The first time I saw a wireless charging bag, I immediately wanted one, except the style was way off from my personal taste — not to mention the price made me choke a little. I decided it would be fairly easy to make a pocket, outfitted with a portable wireless charger, that I could put into any bag I want. If you're even a little bit crafty, take a look at how easy (and cheap) it is to make your own wireless charging bag.
Not only can you make any bag a wireless charging bag, but you can make all of them wireless charging bags because this pocket is removable and can be strapped to any other bag that you add Velcro to!
This project assumes you have a basic understanding of sewing and access to a sewing machine.
- What you'll need
- Make the pattern
- Sew it all together
- Sew or stick the loop side of the Velcro inside your bag
- Hit the road with your wireless charging bag
What you'll need
You'll need a few basic sewing items, which if you own a sewing machine, you probably already have, and a few items specific to this craft.
- Plain white paper (for designing your pattern)
- A pen or pencil (for drawing your pattern)
- Scissors
- Sewing needle (this is in addition to your sewing machine)
- Pins
- Sewing machine (optional - you can hand-sew if you really want to)
- Fabric chalk (for marking measurements on your material)
- Measuring tape
- Fabric in complimentary colors to your bag - You don't need much, but you should measure your wireless charger and supported phone together and make sure you get plenty of extra. Get something sturdy.
- Thread in complimentary colors
- A length of elastic 1.5 inches wide
- A length of Velcro (aka hook-and-loop) 1.5 inches wide - You should consider using sticky-back for the "loop" side of the Velcro. My local fabric store sells the hook and loop sides separately.
- A portable Qi wireless charger. I bought the YGIVO power bank because it has a decent capacity and is very thin and light. Consider size and weight when making your purchase, but don't skimp on quality.
Make the pattern
To create this pattern, you'll need to do a lot of measuring. You'll need the wireless charger and your phone. Stack them on top of each other and set the stack on top of your paper.
Draw an outline around the largest device (your phone or charger, whichever is bigger). This is the starting point for finding the right measurements for the rest of the pocket.
Measure the stack height from the base to the top. This will determine how deep the pocket needs to be.
Add an additional half-inch all the way around the sides so you have plenty of room to properly hem it.
Cut out the pattern.
Fold your fabric in half, right sides facing out.
Pin the pattern to the fabric with the bottom of the pattern set up against the fold in the fabric. You're going to double the cutout to create the pocket.
Measure the elastic
The key for a good wireless charging pocket is to make sure the charger rests tightly against the phone. To ensure this, we're going to add an elastic band inside the pocket.
Use the measurements you made for the height of your stack (the phone and charger) to determine the amount of elastic to use. Reduce the measurement by 1/4 of an inch so that the elastic will be very tight. Mark the elastic with fabric chalk for that exact measurement. Then, add a half an inch on each side so you have enough room to sew the elastic to the pocket.
Measure the Velcro
The Velcro strips will go on the backside of the pocket. Cut a length of both the hook and loop sides that are about a half-inch shorter than the length of the folded-in-half fabric you've cut out for the pocket.
Cut out the fabric.
Sew it all together
This part takes place in a couple of steps. It's important to sew according to the steps so you don't end up having a difficult time trying to sew in the elastic or add the Velcro.
Step 1: Hem the top of the pocket
This is going to be the edge that shows, so be sure to hem the top and bottom of the fabric (the two sides that will be the opening of the pocket).
While you're at it, if you want your pocket to look really good, you should do a quick inside hem of the sides. This is an additional step that you don't really need to do, but it looks better. I left my sides raw.
Step 2: Sew in the elastic
You should create your elastic loop before closing the pocket so you aren't trying to sew inside the pocket or having to try to squeeze the fabric around your sewing machine.
Determine where you want the elastic to be. It should be at the direct middle of where the charger and phone will sit. I put the stack into the folded fabric, to see where the phone and charger naturally rested. Then, marked two spots with fabric chalk on either side of the stack.
Pin the elastic to the fabric so that the underside is flat against the fabric. This will create a sort of loop.
Hand sew the elastic to the fabric. Make sure to use a sturdy stitch so
Step 3: Sew or stick the hook side of the Velcro to the back of the pocket
Remember: you still haven't sewn the sides of the pocket together so the fabric should lay flat, allowing you to easily sew or stick the hook side of the Velcro to the back of the pocket.
Flip your fabric over so that the side with the elastic is underneath.
Determine where the Velcro should be. It should be no more than an inch from the sides and just below the top hem.
Pin the hook side of the Velcro to the back (the side with the elastic on the opposite side) so that it is just below the top hem.
If you're using the sticky-back hook side, remove the adhesive protector and press the Velcro to the fabric. If you're using the sew-on hook side, sew the Velcro to the fabric. Repeat for the second Velcro hook side.
Step 4: Sew the sides together
Only after you've hemmed the top of the pocket, sewn in the elastic, and sewn or stuck the hook side of the Velcro to the back should you sew the sides together. If you've finished steps 1 - 3, you're ready to go.
Fold the fabric in half so that the right sides are touching. The elastic band should be on the outside and the Velcro should be on the inside.
Sew the sides together using a 1/2-inch hem. If you didn't pre-hem, you can also use pinking shears to finish the raw edges. I didn't do either because I'm lazy and the pocket will be hidden inside of my bag anyway.
When you've finished sewing the sides, turn the pocket right-side-out.
Sew or stick the loop side of the Velcro inside your bag
Here's where that sticky-back loop side is important. If your back isn't huge, it's not going to be easy to sew a strip of Velcro into the lining of it. If you use a sticky-back strip, you don't have to try to maneuver a sewing job inside a small area.
Adhesive Velcro is not as sturdy as sewing it on. If at all possible, I recommend at least putting a couple of stitches into each corner of the strip to give it a little extra strength.
Measure the distance between the two hook-side Velcro strips on the back of your pocket.
Then, mark two spots on the inside of your bag that is the distance between the two strips. This is where you'll place the loop-side Velcro inside the bag.
Stick the loop side Velcro strips to the lining in your bag.
Sew little stitches into the corners if you're able to.
Hit the road with your wireless charging bag
You're done! Just stick the pocket to your bag using the Velcro and strap your wireless charger inside the elastic loop. Whenever your phone isn't in your hand, it can be resting against the portable wireless charger, juicing up!
Your crafty ideas?
Do you have any suggestions for making your own wireless charging bag? Or ways I could make my removable wireless charging pocket even better? Put them in the comments!
