How to Make a USB Thumb Drive Gift More Memorable

A USB thumb drive is both small and handy, but an ordinary thumb drive is not really a cool present to give (unless it's packed with giga bytes, of course).

I wanted one of those fancy Japanese inspired pen drives, looking like a car or a sushi bite, to give away, but they are very hard to come by in Norway. So I started looking for instructables showing how to make one by myself. But all the projects I found were either time consuming and difficult, or the parts were too hard to find. So, wandered different toy stores, and found... a toy doll.

The 1 GB thumb drive I already had bought happened to have a "durable rubber construction". Now, wouldn't that make me able to sew this pen drive firm inside the toy doll?

This is a low-priced project, with prices varying depending on thumb drive size and how sophisticated doll you find.

Step 1: What and With

This idea is based on a toy doll and a rubber coated thumb drive, and the technical skill of sewing.

I had might not thought of this if it wasn't for the rubber coating, so if you can not find a thumb drive of this kind, you might have to experiment with glue. I tried once with a regular thumb drive, and attach an elastic band to the doll to fold around the thumb drive, sort of like a mitten. That turned out to be too difficult for me, but also an idea if you like.

So, here is the list of what you need:

1 toy doll of your preferences (i found these $0.90 ones at IKEA)
1 rubber coated USB thumb drive (this one works perfect)

1 sewing thread of perfect color
1 sewing needle
1 pair of tweezers
1 tiny sharp knife thingie, called seam ripper or stitch ripper

Step 2: Cut the Seam and Pull Out Some Stuffing

So, lets begin.

When choosing a toy doll it is important to keep in mind that the USB plug has to get out somewhere, so look for a "natural" place for this.

Then cut seam carefully, not too wide.

To make room for the thumb drive, you most likely have to remove some stuffing.

Step 3: Insert the Thumb Drive and Prepare for Sewing

When inserting the thumb drive, think about which way it is most natural for the doll to face. Many computers, laptops, have often limited space for chunky peripherals.

Also, be carefull when inserting so the seam don't come unnecessary unsewn.

When the drive is fully inserted you might discover that too much stuffing is removed. Working with the pincette or a small flat screwdriver you are able to stuff the doll to make it look healthy again.

I remember learning at school to make a tiny knot on the sewing thread before starting. This way the thread is easier to fasten when starting sewing.

Step 4: Start to Sew. Do Your Best...

Now, since we have unsewn the seam, we have to make sure the split get tightened again.

So, start in one end and sew till you have fastened this end well enough.

When the cut is fastened, you can start sewing the rubber coating to the doll fabric. You don't have to sew around the whole opening, just sewing the ends of the thumb drive will do fine, as pictured below.

Step 5: Name It Something Friendly, and Give It to Someone You Like

Insert the new thumb drive in your computer and rename the drive something suitable. Make sure it works fine.

Now, give it to someone you care about.