Maker Morris

My hubby is a pilot and frequently uses a kneeboard. The one he had been using was worn out, so I decided to make him a new one using my fabric scraps. Previously, I made him a logbook cover that received many compliments, so I thought this would be a great project. I made this up, so feel free to modify it as you like, and I’m excited to see how yours turns out!

MATERIALS

  • Old knee board clipboard
  • Fabric (I used old jeans and corduroy scraps)
  • Skinny elastic
  • Thick elastic
  • Zipper
  • Old wallet
  • Cardboard
  • Bra pads or stuffing
  • Velcro

Not all materials shown (remember, made it up as I went)

STEPS

  1. Use your iPad as a size guide and cut out two pieces of the outer fabric along a folded edge. Each piece should fit the clipboard and iPad with enough room around the edges for seam allowances, resulting in two rectangular pieces of fabric.
  1. Place the right sides of the outside fabric together and sew down the middle, BUT leave a gap big enough for the thick elastic to go through. Fold the fabric so you only see the right sides of the fabric, I will call this the “fabric book”.

If you notice on the original kneeboard, there is a gap in the fold of the board to allow the elastic to feed through if the pilot wants to have the board folder on his knee rather than just open. 

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. Cut out a piece of inside fabric the size of one side of the “fabric book” (board), but allow for some space so the opening of this “large pocket” will not be too close to the fold. I used jean scraps that already had a finished end seam, if you do not, fold over one long side of this fabric twice and sew to finish the seam for the pocket opening. 
  2. Cut a smaller square for a smaller pocket. We are going to add a small zipper pocket to the larger pocket before it’s sewn onto the main board or “fabric book”. I cut the desired size fabric for my smaller pocket and sewed on a zipper to the top. 
  1. Figure out where you want your small pocket placed, pin and sew the other side of the zipper to the larger pocket. 
  1. Fold over the smaller pocket and top stitch around. You should only be sewing the “bigger pocket” to the “smaller pocket”, do not connect to the main outside fabric yet. 

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. Once your inside main pocket is complete, place the pocket in between the top and bottom right side of your fabric “book”. See the picture for more clarification. You want the correct side of the pocket to face the wrong side of your top piece on the right side of the book. Line up the edges along the outermost sides, pin and sew the three sides.

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. Turn inside out, this creates the left side pocket. If done correctly, it should look like the picture below, only connected to the top piece. This will hold a small notepad.
  1. I took apart an old wallet to use for the licenses and cardholders. I sewed this with a top stitch on the right side of the “book”, on the other flap that does not have the pocket. 
  1. On the right side, insert a piece of cardboard slightly smaller than the side of the book, so you have room to sew around. Fold over the sides and top stitch around the right side of the book. Now the right side is done. 
  1. Cut another rectangle of the inside fabric slightly wider than the clipboard and about the size of the iPad. If your fabric does not have a finished seam, roll over and sew the top short edge of the fabric.
  1. Sew four pieces of elastic into the corners of the inner fabric. This will secure the iPad, so make sure to double-check that the spacing is appropriate for holding it in place. I had to redo this part, and I’m glad I took the time to verify! Additionally, I added a small loop of elastic to serve as a pen holder. You can see the comparison between my design and the original kneeboard.
  1. Roll over sides of this piece and top stitch 3 sides to only the top part of the fabric book. Double check the clip board will fit before sewing. The left side of the “book” should still have 2 separated parts. 

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. We are now going to sew the padding into the bottom piece on the left side of the book. I used old bra pads that I had lying around, but you can also use stuffing by creating a channel for it. I cut three pads in half and pinned them along the sides. Make sure to leave a gap for the thigh or knee.

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. Prepare your thick elastic for the leg part by measuring, cutting, and attaching velcro. 
  1. On the same flap as the padding (bottom left flap) use a piece of fabric over the elastic and top stitch around the fabric. 

SEW ALONG BLACK LINES

  1. As the final step, insert the cardboard, fold over all open sides, and topstitch to close. Just like step 10.