DIY Leather Cord Strap

After making up some fabric cord keepers for Mother's Day, I figured that it was time to tackle the problem of unruly cords in a more masculine fashion.  Leather is such a great material to work with, and is a great gender neutral material. I love it so much, that I have a really difficult time throwing out leather scraps.  I have a whole bin full of small leather scraps, and fortunately, there is plenty to do with them.

These little leather cord straps require a piece of leather that is only 5/8 inch-3/4 inch wide, and only needs to be about 4 1/2 inches long. I made a few different sizes, just to see what I liked best, and to be honest, the smaller the better, four and a quarter to four and a half inches in length seemed to be just about right for phone chargers, and usb cables.  If you need something for a small but bulkier cord, five to five and a half inches would probably work well.

Materials:
Scrap of leather 5/8"x 4 1/2"
Sew On Hook and Loop Fastener (velcro) 1/2"
Leather Sewing Needle
Sewing Machine Thread

Take your strip of leather, and sew around the perimeter of the leather using your leather sewing machine needle. Lengthen your stitch length if desired.

Sew on your hook and loop (velcro) fastener.  You will attach one side to the right side of the leather, and one to the underside, on opposite ends of the strap. Done.  

If you really want to get organized, you could stamp the name of the cord that belongs to the strap using leather stamps.  I had a clever reader mention that she used her embroidery machine to label her fabric cord keepers.  So smart.

If your leather is particularly thick, or has a difficult time moving under the presser foot, reduce the tension on your presser foot, and use a non stick or teflon presser foot.

Tutorial: DIY Cord Keeper From Fabric Scraps

Am I the only one that has a basket full of charging cords?  It seems that everything has it's own charging cord, and all of the cords turn into a jumbled mess in the basket.  I decided that some nice little cord keepers were in order.  All you need is a couple of scraps of fabric, some medium weight interfacing, about an inch of velcro, and about 20 minutes.  These make up really quickly, and are the perfect quick project to use up the last bits of your favorite fabrics. As a bonus, they make a perfect gift for anyone and any occasion.  I made up a couple sets of these for Mother's Day, but they'd make great stocking stuffers as well.

Wouldn't these be so nice to keep your chargers nice and tidy in a bag or suitcase? 

Print off the Cord Keeper Template.  Apply medium weight fusible interfacing to the back of one piece of scrap fabric.  Cut one piece of interfaced fabric with the template, and one without.  You will need 2 total pieces of fabric for each cord keeper. Cut two small 1 inch pieces of velcro.

 Place the two fabric pieces with right sides together.  Stitch around the fabric pieces, 1/4" from the raw edges, leaving 2 inches or so open for turning.  Clip the corners close to the stitching line.  Notch the two curved ends of the cord keepers.

 Turn the cord keepers right side out through the open space.  Press.  Stitch 1/8" away from the pressed edges, to both secure the layers, and close off the open turning space.

Attach the velcro pieces to either end of the cord keeper.  One side should go on the front, and one on the back.

Wrap around your cords and chargers to keep things nice and tidy.  Who doesn't like a bit of organization?

Some of you have had trouble opening the template.  Here are the dimensions: 2 3/4"x 4 3/4".  Ends are rounded.

Sewing Tips and Tricks Round Up

Here are a few clever tips and tricks that I've rounded up on pinterest. What are your favorite sewing tips?

Source: futuregirl.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add tape to the bottom of your presser foot to sew vinyl easily.

Source: scientificseamstress.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Printable bias tape maker.

Source: sewmanyways.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Keep spools and bobbin thread together with golf tees.

Source: scrapbooksetc.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Store ribbon in oatmeal canister.

Source: fivegreenacres.wordpress.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Add seam allowance to your own patterns.

Source: marthastewart.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Make the perfect hem.

Tutorial-Gotta Go! Portable Plastic Bag Case

I've got another tutorial for you.  Today I'm going to show you how to make this simple plastic bag storage case....though it could be used for a number of different items, I'll be using it to store old grocery sacks in my diaper bag.  Grocery bags are great to have in a diaper bag, you can wrap soiled diapers in them, or throw wet or soiled clothing in them while you are out of the house.  I'm sure that those of you with pets use them frequently for clean up as well.  No pets?  No babies?  Do you get carsick?  Keep a small case full of plastic bags in the jockey box of your car for those windy roads and long drives.

This small fabric case will help reduce the bulk of the plastic bags, and reduce the noise that they cause when you have to pull them out of your bag to search for you wallet or car keys.

I may even use it for storing extra nursing pads.  You don't really want those floating around in the diaper bag....just waiting to fall out at an inopportune time.

Want to make one?  Keep reading for the full tutorial.