Click through our slideshow for instructions on how to turn a tie into a cellphone sleeve. | Photo by Lori Eanes

What You'll Need

• Necktie
• Pins
• Sewing chalk
• Tape measure and/or ruler
• Cutting wheel and mat or sewing scissors
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Iron and ironing board
• Button or snap

Step 1: Lay the tie out flat. Fold down the point to make a straight edge, and pin it in place. Measure 6 inches down and mark it with the chalk.

Photo by Wendy Becktold

Step 2: Use the ruler (and the chalk if you are using sewing scissors) to mark a straight line across and cut off the rest of the tie.

Step 3: If your tie has a stitch binding the front and back, snip it.

Step 4: Unfortunately, this will probably also undo the vertical seam that holds the tie together. If so, turn the tie inside out, pin the vertical seam back together, and sew it.

Step 5: Decide whether to keep or take out the interfacing. This thick piece of fabric helps the tie hold its shape and will provide extra padding for your phone, but it's hard for many sewing machines to handle. (My machine couldn't, so I opted to keep the interfacing and sew by hand.)

Step 6: Draw a straight line across the bottom of the tie and pin, leaving at least a half inch of excess fabric. (To make sure your pocket is the right size, turn it right side out and put your phone in, then take your phone out and turn the pocket back inside out.)

Step 7: Sew along the chalk line and trim away the excess fabric. Note: You can round the corners by sewing diagonally across them, making a tiny triangle on each end. However, when I tried this with the first pocket I made, I had trouble getting both corners to look uniform, so this time I skipped it.

Step 8: Turn the pocket right side out and assess your work; because of the slippery fabric and the design of the tie, it's difficult to fashion a truly symmetrical pocket. If yours falls short in this category, let the iron come to your rescue, as it does for many less-than-perfect sewing jobs, making things look crisp and tidy where perhaps they are not. Just place the pocket under some thin cotton fabric and put the setting on low to avoid damaging the silk.

Step 9: Sew the bottom piece of the snap onto the top center of the pocket.

Step 10: On the inside of the flap, mark the spot with sewing chalk where the top piece of the snap should go and sew.

Step 11: Snap the pocket shut and iron once more to create a nice, clean crease for the flap.

Step 12: Slip the phone in your phone and snap it shut.