How to Turn a Book into an eReader Case

So far the selection for eReader cases is pretty slim. Except for some great cases on etsy, I haven't found any that I'm completely in love with yet. And for the price most of these covers run, I'd really have to be in love with one to buy it.

So, if you're short on money (like me), picky (also like me) or opposed to leather (of which most brand name eReader cases are made), here's one cool way to make a cheap, awesome case using a book and materials from around the house.

MATERIALS:
Book
Old sweatshirt
Sewing machine
Cardboard cutter
Hot glue gun
Optional scrap material, ribbons or buttons for decoration 

STEP ONE: FIND A COOL BOOK
It also has to be a book you won't mind ripping the pages out of. For this search, my friend and I went to Recycled Books to find a cheap one.

My friend trying to find books that were large (and slim) enough to fit a Kindle.

Our favorite choice was Story Town in the upper right corner. Isn't it the perfect name for an eReader? In the end, it didn't make the cut.

I ended up choosing The Scandalous Adventures of Reynard the Fox, which is the exact perfect size to hold my Kindle.

I just couldn't resist the emblem of that sly fox on the cover.

STEP TWO: TAKE OUT THE PAGES

Use a cardboard cutter to detach the binding.

I took extra care with the title page because I wanted to use it for decoration.

After that, I just ripped out the rest as one. It takes a bit of maneuvering and slicing of the threads.

Voilà!

Here's a picture of the title page I attached to the inside cover. Rubber cement worked like a charm.

STEP THREE: CREATE THE CUSHY POUCH

I used an old sweatshirt I didn't mind cutting up to create a comfy pouch to protect my Kindle.

Sadly, the only sweatshirt I was willing to part with was a jarring shade of red that clashes awfully with the book, but when it's all closed up, you can't see the bright red TOO much.

Sew the material into a 6x9 inch pouch (other dimensions may apply for Kindle DX and other eReaders).

STEP FOUR: HOT GLUE THE POUCH TO THE BOOK

First, I wanted to cover up the stringy, remnants of the spine with some ribbon I found in my mom's scrap sewing box.

Close up of the ribbon

Hot glue the pouch with the open side facing in so the eReader won't fall out.

Here's where you can see how AWFUL that red sweatshirt looks next to the aged book, but hey, I didn't want to pay for material.

STEP FIVE: ADD YOUR eREADER!

Normal book....

eReader!

I'm thinking about adding a faux latch attached with velcro for extra security. The latch could also help pull in the color of the pouch (which I fully intend to change once I get some better scrap material) and give it some much needed embellishment --- I like the aged look, but this particular book could use some color.

Total Cost: $15 for the used book

For the finished product, you get both a soft and a hard case that is completely personalized and way cheaper than the cases on the market now. Plus, I haven't seen any made out of books yet.