1. Crafts & DIY
  2. Sewing

From Sock to Sleeve: Make a Cute Cat Cover for Your Phone


Do you fancy giving your phone a purrr-fect look? Just follow our step-by-step instructions and learn how to transform an old sock in to a brand new sleeve for your phone.


0-supplies-cat sleeve tutorial

1. Cut the Sock

Step 1

First, measure your mobile phone. You need to know its height and width. I have a 'vintage' mobile, which is 11cm (4.3 in) tall and 4.5cm (1.8 in) wide.

2-measure mobile-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 2

Cut off the elastic section from the top of the sock.

3cut the sock-a-cat sleeve tutorial

To work out the height for your phone sleeve, add 3.5cm (1.4 in) to the height of your phone. For example, in my case is 11+ 3.5= 14.5cm (5.7 in). That's why you will need a knee high sock for this project so you have enough length in the part of the sock that is above the ankle. Calculate the final height measurement from the top of the sock (from where you've cut off the elastic bit) and cut across it horizontally.

4-cut the sock-b-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 3

Now, add about 1cm (0.4 in) to your mobile's width and cut the sock vertically at the calculated dimension. I needed to cut mine at 5.5cm (2.2 in), but your mobile might be wider than mine.

5-cut the sock-c-cat sleeve tutorial

2. Make the Ears

Step 1

Make a vertical cut on top of your sock at the middle of its width. The cut should about 3cm long. To be more exact, the cut should be as long as half the width of the sock. In my example it is 2.75cm (1.1 in).

6-cut the ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 2

Open the sock.

7-turn over and unfold-cat sleeve tutorial

Fold the flaps inwards, as demonstrated in the photo below, in a way that the upper edge aligns with the side edges. Four equal triangles are created in that way.

8-fold ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Pin the flaps in place with some sewing pins. The bottom edges of the four triangles should form a straight line.

9-pin ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 3

Sew the ears along the horizontal line at the bottom using whip stitch. It is a diagonal stitch which will not be visible on the outer side of the sock. Thread your needle and make a knot at the end. Sew from left to right if you are right-handed or from right to left if you are left-handed.

First insert your needle going downwards so that the knot stays in the inner part of the sock and come back up. Now make your first stitch forward picking a few threads of the sock on the lower fabric and come back up. Then pick a bit of fabric from the folded ear and pull the thread through. Move on to the next stitch and keep on stitching until you reach the other end of the line and all triangles are sewed in place.

10-sew ears-cat sleeve tutorial

3. Create the Face

Step 1

Draw a circle of about 4cm (1.6 in) in diameter on the white felt.

11-felt circle 1-cat sleeve tutorial

Cut out the circle.

12-felt circle2-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 2

Fold the sock in half with the correct side of the fabric facing outwards. Place the circle not exactly in the middle, but around 0.5cm (0.2 in) towards the folded side, because you will lose some fabric from the seam when sewing the sock later on.

As you may notice, I've already sewn the sock in the photo below, which wasn't the most practical way to go about the next step. It is feasible, but it is way easier creating the face before sewing the sock. So, sew the circle on to the sock using back-stitch around the perimeter of the circle.

13-sew felt circle-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 3

When the circle is in place, sew on a small bead at the top of the circle as a nose for your cat.

14-add nose-cat sleeve tutorial

Now following the lines of the downloadable pattern below, embroider the face using back stitch. Embroider along the dotted lines of the pattern to form the eyes, the nose and the whiskers. You can stitch all the elements with a continuous thread, as you won't be able to see the back side.

cat pattern-min
15-sew face-cat sleeve tutorial

4. Close the Sock

Step 1

Once the face is ready, fold the sock with the correct side facing inwards and pin along the open edges.

16-fold and pin sock-cat sleeve tutorial

Close the lower and right edge of the sock, sewing with back-stitch going from the lower left corner to the upper right. Make sure you stitch together all four layers of the sock once you reach the upper part with the folded ears.

17-sew sock-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 2

When all the stitching  is done, turn the sock inside out.

20-turn the sock inside out-cat sleeve tutorial

The first layer is ready.

21-sew ready-cat sleeve tutorial

5. Add the Inner Felt Layer

Step 1

Now use the sheet of yellow felt to create an inner layer for your sleeve. This will not only hide the seam, but it will also give a better shape to the sleeve and it will protect your phone even more. Cut a rectangular piece of felt that has the height of your sleeve and double the width.

22-felt inside-cat sleeve tutorial

Sew the lower and right edge of the felt, sewing with a back-stitch going from the lower left corner to the upper right.

23-felt sew-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 2

When you finish, secure the thread with a knot and the inner layer is ready. You don't need to turn it inside out.

24-felt inside2-cat sleeve tutorial

Just place it inside the sock. Make sure the seam of the felt is on the opposite side of the seam on the sock.

25-insert felt in sock-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 3

Once you place the felt inside the sock, use your fingers to make sure it has reached the bottom of the sock and spread it evenly inside. Cut a triangle on the top parallel to the ears' V cut, leaving about 0.5cm (0.2 in) from the edge of the sock.

26-cut felt ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Step 4

Make a tiny vertical cut on the top of the triangle, fold the felt inwards towards the sock and pin it there. Repeat for all four felt edges.

27-fold felt ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Sew the felt and the sock together using tiny discrete stitches. Pick a small amount of felt and then a small amount of sock fabric and pull through.

28-sew ears-cat sleeve tutorial

Now your phone sleeve is ready with an extra protective felt layer.

29-final1-cat sleeve

Slip Your Phone Inside the New Cover

Now just slip your phone in to the sleeve to give it a purrrr-fect look. You could always add a closing, but I prefer to keep it open as it makes it easier to reach my phone. And since the case is measured exactly, the phone can't slip out.

final5-cat sleeve
final2-cat sleeve

In this tutorial I showed you how to turn a sock in to a phone sleeve with a cute cat's face. You learned how to make a case with ears and how to add an inner protective layer of felt. You also learned how to do a whip stitch and how to embroider a cat's face.

You could use this idea and the new skills you learned on similar projects, like making a sleeve for your iPad or Kindle from a leg warmer.

Did you enjoy this project? Please drop us a line if you need any help with or if you have any suggestions or ideas.

Looking for something to help kick start your next project?