Looking to brighten up a dull office desk or for the perfect present for your work friends – why not make a fabric covered mouse pad?
For the last year I’ve been using a really ugly plastic mousepad that makes marks on my wrist, so when I had a little spare time this week I thought it was time to make myself a pretty fabric covered mouse pad. I’m always quick to embellish any plain t-shirts I buy so I thought why not my mouse pad!
I started with a really cheap mousepad I purchased from a discount store. This one is 9 3/4” (25cm) x 8 1/4” (21cm) which is a fairly common size. Actually, it was slightly smaller than the packet said but that didn’t matter.
SUPPLIES YOU WILL NEED
- Cheap mousepad
- Fat quarter of cotton fabric
- Double sided fusible interfacing
- An iron
- Sharp scissors
- Pen
HOW TO MAKE A FABRIC COVERED MOUSE PAD
Cut out your fabric and double-sided interfacing the same sizes as your mouse pad.
Press the interfacing with the paper side up onto the wrong side of the fabric. Make sure you read the instructions from the manufacturer of the interfacing and have your iron on the correct heat setting. You want it to bond well.
Once the fabric has cooled, peel off the paper and place the fabric right side up on the mousepad.
Press the fabric to the fabric side of the mousepad. Make sure you go over it numerous times so the fabric is well bonded.
Download and then cut out your heart mousepad pattern template by clicking on the image below. This will fit a standard size mouse but you can easily enlarge or reduce it using your photocopier if necessary.
Trace around the template on the back of your mousepad. Don’t trace on the front in case the pen shows on the fabric.
Cut out the heart neatly using sharp scissors.
OPTIONAL: You could top stitch around the edge with your machine. My machine handled it surprisingly easily but you may want to test one of the scrap pieces first.
You could also apply some Fray Check to the edges but I found that the double sided interfacing stopped my fabric from fraying.
Now for some relaxation time at the computer so I can admire my latest project. Go ahead and make your own fabric covered mousepad – it’s easy!
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