Ultra Dirt Cheap Phone Case From Old Leather Work Boots.

This is how i made a phone case while I am trapped in the desert (due to my job) where tools and materials are very hard to come by...unless you brought some with you.

Let me show you how I made my phone case from things just lying around my location (mostly junk) without spending a dollar..

Let's begin!!!

Step 1: Gathering Your Materials

This list will actually depend on the availability of materials that you have.

I will just list down the materials that I used .

Leather boots
Some nylon rope I picked up
Welding rod (made to an awl)
Wooden analog for phone(wooden side of a broken drawer)
Sharp knife
Needle
Glue
Vaseline
Some rags
Reflector strip (from an old coverall)
Fork

Step 2: Harvesting and Cleaning the Leather

First of all you need some leather to start with the project. This is actually the first time I worked with leather.

I got my leather from my old boots (I received a new pair). I just cut the boots and washed the leather with some detergent and water.

While damp I stuck it under a book and put some weights on top to flatten it.

Step 3: Forming the Leather

Now get your leather and get it damp. Wrap it on your phone analog. I used a wood from a broken drawer which is fortunately the same width as my phone.

Wrap your leather with some rags and dry it under the sun. This will be your front part for your case

Step 4: Cutting the Pieces

Now that your leather is formed we need to cut the excess leather off.
Mark your leather where you will cut it (depends on the size of your phone) and leave about 1/4 inch in all sides for stitches.

Do the same for another piece of leather by tracing your phone on it. Leave about 1/4 inch as margin for stitches on all sides and cut it. This will be the back part of your case.

Step 5: Punching Holes, Stitching the Bottom and Adding the Puller

Get your pieces and line them up. I used a fork to make equally space marks for the holes. Do it on the bottom and sides and punch holes using an awl (I used a sharpened welding rod).

After punching the holes I started stitching the bottom part of the case. I used some nylon strands from a nylon rope.

You can also add your ribbon ( I used a reflectorized strip) on the inside of the case. I glued it and stitched it on the wrong side of the front piece and made a slit for the puller on the back piece. I also lubricated the strip with vaseline and wiped the excess off. This will allow you to lift the phone out of the case when you pull the ribbon. I just copied the design from a cheap phone case.

For the stitching part,I just did a simple continuous stitch two times;, once on each side. You can just google some techniques..

Step 6: Stitching the Sides and Adding the Puller

I just did a continuous stitch and made 2 passes to achieve that professional stitching look. (I really don't know how to stitch. Lol!) My only experience would be suturing human skin. (Human leather?)

Attach the puller on the ribbon. I used a small leftover leather from the boot.

Step 7: Test Fit

Almost done! Test the fit of your case by putting your phone or analog inside the case. I lubricated it with some Vaseline so it won't get stuck.

If it is too tight, dampen your leather and insert the analog until it dries. It will stretch the leather and give you that snug fit for your phone.

Step 8: Adding Minor Details and Polishing

Technically your phone case is done but we can still add some improvements.

I did a cut on the front part to expose the camera. I gave one to my friend since we have the same phone.

I made another one for myself where I added a sort of belt clip made from an old keychain and a welding rod. I also added a volume rocker on the side so I can adjust the volume when listening to music without removing the phone from the case.

For the volume rocker, I used a small strip op leather, dampen it and used the head of a two kinds of screws: (+) (-) to make an impression on the leather. I highlighted it using some correction pen and glued on the side to where the volume controls would be.

I used Vaseline for polishing and it worked great.

Sorry for the picture orientation. I uploaded this using my phone and I can't change the orientation. (Changed pic orientation and reuploaded)

Hope you enjoyed reading this instructable. Please comment and vote for me.