Make a Mousepad

While a mousepad isn't really necessary anymore, I get really annoyed by the sound of a mouse sliding over a desk. So I decided to make my own mousepad to get rid of that sound. It's a quick project that doesn't require a lot of materials and tools, and allows you to make a mousepad in any size, shape and colour you want.

What you'll need:

- non-slip mat

- thin craft foam

- smooth, non-stretch fabric

- all-purpose glue

- scissors

After some experimenting, I ended up with a three layer design. First a layer of non-slip material. Then a layer of thin craft foam. And finally a piece of smooth, non-stretch fabric with the colour or design you want. Cut them all to roughly the same size.

Now the layers need to be glued together in a nice mousepad sandwich. It's a bit of a strange mix of materials, and I want it to still feel soft and smooth afterwards, so I wasn't sure what glue would work best.

I set up a little mousepad glue battle with some scraps and the glues I had on hand: all-purpose glue, craft glue and fabric glue.

The fabric glue seeped through the thin fabric and left a visible white residue. The craft glue looked good, but was quite hard to the touch. The all-purpose glue both looked good and had a nice feel to it, so that's what I continued with.

To make the mousepad, I spread a layer of glue on one side of the craft foam. I placed the fabric on top, smoothing out any wrinkles and bubbles. The glue sinks into the fabric, so I let this dry before moving on.

I then repeated the glue process on the other side of the craft foam, adding the non-slip mat.

After this all dried, I drew out the shape I wanted for the mousepad and cut it out.
Finally I gave the non-slip mat a bit of a trim, since it was peaking out the sides a bit. I also decided to make the edge black with a permanent marker.

That's all there's to it. It's quick and simple, and you can make mousepads in any shape, size and colour that you want. I'm very happy with mine and already know I'll get a lot of use out of it.