Introduction: Pocket Whiteboard and Sheathe With Stuff You Already Have (Cheap and Easy!)

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About: I am a teenager, building since I was 4 (and soldering since I was 7). I enjoy building things and inventing all kinds of little projects, some of which I share here!

This is another SYAH (Stuff You Already Have) instructable. in it, I will demonstrate my design for a quick and easy whiteboard that you can make with stuff you already have, and it even comes with a cover that acts as an eraser!

Step 1: Stuff You Need

So the materials you will need are as follows...
-Paper
-Clear packing tape
-an old cloth (Clean, but that you don't mind cutting up. I used an old cotton pillow with a tight weave, and it worked fantastically)
-Dry Erase Markers (The thin ones work better for this)
Tools are another thing you will need, but more specifically...
-Sewing kit (Only a little sewing for the cover, but its easy)
-Exacto knife (Or scissors, but Exacto Knives worked better for me)
I also have a bit of a confession: The idea for a "Pocket Whiteboard" is not new, nor is it mine. I originally saw it online, and bought it. However, the board was impractically large (to the point where it could dig into my leg-ouch- and be difficult to extract from a pocket. This is my quick and easy alternative that I actually prefer.

Step 2: Whiteboard Part 1: the Cutting of Paper

So our whiteboard will basically be a laminated piece of paper (Which i found works really well for dry erase a long time ago). We will cut the paper so that it is just about the same height as the height of the dry erase marker we are using. 

Step 3: Whiteboard Part 2: Lamination

So with our paper all cut and ready, we can laminate it. We will do this by laying down a couple of strips of the clear packing tape. The less overlapping there is, as well as bumps or pieces of dirt that get under it, the better. You may be able to see the glare shining off of the imperfections in the whiteboard I made. Be careful, and take it slow, because if you trip up, its taped onto the paper, making it kind of hard to remove.

Step 4: Whiteboard Part 3: Foldification (A Technical Term)

We now need to fold our paper. (We didn't do it earlier because putting the tape on the folded paper would be quite a bit harder.) I folded it in half, and used the side of a pen (The smooth barrel bit) to emphasize the crease in the paper. The goal here is to make it less of a crease, and more of a hinge. That's why I folded each piece in both directions. I kept on folding each piece in half until I was satisfied with the final result.

Step 5: The Cover

With our whiteboard done, we must begin work on our whiteboard. Not only will it keep our materials in one place, it will act as an eraser. I began by measuring out a piece of cloth. The length was a little more than twice the length of the marker, and the width was a bit more than the size of the marker and the whiteboard. (the black line you see in the cloth is where I cut the it. It's not an exact science... but it'l do.

Step 6: Disclaimer (Kind Of, I Guess)

First of all, I would like to secure my manliness. Sewing is manly because if I was in the woods, and had to survive, I would be the one who knew how to sew the rabbit skins together to make a nice fluffy jacket. The guys who thought it unmanly would freeze.
With that out of the way, lets do some simple sewing.

Step 7: The Sides

Pretty simple to start: We will fold it over and sew the two halves together along the side. However, because this is a sheath/cover thing, we will need to leave the top nice and open. I know it doesn't look pretty, but we will fix that later. Also, the color of the thread doesn't matter (We won't even see the thread when we are done; I chose red for visibility in the photos). Don't forget to tie off each end of your thread!

Step 8: Preventing Fraying at the Top

We don't want our top to fray, so we will fold it over and sew it to itself. Be careful, again, not to sew the top shut! See the photo to clear up any confusion. In addition, if you wanted a drawstring, this is where you could put it. 

Step 9: Cleaning It All Up

So you know how it doesn't look too pretty right now with all the fraying and messy sewing? We can fix that really quick by simply folding this guy inside out, and it cleans right up!

Step 10: Testing It Out

So the first photo you see on this step is what I wrote. Then, I did a quick, gentle swipe of the cover, and you can see what resulted from that. As you can see, there was still some stuff left over (On the imperfections I left by accident), but that was cleaned up with a bit of more area-oriented scrubbing (Took me only a few short seconds or so to reach the final result there).

Step 11: All Together Now!

They all fit together in the cover, and it all works quite well (as far as I have used it). It slides easily into the pocket and even though I have very little knowledge with sewing, even I was able to get it to work out okay. It is large enough to suit my needs when opened, especially because I laminated both sides, and folds up nice and small.
I hope you enjoyed this quick instructable, and as always, if you have any questions or comments please let me know. Have a nice day!
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