The Art of Upcycling: A DIY Guide to Making a Plaid Shirt iPad Case

As part of Mr. Kate's 12 days of Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa Solstice, I embarked on a creative journey to make a unique and eco-friendly gift for one of my loved ones. Today, I'm excited to share with you how to make a plaid shirt iPad case using a thrift store find or your own favorite plaid shirt.

Cutting Out the Sections

The first step in making this DIY gift is to cut out sections from the plaid shirt. As you work on cutting, remember that the shirt seams will guide you to where to cut and the hems will help make the finished product look polished. For a more interesting design, I chose to use the front panel with the pocket as the outer layer of the case. However, if you prefer a plain plaid look, you can simply use the back panel. Cutting out both front panels and one back panel was the next step. I will be using the back panel to line the inside of my envelope, so make sure to leave enough room for it.

Cutting Off Sleeves and Cuff

To add an extra layer of protection to our iPad case, we'll cut off the sleeves and cuff from one of the sleeves. The sleeve will serve as our tab, which will seal the envelope and keep the iPad safe and sound. I used a simple adhesive tab that was perfect for my iPad, but you can always get a different size envelope if you want to make it compatible with another device.

Preparing the Envelope

Next, we'll prepare our envelopes. I got these from Staples, but feel free to use any recycled or new envelopes you have at home. The 8.5 x 11 inch size is ideal for making an iPad case, and padding is a must since we're protecting a delicate device.

Cutting Off the Adhesive Tab

To ensure our envelope fits snugly around the iPad, I cut off the adhesive tab to match my device's dimensions. This ensures that there's no excess glue or awkward edges on the outside of the case.

Stuffing and Gluing

Now it's time to stuff our envelopes with the plaid shirt material. You can use a book as a placeholder if you don't have an iPad, but make sure the item fits snugly inside the envelope before gluing. Once everything is in place, we'll apply glue around the outside of the envelope and fold over the tab to secure it.

Adding a Cuff Cover

The cuff cover is another crucial part of our DIY gift. I will use the button hole side of my velcro to attach the cuff cover to the case, making sure it's securely attached and smooth on both sides. This detail adds an extra layer of protection to our iPad while also giving our gift a finished look.

Finishing Touches

Now that all parts are complete, let's take a step back and admire our handiwork. The plaid shirt gives our case a unique touch, making it stand out from the usual laptop or tablet cases. I'm excited to present this DIY gift to one of my loved ones and show them how upcycling can create something both functional and beautiful.

The Power of Upcycling

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project is the eco-friendly aspect. By taking an old plaid shirt and transforming it into a new case, we've reduced waste and created something unique from an item that could have otherwise ended up in a landfill. This DIY gift not only protects our iPad but also gives us a sense of accomplishment when we see how creative we can be with everyday materials.

Mr. Kate's 12 Days of Christmas Hanukkah Kwanzaa Solstice

As part of this holiday celebration, I'm excited to share more DIY projects and upcycling ideas that will inspire you to think creatively about the items around your home. From transforming old clothes into new accessories to repurposing household items as decorative pieces, we'll explore various techniques to make your gifts even more special.

