Christmas Present Make - iPad Case

For my Stepdad for Christmas I've made a very simple protective case for his iPad. I followed this tutorial as he's got one of those attachable covers for the screen but I wanted to give him something to put it into when he's carting it around in a bag.

I wanted it to look quite professional on the outside as he would have to get it out in meetings and at work so I used some charcoal coloured stiff felt. I couldn't find collar felt as suggested in the tutorial and this might have given a bit more structure to the case but what I did find (in Fabric Land on Goldhawk Road) is really soft and smart as it's almost like a suiting fabric.

I did want to have some fun with it though so check out the lining!

I'm not entirely sure what my Stepdad's job actually is but I know he's some kind of chemist and works in labs. He also likes a bit of fun (my Mum got him a periodic table tie a few years back which was a big hit!) so I did a little search for scientific fabric prints on the internet and came across this beauty on Spoonflower which is my new favourite thing. You can upload your own designs to get printed up onto fabric!! You can also buy fabric in someone else's design which is where these little test tube characters came from. There's all sorts on there so I'd highly recommend a look.

Anyway the case was fairly easy to pull together in not too much time. There's a few bits I wish were slightly neater (namely a wobble in the line of orange stitching which shows on the outside) and I think if I made another I'd work on perhaps inserting the lining separately instead of attaching it to the outer piece before making up. The way I've done this means there's some seams visible inside which don't look bad, I think I'd just prefer it without. I'm also slightly worried about the width of the case; I purposely made it snug so the iPad wouldn't slide around inside but I don't have one to test it with so the question is...is it TOO snug?! Well that's going to be an interesting surprise on Christmas Day anyway!