How to make a keyboard cover

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one cover, tenkeyless)

• Fabric (linen, canvas or Oxford cloth) — about 110 cm wide × 30 cm (43 × 12 in)
• Bias binding, 12.7 mm folded — about 1.2 m
• Sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Bags” → “Keyboard cover” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the width, the depth, the height and the ease. Presets cover tenkeyless, full size and low profile.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Measure the keyboard
   Width, depth and height. Measure the height at its tallest point.
2. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines.
3. Cut the pieces
   One top panel and one band.
4. Transfer the notches
   Mark the notches on the band — they meet the corners of the top panel.

4. Sewing

4-1. Join the band into a ring

1. Place the two ends of the band right sides together and sew.
2. Press the allowance open.

4-2. Attach it to the top

1. Match the band's notches to the four corners of the top panel.
2. Sew right round, right sides together.
3. At each corner, leave the needle down, lift the foot and pivot.

4-3. Finish the allowances

1. Clip into the corner allowances. Without the clips the corners will not turn out square.
2. Zigzag the allowances or bind them with bias tape.

4-4. Hem the lower edge

1. Turn the band's lower edge under twice, 1 cm each time, and stitch.
2. Bias binding also works.
3. Try it over the keyboard and check the fit.

✏️ Do not forget to clip the corner allowances. Joining a flat top to a band pulls the fabric at each corner. With the clips, it settles into a proper box shape. Clip to within 1 mm of the stitching.

5. Tips & variations

• Actual size plus 1 cm: an exact fit is awkward to put on.
• Works for other things: the same method covers a laptop or a printer.
• See also the sewing machine cover: it is built the same way.