Remembering Mr. Kate's Promise

At the end of our journey, I want to remember Mr. Kate's promise to take suggestions from her readers for the 12th DIY project. If you have any ideas or comments on this article, please leave them below in the comments section. Your input will help us come up with more exciting and creative projects that we can all enjoy during the holiday season.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enon the third DIY of Chris Mah hanuk Quanza Solstice Mr Kate made for me H plir day three DIY 3 of Mr Kate's 12 days of Chris Mahan Kwan solsis today I am going to show you guys how to make this plaid shirt iPad case this is my DIY gift for him and so it's simply just using plaid shirt that I got from the thrift store or if you have a plaid shirt that you don't mind cutting up okay first step we are going to cut out our sections of the shirt now really you just let the shirt seams guide you as to where to cut and the hems are our friends cuz that's what's going to make it look finished I really like using the front panel with the pocket as the outer one but if you wanted it to just be plain plaid you could use the back panel to coat it so that it's just all clean cut out the front panel the other front panel and then cut out the back panel I'm going to use the back panel to line the inside of my envelope then cut off the sleeves and then cut off the cuff from one of the sleeves and this is going to be our tab that's going to seal our envelope and make the iPad safe and sound these envelopes I got from Staples but if you have one that you want to recycle perfect these are the 8 and 1/2 by 11 padding is key cuz of course we're making a case for something that needs needs to be protected we'll cut off this adhesive tab this size is perfect for an iPad but if you wanted to do a Nook or a different kind of tablet that's a different size and you can always get a different size envelope I'm going to use the back of the shirt and you simply just kind of stuff it in the envelope you might want to use a book or if you actually have a tablet itself just insert it to make sure that it slides in but a book will work and then to secure it we're going to glue around the outside of the envelope folding over over the tab and then once it's all the way secure we'll just trim the excess we need to do the outside of the envelope so I will take a section of the sleeve because my front panel isn't going to cover the entire thing if you're using a large shirt or an extra large shirt the front panel might be enough to cover the whole thing but I'm going to need a little extra from the sleeve I'm going to cover the side that's not going to be covered with the front panel with the pocket with a piece of the sleeve and then to get the corners really nice you basically just fold down one side with glue and then you'll tuck over the other corner so it's a nice even little fold and looks really clean and finished then we'll take the top panel and cover it up so then we'll just glue along the inside trim the excess we're going to use our cute little cuff the button hole side I'm going to use to put along the back and I'm just going to glue around an inch square of glue put the tab down glue Loop it over to the other side and then I'm just going to use a piece of my velcro and I'm going to use the male side a little square of it glue it down match it on the tab of the cuff and you're done yay it's done I love it I think it's going to make a great present for some man one of my men in my life oh CU I have another one to give it to another man in my life really easy plaid shirt recycled eco-friendly all that kind of stuff I hope you love it and stay tuned for the next DIY number four of chrisma Hanukkah Quanza Solstice and please remember that the 12th DIY I'm going to be taking your suggestion so if you comment below either on my blog or on the video I will take your suggestions and figure out what to do for the 12th one Mr Kateon the third DIY of Chris Mah hanuk Quanza Solstice Mr Kate made for me H plir day three DIY 3 of Mr Kate's 12 days of Chris Mahan Kwan solsis today I am going to show you guys how to make this plaid shirt iPad case this is my DIY gift for him and so it's simply just using plaid shirt that I got from the thrift store or if you have a plaid shirt that you don't mind cutting up okay first step we are going to cut out our sections of the shirt now really you just let the shirt seams guide you as to where to cut and the hems are our friends cuz that's what's going to make it look finished I really like using the front panel with the pocket as the outer one but if you wanted it to just be plain plaid you could use the back panel to coat it so that it's just all clean cut out the front panel the other front panel and then cut out the back panel I'm going to use the back panel to line the inside of my envelope then cut off the sleeves and then cut off the cuff from one of the sleeves and this is going to be our tab that's going to seal our envelope and make the iPad safe and sound these envelopes I got from Staples but if you have one that you want to recycle perfect these are the 8 and 1/2 by 11 padding is key cuz of course we're making a case for something that needs needs to be protected we'll cut off this adhesive tab this size is perfect for an iPad but if you wanted to do a Nook or a different kind of tablet that's a different size and you can always get a different size envelope I'm going to use the back of the shirt and you simply just kind of stuff it in the envelope you might want to use a book or if you actually have a tablet itself just insert it to make sure that it slides in but a book will work and then to secure it we're going to glue around the outside of the envelope folding over over the tab and then once it's all the way secure we'll just trim the excess we need to do the outside of the envelope so I will take a section of the sleeve because my front panel isn't going to cover the entire thing if you're using a large shirt or an extra large shirt the front panel might be enough to cover the whole thing but I'm going to need a little extra from the sleeve I'm going to cover the side that's not going to be covered with the front panel with the pocket with a piece of the sleeve and then to get the corners really nice you basically just fold down one side with glue and then you'll tuck over the other corner so it's a nice even little fold and looks really clean and finished then we'll take the top panel and cover it up so then we'll just glue along the inside trim the excess we're going to use our cute little cuff the button hole side I'm going to use to put along the back and I'm just going to glue around an inch square of glue put the tab down glue Loop it over to the other side and then I'm just going to use a piece of my velcro and I'm going to use the male side a little square of it glue it down match it on the tab of the cuff and you're done yay it's done I love it I think it's going to make a great present for some man one of my men in my life oh CU I have another one to give it to another man in my life really easy plaid shirt recycled eco-friendly all that kind of stuff I hope you love it and stay tuned for the next DIY number four of chrisma Hanukkah Quanza Solstice and please remember that the 12th DIY I'm going to be taking your suggestion so if you comment below either on my blog or on the video I will take your suggestions and figure out what to do for the 12th one Mr Kate\n"