ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts: Techno Garden Cell Phone Holder

ILoveToCreate Teen Crafts
Techno Garden Cell Phone Holder
Margot Potter
“Mom crafted, kid approved.”

Avalon is finally not the “only kid” in her school that doesn’t have a cell phone. Lest you think us barbarians, we simply couldn’t see the point of paying for another line for a twelve year old. I think kids are too plugged in as it is. Little did we realize, due to a miscommunication with our cell phone carrier, we’ve been paying for a third line that we don’t use for a year now. Argh. So we gave Avalon a second hand cell phone and instructed her to only use it for emergencies. We’ll see how long that lasts...

She immediately started rummaging through my crafty coffers for my collection of hand crafted cell phone holders. I’ve been making these for the past few years for books and magazines. I love the irony of a kitschy retro craft being converted into a techno friendly item. Thusly this project was born.

Add the awesome fabric YoYo maker I scored last month at the craft store that I’ve been itching to use in a project, an upcycled gingham shirt with buttons that didn’t fit properly and some vintage plastic beads and...I present the Techno Garden Cell Phone holder. In case you didn’t hear, gingham is all the rage for spring and summer fashions this year. You will have to create a pouch that fits your specific phone, therefore I’ve not included dimensions here. Just measure the felt around your phone, making sure there’s room for the phone to slide inside. Cut, glue and decorate.

Materials
Craft felt sheet in red
Black and white gingham fabric (if you have an old shirt you want to use, feel free)
Three coordinating buttons (mine came directly from the shirt)
Pine green rick rack trim (mine was vintage, but this stuff is easy to find)
Snap set
Aleene’s Liquid Fusion Glue
Aleene’s Super Thick Tacky Glue
9 10mm yellow Beadin' Path vintage plastic beads
10 8mm green AB Czech glass beads
2 EZ-Crimp ends
.018 49 strand beading wire
White or light color thread
Red thread

Tools
Clover YoYo Maker Large

Chasing hammer
Snap setter
Steel block
Mighty Crimp Tool
Chain nose pliers
Wire cutters
Scissors
Needle

1. Create beaded strand by attaching wire to EZ Crimp using Mighty Crimp Tool. Add your beads beginning and ending with a green glass bead and alternating between the two colors. Use chain nose pliers to pull wire through EZ Crimp end, keeping wire rounded to prevent from being too stiff, use Mighty Crimp Tool to attach wire and cut off excess with wire cutters.

2. Measure and cut your pouch leaving a 1” edge for your flap.

3. Glue the sides together up to the bottom of the edge using Aleene’s Super Thick Tacky Glue. Allow to dry overnight.

4. Create Yo-Yo following instructions on Clover YoYo Maker package. Begin by inserting fabric into receptive end of tool and then snapping the cover into place to secure the fabric.

5. Use fabric scissors to cut fabric edge to approximately ¼”.

6. Keep edge folded as you sew around the template from the bottom of the tool. See photo.

7. When you reach your final hole, sew through the first hole again. Carefully remove the snapping component from the receptive component and remove fabric.

8. Gently pull thread end tucking fabric edge into the center as you create your YoYo. When you have it formed, sew the open thread into the fabric edge, knot and cut off and tuck excess thread. Create two yoyos.

9. Mark and cut rick rack trim to create flower stems. Fold a bit of trim to form leaf. You can tack this with thread if you like.

10. Glue the components to the front of the pouch starting with the leaf, the stems and the flowers with Aleeene’s Fast Tack Tacky Glue. Allow to dry overnight.

11. Use Aleene’s Liquid Fusion to attach buttons to front of flowers. Allow to dry.

12. Attach snap following directions on snap packaging. You can also opt to use Velcro tape here, but tack it down for strength. My snaps use a small tool and a hammer to attach to the felt. After attaching snaps, glue a button on top of the exposed snap back on the front of your pouch using Liquid Fusion glue. Allow to dry.

13. Use red thread to sew the EZ Crimp ends on the strap to the back of the pouch. I positioned my strap ends just inside of the glue line on the edges of pouch. Tie off thread and hit with a tiny dab of glue. Repeat for second strap end.