Craft Project: Fully Charged Organizer

By Liz Kettle

Do you ever get to your vacation spot or business conference and realize you left a critical charger cord at home? Ugh! This has happened to me too many times. There are a few charger organizers on the market but they weren’t perfect and they were just a tad too boring in design. So, I did what any creative maker of stuff would do and designed a charger organizer that fit my unique charger needs! Best of all, it is a quick project and I had it ready to go for my next trip.

Before I got to work on the organizer I decided that cord wraps would be a great idea too. They would keep my cords neat and give the added benefit of clearly marking these as mine. There were a few times when my cords were picked up by someone else because they all look so similar.

Multi-Purpose Cloth (aka MPC) is a white non-woven canvas that is perfect for this project because it doesn’t fray, is sturdy and just heavy enough to give the organizer body. I use it for all sorts of bags, totes, placemats etc. You can purchase MPC from these on-line retailers www.artisticartifacts.com or www.bluetwigstudio.com. Heavy canvas or felt may be substituted but will give a different look and feel. Canvas will ravel so all the edges will need to be stitched tightly.

Cord Wraps

Supplies:

• Small pieces of MPC (Multi-Purpose Cloth)
• ½” hook and loop tape ~ sew in type
• Sewing machine

I use MPC so often that I usually have some scraps around. I gathered painted scraps but if you don’t have scraps laying around you can easily paint MPC with just about any coloring media or you could simply write your name on it or doodle with a marker.

1. Cut the MPC into strips ½” x 7”~ You need one for each cord. An extra large cord may need a longer strip.
2. Cut hook and loop tape into ½” pieces~ One set for each cord.

3. To attach the wrap to the cord, fold one end of the wrap around the cord and leave a little over ¼” overlap. Using your zipper foot, stitch along the edge of the MPC.

4. Use your open toe embroidery or #1 foot to reinforce the edge with a zigzag stitch.

5. Turn the wrap over and stitch the hook part of the hook and loop tape at the end of the zigzag stitch.

6. Determine the final length of the cord wrap by wrapping your cord and marking where the end needs to be to overlap the Velcro.

• Stitch the loop part of hook and loop tape on the back side of the strap.
• Wrap around the cord, secure with the hook and loop tape and your cords are neat
  and tidy!

Cord Organizer

Supplies:

• Multi-Purpose Cloth* 16″x12 ½”
• Decorative fabrics ~ 2 pieces 16″ x 12 1/2″ I used a Japanese linen fabric
• 4 feet of 1″wide ribbon or twill tape for closure
• 14″ of double folded seam tape
• Plastic for pockets (medium thickness)
• ¼” wide elastic ~ 14″
• Fusible web such as Misty Fuse
• Rotary Cutter and Cutting Mat
• Havel’s Non-Stick Scissors
• Sewing Machine

1. Using your rotary cutter and mat, cut the MPC, Misty Fuse and fabrics 16″ x 12 ½”. Layer the MPC, the Misty Fuse and the outer decorative fabric. Follow manufacturer’s directions to fuse together.

2. Repeat with the inner decorative fabric layer to cover both sides of the MPC. Set this aside for now.
3. Cut a piece of Misty Fuse ½” wide x 14″. Place this inside the folds of the unfolded seam tape. Use a Teflon pressing sheet and iron the tape to fuse the inner folds flat.

4. Pin in the 14″ of ¼” wide elastic to the back side of the seam tape.

5. Pin the elastic evenly around the tape while stretching to fit. When finished it will look like this.

6. Use a zigzag stitch to stitch the elastic to the seam tape.

7. When finished it will curl up like this.

8. Use a permanent marker and a ruler to mark the plastic.

9. Use non-stick scissors to cut a piece 20″ x 5″.

10. To personalize your organizer, place the specific charging cords and devices on the base of your organizer. Place the plastic over these. Begin on one end and pin the plastic to the edge. Then smooth the plastic between the cords to allow for the depth of the pocket and pin the bottom and top of the plastic onto the base fabric. Trim off the extra plastic with your non-stick scissors.

11. Remove the charging devices and mark the pin placement on the plastic on the bottom edge so you can realign it later. Mark the fabric as well or measure and record on a piece of paper. Remove the pins and plastic.

12. Place the seam tape along the top edge of the plastic, stretching to fit and stitch in place with a zigzag stitch.

13. Place the plastic back on the fabric and re-pin the plastic in place along the sides and bottom. Create small pleats or folds along the bottom edge of the plastic to make the pocket depth needed for the cords. Pin these in place. Stitch along the side and bottom edges with a straight stitch.

14. If stitching on the plastic is difficult, use a Teflon foot or simply stick a piece of tape on the bottom of your foot. This will help reduce drag from the plastic.

15. Stitch the pockets from the bottom of the plastic up to the seam tape covered edge using a straight stitch. Stitch back and forth a couple times at the top to reinforce the top edge.

16. Stitch around all the sides with a zigzag stitch. I like to use a multicolored thread and stitch around the edge multiple times to blend the thread colors. You can also use a satin stitch around the edge for a more finished edge.

17. Fold the wrapping ribbon or twill tape in half and place the fold on the middle of the top edge of the organizer on the outside. Stitch the ribbon securely with a zigzag stitch. I usually stitch it 2-4 times.

18. Place your charging devices and cords back in the plastic pockets.

19. Roll the organizer up from the bottom edge and wrap the ribbon around to tie. Trim ribbon as necessary. You are ready to travel anywhere fully charged!

Liz Kettle is a mixed media and textile artist living in Colorado. Liz is author of First Time Beading on Fabric and she is co-author of 2 books, Fabric Embellishing: The Basics and Beyond and Threads: The Basics and Beyond. Liz loves teaching and sharing the joy of making stuff in her articles, classes and workshops. Visit her blog and website where you can join the fun in her free on-line book studies @ www.TextileEvolution.com.