Quilt Block Charging Station ~ Monthly Crafty Destash Challenge

It’s time for another Monthly Crafty Destash Challenge!  I have a couple places in my craft space that need a place for my phone to rest when charging.  There’s also many, many orphan quilt blocks floating around for one reason or another & they are perfect for small sewing projects.  This quilt block charging station will help me use up orphan blocks & charge my phone!

Every month, a group of bloggers challenge each other to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies!  Rules are to use mostly things from your stash & up to $10 in extra supplies if needed.  Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge

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Charging Problems

The first area I charge my phone is on one side of my drafting table where a power strip runs from the wall on the floor.  I keep my 10′ charging cord here so I can still take pictures if my phone is being charged.

That strip on the side of the table is metal, which means I need to think a little about how to hang something there.

The second area I charge my phone is beside my thinking chair with a shorter cable.

I have seen many charging pouches on Pinterest that fit over the plug, but I find that a little unsafe.  Especially since my plugs are old & cantankerous!

There are so many orphan quilt blocks hanging out in my craft room which would be perfect for making a charging pouch.

What is an orphan quilt block?  Just a quilt block that was made & has no quilt to call home!  Blocks I’ve made from testing, from abandoned QAL’s, or that I didn’t like the fabrics I chose.  {The one’s on the left are two blocks I created for blog tutorials, which you can find here & here.}

I picked these two orphans to make my charging pouches.  The one on the left is about 9.5″ square & the right one is about 6.5″ square.  I want to quilt these before making the pouches, but I’m only using batting, no backing.

These quilt blocks were quilted without breaking thread – yay!  I followed the center pattern for the larger block with a spiral & used echoed triangles in the outer portion.  I wanted the sewing machine to pop in the second block, so I just used some echoed straight line stitching around it.

Now it’s time to sew some pouches!

Large Pouch

You will need a backing fabric, lining fabric, & one quilt block to make these pouches.  The size is based on the size of the quilt block.  Since this block is made with Valentine type fabrics, I picked a backing & lining to coordinate.  We need love everyday, not just on Valentine’s Day!  ; )

The backing fabric will be shorter than the lining.  I laid my block on the lining fabric, wrong sides together, & cut the lining to be about 3″ taller than the block.

Place backing & block right sides together & sew along the bottom edge.  If your block or backing fabric have an up and down direction, make sure you are sewing bottom edges together.  This will make sure everything faces the right way when the pouch is finished.  My backing doesn’t have a bottom & top but there is a frog on my block that I want to be upright.

Once the block & backing are sewn together, lay it on the lining, right sides together.  Cut out the lining fabric to match the size of the sewn piece.

After I cut the lining to size, I pinned everything in the centers to keep it from shifting while sewing.  Starting at the seam, I sewed all sides together, leaving about a 3″ opening for turning.

I liked to cross my corner stitching & reinforce with back stitches.  This is done continuously as well, by putting the needle up when I reach the end & pulling out some thread to turn the corner.

Clip all the corners, turn it right side out, & press seams flat.

I’m adding sew on Velcro to the back of the pouch so I can use it with these Velcro Command strips.  Sticky backed Velcro on fabric does not hold up to repeated use, in my experience.

I placed the command strips on the sew on Velcro before removing the paper backs, so I could be sure everything lined up.

The only thing left to do, was fold the quilt block up & sew from one bottom side around to the other bottom side.  This attaches the front to the back, closes the opening, & adds a top stitch to the top of the pouch.  Here it is hanging & ready for use!

I folded this one to let the backing show a little because I liked the look.

My 10′ cord fits perfectly with plenty of room for my phone when charging.

Small Pouch

I made the small pouch in the same way as the large one, except for the Velcro.  I’m using this fun scissor fabric for the lining & some Riley Blake ribbon that came off of charm packs for the tabs.  {By the way, you can find the pattern for this FPP sewing machine on Craftsy.  It’s by Jennifer Ofenstein from Sewhooked.}

The backing fabric for this pouch is only about 3/4″ taller than the block.  That was only because I needed it to be shorter to fit the space where it would be hanging.

Before I attached the front & back together, I added two pieces of folded ribbon between them at the top of the pouch.

This pouch is my favorite!

To hang this pouch, I used the same tools I did to make my mini quilt hanger.  Cup hooks & a dowel!

This little pouch will keep my phone off the floor when I’m chilling in my thinking chair!

It makes me smile every time I see it!

This would make a great Christmas gift!  As for my other orphan blocks… they will find a home one day!  Probably soon rather than later, since this little project has given me many more ideas.  ; )  Be sure to check out the other projects in the link up at the bottom!

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If you’d like to join in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge, you can request to join our Facebook group here!