Headphone Covers: Smaller Things Are Harder

 

While I was writing the earbud post, I realized I never wrote about the headphone covers. I think I put them up on IG, it was a super quick thing that held up a lot better than I expected it would. And they are still rocking, 8 months later. I never knew I needed leopard headphone covers; they always make me smile when I see them. They make other people smile, too. 

But how much stress do you put on the covers of your earphones? The original foam covers were getting shredded around the edges but not falling off. I did use the originals for a pattern, but they were so stretched out, they were little use.

The key is to cut that center hole a little smaller than the thing it's going around. The second is to test your zig zag stitch on a sample before you commit to the actual piece. You will blow a couple of these testing this out. It is just part of the process, forgive yourself now. If your fleece is precious, test it out with some that is not as important to you. 

You will cut out a lot of little circles. This part gets old fast.

The trick is to only pull them on your headphones once. If they aren't quite right, you have to cut another one to try again. There's not enough elastic in fleece to do this twice, unless you want to sew a tiny line of stitches to snug them up onto the headphones.

I mean, you could.  I'm just not that ..... handsewing-y.

I'm really not a fine finishes person. I can knuckle down and do it for friends or customers, but for my own use, not so much. While working on the Haptic Map Quilt is improving my needle threading skills, my stitches are still inconsistent. I keep buying new hand sewing needles thinking that will do the trick.

Uh no. Practice will. Boring dull practice. Which I make me do while watching movies Saturday nights. Yes, Svengoolie monster movie time is handsewing practice. 

TnTee #sewcialists mini challenge

All cut out and ready to get sewn a month ago. I just finished the last one yesterday.

Things got busy!

 I make a lot of tshirts off the same pattern. I traced it off a t shirt that fit me, and have refined it from there.

And I cut out a batch of them on one evening.

Trying to grain up the fabric and get the biggest leftover piece for the collar (upper left corner of fabric here), meant I cut the sleeves on the fold (bottoms folded up equally) and let the leftover space between them determine their length (at bottom of photo). I had to piece the collar, which didn't really show.

Cutting down an XXL shirt for myself, here estimating where the logo will go. 

I am short, and I love logo shirts, so I do a lot of this.

Another tshirt, this one in black bamboo, same layout as first shirt.

This shirt was not touched. Yes, we date back to when Excel was Microplan. That's Mr I Worked On The Manual. He does have magic Excel powers.

I picked the sleeves off to make sure I could get all of their width. Yes, that was boring, but it was worth it. That's what I do on Saturday nights while watching Svengoolie horror classics; unpick seams. Think this one was The Wolfman.

Not that long, but I did add a little at the cuff for width later. It fits just fine.

Another t, adding stay tape to the back neck and shoulders to all of them one by one.

Those old serger spools come in handy for tape. I had to cut it in half lengthwise. It wouldn't iron to this poly, I don't know what it's issue was.

Use a thousand pins to add the collar

Sewing the tag on wrong

Tag sewn on right (used white stay tape for this shirt)

All I sew with is a sewing machine, reduced the pressure on the presser foot, use a zig zag stitch, and I test the stitches before I start every time. Sometimes I use a ballpoint needle, sometimes a stretch needle, sometimes I forget and use whatever is in the machine.

But I always test.

And I always prewash.

And I try very very hard to get the fabric ongrain first.

Enjoy!