DIY Wool Felt iPhone Sleeves

Guest post by Marisa of Omiyage

It seems like everybody and their brother (sister, uncle, grandmother & niece) has a smartphone these days. 4 out of 5 of the adults in our not-terribly-tech-savvy family has an iPhone. So why not play into the cellphone obsession and gift handmade iPhone sleeves this holiday season?

Simple to make, no fancy or expensive materials needed.  So simple, in fact, you could whip up a whole stack in one afternoon. It's a fantastic way to give something personal and tackle an extensive gift list at the same time. Plus these sleeves make great gifts for the hard-to-buy-or-make-for guys in your life!

What makes these sleeves extra-special is the clever pocket created between the 2 pieces of felt. Perfect for slipping your transit pass, credit card or cash into.

I'll give you the dimensions to create sleeves which can fit iPhone 4, 4S or 5 models. But, you could easily adapt this project to fit any phone.

You will need:
Wool felt ( The colours I used are Black, Graphite, Smoke, Magenta and Swan)
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine w thread

1. Cut 2 pieces of wool felt.
For the iPhone 4/4S, the pieces should be sized 8cm x 24cm (3 1/8" x 9 1/2").
For the iPhone 5, the pieces should be sized 8cm x 26cm (3 1/8" x 10 1/4").

2. Decide which piece of felt will be the outer layer of your sleeve. Make a diagonal cut from the top left corner to 6cm (2 3/8") down the right side. You can put aside the triangular piece of felt that is cut off - you won't need it for this project.

3. Lay the two pieces of felt on top of each other. Sew the short straight edges together. You will want to use a small seam allowance of about 4mm (1/8"). Rather than sewing all the way across, leave a space of 4mm (1/8") at each end of your line of stitches. Trim excess thread.

4. Fold felt in half so that the seam you have just sewn becomes the top back edge and the piece of felt with the angled edge is the front. Ensure all sides line up. Pin. 

5. Using the same 4mm (1/8") seam allowance, stitch both sides. Trim excess thread. That's it!


Variation One - Two Pockets

Perhaps you fancy a second pocket, or, like me, want to add a bit more colour to your sleeve. It's as easy as sandwiching a third shorter piece of felt between the original two.

For this variation, you will need 3 pieces of wool felt.

For the iPhone 4 / 4S, you will need:
1 piece 8cm x 24cm (3 1/8" x 9 1/2")
1 piece 8cm x 22cm (3 1/8" x 8 5/8")
1 piece 8cm x 12cm (3 1/8" x 4 3/4")

For the iPhone 5, you will need:
1 piece 8cm x 26cm (3 1/8" x 10 1/4")
1 piece 8cm x 24cm (3 1/8" x  9 1/2")
1 piece 8cm x 13cm (3 1/8" x 5 1/8")

To construct, you will need to make the 6cm (2 3/8") diagonal cut (step 2 above) on both of the shorter pieces of felt. Then sew the 2 longer pieces together at the short straight edge (step 3). Finally, sandwich the smallest piece of felt between the other 2 on the front side before pinning and stitching the sides (steps 4-5).

Variation Two - No Pockets
If all this talk of angled cuts and sandwiches has your head spinning, or you have no need for a pocket on your phone sleeve, simplify simplify simplify! Skip step 2 and repeat step 3 on both short edges. Then fold, stitch & done!

Happy holidays & happy crafting!

Visit Marisa and Omiyage online here (shop) and here (blog).