and their brother are making, though. I wanted mine to have teeth and eyeballs!

I mean, just look at him! He's great.

What you will need:

Monster fur
Stretch fabric
Elastic
Two letter sized hardboard clipboards, or hardboard (anything else light might do as well)
Black Felt
White Felt
iPad

Step 1: Boards

I could have just made a fabric cover, but I really kind of worry about my iPad in my pack getting pressed onto something right on the screen, and cracking. Since all my textbooks are on it for school, and it travels every day with me, I decided to go with solid covers.

This will increase the weight slightly, but if you've ever had to haul accounting or business law books, you'll agree that the slight cover weight is nothing compared to having those two heavy books removed from my pack forever.

I really like 1/8th inch hardboard. You can get it super cheap at Lowes or Home Depot for somewhere around $5 for a 4x8 foot sheet. I have this problem with transporting that home, and then storing it, so I opted to use some cheap clipboards as they are made out of the same stuff. I paid $3 for three clipboards, but not having to take a 4x8' sheet of board home on the bus was worth the extra cost.

Firstly, measure your iPad. I came up with 7 7/8 by 9 7/8. That's a bit big, but enough to overlap the iPad by just a smidge with the covers.

I measured, and cut the clipboards to size. I just used a hand saw because it's quieter and my neighbors might mind anything I have that's louder. The hardboard is damn easy to cut, so it only takes a few minutes.

I then sanded the edges, taking care with the corners. The corners need to be a bit rounded, or they will poke through the fabric eventually.

Step 2: Fabric

Next is to get your fabric cut to size.

I used some fun fur and stretch fabric. I chose stretch fabric because that way if the boards or measurements were a bit funky, there would be give, and it would still fit fine.

I doubled my short iPad measurement of 7 7/8 inches and added 13/16s to give space for the "hinge" area, where the fabric will fold over. I also added 5/8s all the way around for a seem allowance.

This means, all together, I cut a 17 1/8 by 10 1/4 inch piece of each fabric. If I have my math right.

I cut one in stretch, then used it to get the measurements for the fun fur.

Cutting the fun fur is a bit weird. See saw your scissors on the fur side until they work their way to the fabric backing, and just kind of slide your scissors as your cut so you only cut the fabric, not the actual fur.

Step 3: Teeth

What's a monster without teeth?

You need to take a sheet of white felt. I got some cheap "eco felt" at Joannes for a quarter. It was letter paper sized, so I folded it in half, and cut it. I then cut teeth shapes in one side.

I laid the teeth layer, jagged teeth facing in, on top of the fun fur. The layers should be fun fur facing up. Teeth facing in. Then stretch fabric wrong side up.

Step 4: Elastic

Next, I l figured out where to put the elastic.

You want to lay the fun fur, fur side up, with the wrong side (if that matters for you) of the stretch fabric facing up on top of it.

You will need four strips going catty corner across the board the iPad will be sitting on. If you want straps to hold it closed, you will need two longer ones on the non-iPad board (the one the eyeballs are going on).

I put the straps 3.5 inches up on both left hand corners. This will be the side your iPad is held to when it's done. You want to put the elastic between your fur and stretch fabric layers. Then pin it down well.

There will be two more catty corner elastics that need to be placed, but you can only sew down the one side right now. Just place them like you did the other ones. It'll help to look at the pictures. I used the board to help place them 3.5 inches in from the side, and stuck them at a 45 degree angle as if there was another side to stick out of.

The other two loops of elastic need to be as long as it takes to wrap around your iPad. It doesn't have to be precise as it stretches.

You want them doubled, with cut ends lining up with the edge of the opposite side you put the catty corner elastic on. They, too, need to be sandwiched between the fun fur and the stretch fabric, and pinned. I put mine in about an inch and a half to two inches. Just make it even.

Step 5: Sew, and How to Swear at Your Machine

If you are really lucky, you have a super cool machine that won't spit furballs when you try to force it to digest fun fur layers.

Otherwise, take it easy, and go slow and steady. I suggest the heaviest needles you can get. I used jean needles.

I started on one side, and sewed around leaving a board sized hole in the long side.

Once you have sewn around the whole thing, and removed the pins, you want to cut the corners so they will lay better when you flip it inside out.

Then flip the whole thing right side out. I used a pencil to poke the corners out right. If all your measurements were good, this will magically work.

Step 6: Insert Boards

This is fairly straight forward. Stuff your boards into the opening, and slide them into place on opposite sides of your monster cover.

Step 7: Hand Sewing the Body

My great big plan was to sew the boards in with my sewing machine, but with the boards, it doesn't fit. Sooooo, I sewed each board into place with a tiny running hand stitch.

I also sewed the hole shut by hand, and sewed the loose floating elastic down so the iPad would have elastic on all four of it's corners.

Step 8: Eyes

Now there needs to be eyes. Cut two eyeball sized white circles of felt, and two black pupil sized circles. (Or triangles, or squares, or whatever shape floats your boat).

I sewed the pupils onto the white felt with my machine, and then hand sewed the whole eyeball onto the cover.

If you are smarter than me, you could theoretically sew the damn eyes on before you even start stacking your fabric. I failed to take this into account, and hand sewing it was.

Step 9: Finishing the Teeth

Now is the time to decide if the teeth you guesstimated work for you, and trim them if needed.

Step 10: Done!

There might be some funny spots on your fun fur that seem matted down. To fix this, comb out your monster. Seriously. It works on any spot where the fur is trapped in the stitching.

Now, you just have to put your iPad in your new monster cover, and it's done.

I've been using this for a week. I've found it to be a good cover. I haul it to school, and use it in my classes all the time. I've had no problems.

If I want my iPad at an angle, I just stick something between the cover that is folded back, and the one that is elastic'd to the iPad, and it sits at an angle.

A bonus of the eco felt is it doesn't slid easily, and I can actually prop it up on the kitchen counter when I cook, practically vertical, as long as it's teeth down.