How to sew a phone neck pouch for hands-free talking

I find myself talking to people on the phone when I need to be writing down a lot of information at the same time. Rather than use ear buds with a microphone it is faster and more comfortable for me to just use the speaker phone. This phone neck pouch allows me to use the speaker and at the same still keeps both of my hands free.

Supplies

1.) Fabric - you will need a strip about 8" x 24" for the main body and another strip about 4" x 12"

2.) Sewing machine or needle and thread

3.) String - I used soft t-shirt yarn since I will be wearing it around my neck but anything will do, about 24" of length

Step 1: Prepare Your Fabric

You will need 2 pieces of rectangular fabric cut 8"x24" and another strip about 4" x 12". The larger rectangle will be the main body of the pouch and the smaller piece will be folded to provide a channel to run your string through. I washed and dried my fabric first to account for shrinkage, and then ironed a section larger than what I was going to cut out. Pay attention to the direction of the pattern design when you cut. If there is a design on the fabric that needs to be "up" in the final project make sure it is cut with that direction along the long axis of the big rectangle. You may also want to do this for the smaller rectangle.

I then folded the edges about 1/4" all around both pieces to hide the unfinished ends. It is simpler to just fold the edges once since the edges will be hidden inside when sewn together later. I folded the edges twice in the photos and sewed them down but realized later that it just added unnecessary bulk to the seams

This pouch was sized for the iPhone 13 mini. A larger phone will require you to adjust the dimensions of the big piece accordingly.

Step 2: Sew Your Big Pieces

With the edges neatly pressed take your big rectangle and fold it in half once along the long axis so the pattern shows on the outside (the insides with your folded seams will be facing together). Then take the bottom and fold it once more towards the top (this will make the project 4 layers thick) as seen in the photo using the kitty fabric.

Now take your phone and place it in the middle of the four layers. Adjust the top layer covering your phone down so it exposes about 1/2" of your phone at the top, the bottom of the phone supported by the fabric fold. This way the fabric doesn't cover the microphone and the speakers. Make sure the fabric design is facing the correct direction before you start sewing.

Once you have the fabric folded where you want it over your phone, take the phone out and sew the right and left sides as indicated by the white lines in the photo, but leave the top edges open.

Step 3: Sew the Small Piece

Sew the folded edges down all the way around the smaller rectangle. Then fold it twice to make a four layer channel to run our string through. Now insert the folded piece in between the open layers at the top of the main pouch like in the photo. Make sure the pattern shows on the outside in the correct direction. Sew all the way across the top of the project with the folded string channel in the middle.

Step 4: Stitch the Phone Pocket

Position your phone in the middle of the pouch and mark lines at least 1/2" on each side of the phone. You will need this space to account for the width of the phone or it will not fit. Stitch down the lines as shown in the photo. The pocket needs to be loose enough to move the phone in and out of the pocket quickly.

There will now be two channels on either side of the phone pocket that can be used for carrying pens or styli.

Step 5: Add the String

I used soft t-shirt yarn as my string, but paracord or almost anything else will work. I cut about 24" and trimmed it down later. Thread the string through the fabric channel and tie an overhand knot on each end of the string to prevent fraying. The knot I used to connect the end of the strings together is called a "midshipman's knot". This is actually a sliding knot which you can use to raise or lower the pouch. Depending on the position I'm in (sitting vs. standing, etc.) I need to bring the phone closer or further from my mouth and I can easily do it with this knot. You can Google the knot to see how to make it.

When using the pouch I insert the phone upside down so my mouth is closest to the speaker, I can also connect the power cord to charge while I'm talking too.