By Haley Pierson-Cox
Do you ever sit back in your cube, listening to the hum of fluorescent lights and the low rumble of keyboards clacking away in the distance, wondering how you can take your geek cred to the next level? Well, I’m pretty sure that a handmade TARDIS phone charging station would do the trick!
Materials
Printer
Pattern PDF see below
Scissors
Wool felt:
(2) 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets in navy blue
4″x 4″ sheet in light blue
4″x 4″ sheet in white
4″ x 4″ sheet in black
2-ply embroidery floss, 1 skein each in navy blue, light blue, white, and black
Embroidery needle
Tape
Plastic canvas, 12″ x 18″ sheet, size 7
Small button, about 1/2″ diameter
Worsted weight yarn, less than 1 skein in navy blue
Chenille needle, in a size compatible with your yarn
Binder clip, optional
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Download the TARDIS Phone Charging Station PDF Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs. |
Directions
Step 1: Print out the pattern PDF and cut out each piece. Then, use the following key to cut your felt and plastic canvas. (Each pattern piece is lettered.)
A: Cut 1 plastic canvas and 2 navy blue felt pieces
B, C, D, and F: Cut 1 navy blue felt piece each
E and J: Cut 1 black felt piece
G: Cut 2 white felt pieces
H: Cut 6 light blue felt pieces
I and K: Cut 1 white felt piece each
L: Cut 4 black felt pieces
M: Cut 2 black felt pieces
N: Cut 2 plastic canvas and 4 navy blue felt pieces
O: Cut 1 plastic canvas and 2 navy blue felt pieces
P: Cut 1 plastic canvas and 2 navy blue felt pieces
Q: Cut 1 plastic canvas and 2 navy blue felt pieces
Step 2: Select one of the navy blue felt pieces cut from pattern piece A. Begin adding details to the body of your TARDIS by attaching piece B to the top of piece A, using navy blue embroidery floss. Use a whipstitch around the outside edges and a straight stitch on the inside.
As shown in the photo, continue to build the foundation for the “Police Box” sign by layering felt piece C on top of piece B, piece D on top of piece C, and then piece E on top of piece D.
Step 3: Using a straight stitch on the inside and a whipstitch around the outside edges, attach felt piece F to the bottom of the TARDIS body (piece A) with navy blue embroidery floss.
Step 4: Attach the 2 white felt window pieces (piece G) and the 6 light blue door pieces (piece H) to the TARDIS body using a straight stitch. Use white embroidery floss for the windows and light blue embroidery floss for the door pieces.
Step 5: Attach the black felt windowpanes (pieces L and M) and the white door sign (piece I) to the TARDIS body using a straight stitch. Use black embroidery floss for the windowpanes and white embroidery floss for the door sign.
Next, attach the lantern pieces to the top of the TARDIS by stitching piece J in place, then layering piece K on top. Use embroidery floss in corresponding colors, and use the same whipstitch and straight stitch methods from the previous steps.
Step 6: Add 4 lines of faux writing to the door sign using backstitch in straight lines.
Step 7: To add the “Police Box” lettering, tape the guide over the black rectangle at the top of the TARDIS body. Then, using white embroidery floss, carefully backstitch through the letters on the paper. When you’re done, gently tear the paper away to reveal your stitches.
Step 8: Begin constructing the charging station. To start, layer the plastic canvas pieces for N, O, and P (the side pieces) between their corresponding layers of navy blue felt. Using yarn and a chenille needle, whipstitch around ONE of the long edges on each piece, inserting the needle into the squares around the edge of the plastic canvas with each stitch, and securing it in place between the felt pieces. At this time, you can also whipstitch around the opening in piece P.
For the TARDIS body (piece A), layer the plastic canvas between the appliquéd felt and the non-appliquéd felt pieces and whipstitch into the plastic canvas squares around the outer edge, leaving only the left side unstitched.
Step 9: Layer the plastic canvas between the felt pieces for the box bottom (piece Q,), then attach one of the side pieces (N) by whipstitching through the plastic canvas squares along the edge. I found that holding the pieces together with a binder clip made it easier to keep everything in place while I worked.
Step 10: Continue attaching the side pieces (N, O, and P) to the bottom of the box (piece Q), using yarn. When you arrive at a corner, whipstitch the 2 side pieces together as shown.
Continue the process until all 4 sides of the box have been constructed.
Note: You can avoid knots and bumps by whipstitching around yarn ends as you go, or by slipping your needle under a stitch on the inside the box to secure the yarn in place, then cutting off any excess length.
Step 11: Attach the TARDIS body to the box along the left side using a whipstitch with yarn. Make sure the opening in the box (piece P) is at the bottom of the TARDIS.
Step 12: Make a closure for your charging station by sewing a small button to the base of the box, then tying a loop of yarn through the edge of the plastic canvas on the top.
You’re done! You can now plug in your phone, secure in the knowledge that you’ve just made the most awesomely geeky charging station ever.
About the Author:
Haley Pierson-Cox is a Brooklyn-based craft writer who loves granny glasses and loathes extraneous apostrophes. She blogs about crafts, cats, domestic bliss, and DIY goodness at The Zen of Making.
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