IPod Touch Holder for Running

This is the 3rd or 4th Touch Holder I've made for running.  The first ones only used a clear plastic piece on the front and fabric on the back.  I found that the plastic torn easily because the velcro pulled on it when the straps were tight enough to keep the unit snug.  Today I got a brain storm and made the top of the holder out of fabric and then created a "window" inside it for the plastic.  I am more confident that this design will hold up better than the previous holders.  It has an elastic band to slip over your arm to hold it on when I tighten the velcro to keep it secure.  I know a lot of runners carry their device on their upper arm, but this design is meant for your forearm or closer to your wrist. I like being able to check my stats or pause it easily.

MATERIALS

You will need:

• 3 pieces of cotton fabric - 4" x 6"
• a piece of flexible, clear plastic; the type as is used for tablescloths or clothes.  It should be as big as the cotton fabric, but a bit larger is better
• A zipper, contrasting or matching - 4 inches or longer
• thead
• zipper foot
• buttonhole foot
• zig-zig foot
• 10 inches of soft velcro cut into 5 inch lengths
• a piece of  2" wide, soft elastic large enough to overlap about  an inch when placed around your arm. (It doesn't have to be snug.  The elastic holds it steady while the velcro keeps it snug
• scotch tape
• traced shape on paper of the outside of the touch (it's an oval 2.5 x 4.5 with rounded edges.

 Take two of the fabric pieces, right sides together, and place the traced shape in the center.  Sew around the shape through both pieces of fabric.

 Cut the center out, and bring the wrong sides together.  Pin the edges together and press with an iron.

 Place the plastic over the fabric "frame" and stitch in place.  If your plastic is larger than the frame it's a little easier to stitch in place.  If you stitch with the plastic touching the machine foot, you'll need to use a teflon foot.  You can also stitch with the plastic on the bottom of the frame and that works well too and you won't need a special foot.  If you find the plastic sticking, place a piece of tissue paper under between the plastic and the surface to which it is sticking.
Trim the plastic even with the outside of the frame.

 Take the third piece of fabric, and stitch a buttonhole in the bottom, left side, about 1 inch from the edge, for the headphone connection to fit through.  If your headphones have an angle connection, you'll need a larger hole than if the connection is straight.  Open the buttonhole with a sharp scissors.

Stitch the wide elastic in the center of the back piece going from one short side to the other.

Close the elastic by over-lapping the ends and then zig-zag the edges to keep the elastic from fraying.  I opted to not put the edges together because I didn't want to have a "lump".

To recap where we are:  The front is complete with a clear, plastic window.  The back has a buttonhole for the earphone to connect into the Touch, and there's a wide elastic band stitched to the back to slip over your arm for safety and to make closing the velcro (not stitched in place yet) easier.


Time to add the zipper.  Lay the zipper, right side down on the right side of the top (frame). I used the plastic side as my right side to protect my device from sprinklers or an unexpected rain. Stitch in place.  Turn the zipper right side up and lay the back fabric, right side down.  Match the edges, and stitch.

 When you open up both sides, the zipper will be in the middle and it should look like this.  You can trim your zipper if it's a little long.  Just make sure you hand stitch across the teeth while the zipper is closed to create a stop for the zipper pull.

 This is the trickiest part of the project.  Take each piece of velcro, and lay them on top of the frame.  The hook pieces will be on one side and the loop on the other.  I like to bring the hook to the back and loop from the back to the front when attaching it to wear.  It's a personal preference.  However, the hook tape faces DOWN when being attached.  The loop tape will face UP when being attached.  A zipper foot comes in handy to stitch them on since the seams are only about 1/4 of an inch.

Fold up the velcro and use removable scotch tape to hold them out of the way. Open the zipper so the holder can be turned right side out when all sides are stitched. It's also helpful to fold up the elastic to keep it out of the way for the next step.

With right sides together, stitch the front and back together on all three sides. Turn your new holder right side out.