DIY Fabric iPhone Case Tutorial

Putting a phone on a plate seems like a bloggy thing to do, right?

When I first got my iPhone over two years ago, Chris said that I had to get a case because there was no way it would survive without one with me as the owner. He knows me. I chose a thick black leather case because I thought it looked business-y which would be perfect for whatever job I ended up landing and it and would go with every thing. It lasted for a year and five months until we went to Ireland. We ate lunch outside in a teeny tiny town, I remember taking a photo, getting into the car, falling asleep as I always did and then when I woke up, the iPhone case was gone! I couldn't find it anywhere in the car. Surprisingly, I didn't break my phone during the remainder of the trip. 

After coming home in September, I purchased this case: a Hex case in khaki canvas. When I spend a lot of money on something (I think $35 on a phone case is definitely expensive), I want it to be classic and go well with whatever I'm doing so I was happy to find it. Starting in May, the canvas just started to fall apart. I just ignored its ratty nature until I had fraying strings occasionally block Kodak moments. That wouldn't do for this mama paparazzo. No siree. 

But what to do? I didn't want to spend money on another case! And so the fabric case cover was born. I originally tried using some scrap fabric that I had at home which worked perfectly fine, but when I was perusing a local fabric store I came across this blue and white floral sample that made me tear off my first fabric cover without a second thought. I'm like Tess, I love blue and white. Otherwise, I had everything else on hand so it was a cheap makeover, which warranted my new found delight of having a non-classic phone case. 

Here is a tutorial. It is incredibly easy, but it looks like a lot only because I always prefer tutorials that are excessive on the details ... much like my storytelling. 

Plus an X-acto knife! 

 

Materials: phone case, fabric (about 6in x 8in), Mod Podge (shiny or matte), paint brush, X-acto knife

1. Tear the old fabric off of your case. 
2. Position the fabric pattern to your liking. 
3. Paint the Mod Podge on to the bare case. 
4. Place the fabric onto the case and then paint even more Mod Podge over the fabric.
5. Let dry. You could probably wait only 15-20 minutes, but I worked on this throughout the day in between Ryan spilling spices, getting into the freezer, etc. so I normally waited at least an hour before returning to the project.
6. It is dry! 
7. Turn the phone case over. Paint glue on the sides and on the inside.
8. Fold the fabric over and shape to the case.
9. Using the X-acto knife, trim the excess fabric on the sides.
10. Press the fabric against the sides again and repaint with glue. Let dry.
11. Trim the excess fabric with the knife. 
12. Fold the fabric at the top and bottom as if you were wrapping a present.
13. Then old the fabric over the case. 
14. Mod Podge the top and bottom of the phone case.
15. Mold the fabric to the corners.
16. Trim the excess fabric using scissors.
17. Continue trimming the fabric with the X-acto knife.
18. Mod Podge again! Press the fabric down as much as you can and let dry.
19. When dry, turn the case over and carefully use the X-acto knife to cut out the fabric around the camera hole of the case. Be sure to do this at the end when the fabric has been painted with Mod Podge multiple times because it won't fray. 
20. Turn back over and trim, trim, trim until your iPhone perfectly fits into the case. This will take some trial and error, especially at the corners.
21. Once you know that your iPhone will fit, take the phone out and ... you guessed it, another coat of the that magic Mod Podge. Let dry.
22. Put your phone back in and enjoy!

So go out, try it and then report back to me with a bouquet of mirror selfies.