May the 4th fun: Make a Chewbacca tablet cozy
Celebrate Star Wars Day by making a special cozy for your tablet or phone made out of real Wookiee fur. Well, maybe not real Wookiee fur. Crave's Bonnie Burton shows you how.
Wookiees have thick fur that protects them from the cold -- and possibly space dust. So why not give your own iPad, smartphone, cassette Walkman, or other electronic device a Wookiee hug with this handy Chewbacca tablet cozy? It's the second in a series of original craft DIYs I'm posting this week in the days leading up to May the 4th. See the first one, a Princess Leia hair bun headband, here.
What you need:
* Brown fake fur
* Black, white, gray, and red felt for Chewbacca's face
* Fabric glue
* Self-adhesive Velcro closure
* Sewing needle
* Brown thread
* Soft fabric like an old pillowcase
* Tape measure
* Large googly eyes (optional)
* Black button (optional)
How to make a Chewbacca gadget cozy:
1. Measure the dimensions of your iPad, smartphone, Kindle, or whatever electronic device you are making this for. Add 2 inches to the measurements so your device will fit into the cozy you're making without the holder being too snug.
2. Cut two pieces of soft fabric, such as an old pillowcase, according to those measurements and sew all the sides together like you're making a mini pillowcase. Set aside.
3. Cut two pieces of brown fake fur the same way, but add an inch to the measurements so they're slightly bigger than the pieces for your mini pillowcase. Sew together like you did the pillowcase but with the fur sides inside.
4. Turn the fur pocket right side out so the fur is on the outside. Place the mini pillowcase inside the fur pocket and sew their tops together (attaching the inner layer to the outer layer, but not sewing the opening shut.)
5. Stick the self-adhesive Velcro closure inside the top opening of the mini pillowcase, which is now sewn into the fur pocket. You can also sew the Velcro on to make it extra-secure.
6. Now turn this fur pocket into Chewbacca! Cut a nose, a mouth with teeth, and eyes out of your felt pieces and glue Chewie's face on. If you want to make your cozy a bit more animated, feel free to use googly eyes instead of felt for his peepers. Sew on a black button instead of the felt for his nose, if you prefer.
7. Don't forget to make Chewbacca's bandolier out of felt so he doesn't look naked!
8. Take on the Empire knowing your electronic devices are secure.
Visit Crave Thursday for another "Star Wars" craft tutorial. And if you make any of these projects, be sure to send a photo, and a few words about your adventure, to Crave at cnet dot com, with "Star Wars craft" in the subject line. We might share your photo with CNET readers.
