Shuffle Band

I posted this over at Kojodesigns earlier this week but I like to post my guest posts here too.


This shuffle band is a lot like this i-pod armband found here but for about 1/4 of the cost.

Here goes:
_______________________________________________
Hello Kojodesign readers! I am so excited to be guest posting for Kirstin and Jordan.

These gals are incredibly talented and so genuine and kind.

These girls have unforgettable crafts too. Their ruffle pomander ornaments and their tea wreath {which I just found out was featured on Apartment Therapy – congrats girls!} have been on my mind for about a year…and those projects are actually on my to do docket this next week.

They have been rocking SYTYC. Jordan’s photography is breathtaking – just check out their pictures from last week’s SYTYC entry! I just love Kirstin and Jordan. How can you not?

So when they asked me to come celebrate gifts for guys I was thrilled… and admittedly nervous! Guys are hard to craft for. I don’t need to tell you that I’m sure. I played around with a few ideas, but after much deliberation…..

I give you the shuffle band!

It is an armband that holds your i-pod shuffle while you exercise.

Even better…I give you an I-pod shuffle exercise arm band for about $2.50! No kidding! It is a fast, easy craft too!

Want to make one? Believe it or not the hardest part is getting the buckle. Once you have all the materials though you can whip one up in about 30 minutes or less!

You need:
-A sewing machine

-Black thread

-18+ inch piece of 1 1/2 inch wide black elastic

-3 inch piece of 3/4 inch wide black elastic

-*Black Velcro:
        7+ inches of loop
        3 inches of hook
      
-**One tri-glider buckle piece

*I bought the 99 cent bundle of Velcro at Joann’s that has a yard each of loop and hook. You’ll be sure to have plenty and it’s inexpensive.

**I could not find a tri-glider piece or buckle large enough for the 1 1/2 inch elastic at Hobby Lobby or Joann. had to go to a sporting goods store. They had a six pack of 1 1/2 inch wide tri-glider buckles for $1.99. So one buckle is about 35 cents a piece after tax! Just be sure to look in the camping or rock climbing section.

1. Cut your pieces. ** Please keep in mind: These look a bit longer than my finished project because I started out too big.

My husband’s bicep is about 14 1/2 inches around. So here are the measurements I used for him:

Wide elastic {1 1/2 inch}: 18 1/2 inches
Narrow elastic {3/4 inch}: 3 inches {this is what it should be regardless of arm size}
Velcro loop side {soft, fuzzy side}: 7 1/4 inches
Velcro hook side{rough, spiky side}: 2 3/4 inches

2. Loop your wide elastic into the tri-glider buckle piece. Make sure the slightly raised side is up. You don’t want the buckle digging into their arm.

Pull about 1.5-2 inches through, fold the raw side of the elastic under…

…and sew closed. I used two lines of straight stitches. You can use a zig-zag stitch if you prefer. I think the straight-stitch looks cleaner.

3. Attach the narrow elastic to make the i-pod holder. Somehow I must have erased the picture of it pinned and ready to be sewn…sorry.

You simply fold the elastic under on both sides about 1/2 an inch. Pin one side about 1/2 inch away from first seam you made when sewing on the tri-glider. You also want to make sure it is as centered in the middle of the band.

Sew closed twice on each side: on the sides at the fold and on the inside where the folded elastic ends.

The i-pod nicely clips on right here as you can see.

4. Now…grab that other end.

Fold it under and sew closed. The folded portion of my end uses about an inch total of elastic.

Make sure you are folding it in toward the right side  of the elastic…the same side your i-pod holder is on…so that when you loop it through the tri-glider the right smooth side will show on the outside, and the sewn under side will be Velcro-ed down.

5. Now for the Velcro. Add the hook Velcro to the folded end, sewn under side up. Put it right on top of the fold to the very edge.

Then add the loop velcro right under it. This shows more space between the i-pod holder and the loop velcro because this was taken before I re-sized it. The Velcro should end about 1 to 1 1/2 inch away from the i-pod holder. I also had the hook and loop velcro touching in my finished band. 

This is the finished product so you can see what I mean:

 

I used a straight stitch around the velcro as well because it looks cleaner, but found later that a zig zag stitch on the short ends of the velcro is important to allow for stretch. If you do not do this the stitches will come loose.

Thread it through the buckle…slide it onto your arm…pull it tight…

clip on the i-pod…pick your favorite workout songs…

and you’re ready to go!

Variations:

Make it longer so you can put it around your leg and attach a pedometer to it.

Make a brightly colored one by dyeing some elastic. I was excited to do this, but my husband insisted on black. 🙂

Thanks again to Kirstin and Jordan for letting me party with you guys!

Happy Guy Crafting!