Sewing Tutorial: Phone Running Pouch

Necessity is the mother of invention. This novice runner can't quite figure out how to carry her phone without flailing arms also ripping her earphones out. Some days that music is the only thing keeping my feet moving forward. My husband uses an arm band to carry his phone while running, but I'm just not a fan. Zippered bags are more my thing. The phone running pouch was born.

I'm sharing a sewing tutorial below so that you can make one of your very own too. For free! ​

Gather supplies. Here I have a buckle, 7" zipper and two pieces of home décor weight fabric cut to 8" wide x 6" tall. Not pictured are basic sewing supplies like machine, thread, etc.

Measure your phone with or without a case (however you plan to use it) and add two inches to each side. My phone is 4"x6", so I cut the fabric for the pouch at 6"x8". 

With zipper facing down and fabric facing up, align the zipper with the top long edge of that piece of fabric. Stitch in place using a zipper foot with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Flip the zipper up and topstitch along the length of the zipper with a seam allowance between 1/8-1/4".

With second piece of fabric right side down, place it on top of the zipper, aligning the edge with the edge of the zipper. Zipper will be facing up, fabric pieces right sides together. Sew with a 1/4" seam allowance.

Open up the two pieces of fabric, the zipper should now be sandwiched between them. Topstitch the second piece of fabric in place along the zipper's edge with a 1/8-1/4" seam allowance. Your bag should look something like the above picture.

In order for the headphone/ear bud cords to snake through the bag without having to keep the zipper open, we are going to add a buttonhole. Mark the center of a buttonhole 1" down from the zipper on the front piece of fabric. Make a buttonhole that is 3/4"-1" in diameter according to your machine's specifications.

The button is for size reference and to mark where the buttonhole will start and finish in order to be centered. Or make it off-centered if you like--go crazy!

Open up your buttonhole carefully with a seam ripper, thread snips, or sharp points of a pair of scissors. Be careful!

In my experience, Fray Check is never a bad idea on button holes. It's a sewing glue that's an added layer of unraveling prevention.

Open the zipper a bit. You'll regret it later if you skip this step. You'll want to make some straps. Measure your waist and divide by two--this will give you an approximate length for your two straps. You can use nylon webbing or fold a length of fabric and stitch along the edges as I've done, as long as the final width of the strap fits through your buckle.

With right sides of the fabric facing, align all your edges, then tuck the straps inside the bag. Align the raw edges of the straps about a 1/2" below the zipper on either side.

Sew a 1/2" seam allowance along the three sides of fabric (do not sew the zipper side).

Turn it right side out through the opening you made earlier in the zipper, then attach your buckle according to the manufacturer's directions. Time to road test it!

Questions? Email me or leave them in the comments. I would love to hear if you make one!