With the increasing number of gadgets I carry around for travel, the corresponding number of wires have been adding up! I used to toss them all into a pouch but after a while, the wires would just become a tangled mess. Has this happened to you too? :)

I’ve been wanting to come up with a solution for some time and finally got down to it today! Made from fabric and some velcro, this wrap helps to separate your wires neatly. What’s more, it can be rolled up for storage in a cupboard or a suitcase without taking up additional, unnecessary space!

Here’s how:

Grab an old top or skirt or a piece of fabric that will be long enough for your wrap. To figure out how long you’ll need it to be, you can lay out your wires in a row and take a quick measurement.

In this case, I used an old skirt. I didn’t like how it fit me – it was one of those skirts that cost a few bucks but they wouldn’t allow you to try it on and I was feeling real optimistic that day. As you can guess, it wasn’t that great. But I really liked the fabric and color so what better way to repurpose it after wearing it a couple of times? :)

Cut the skirt below the waistband to release the fabric below. If you’re using an old shirt or a piece of fabric, just make sure it’s a large rectangle that is wide enough for your wire coils and long enough for all your wires laid out plus extra to wrap around.

This is what I got after cutting off the lining and the waistband. If your shirt has a side seam like this too, have no fear! Fabric tape is here!

If you wanted a real pro version, you could use two pieces of material (one for the lining). But if you like quick and easy like me, you can use some fabric tape to cover up the ugly seam. (Pretty fabric tape from my dear friend Amy for my birthday!)

Lay out a strip of velcro in the middle of the wrap. I chose to sew the furry side on my wrap.

Sew it down using hand stitches or a sewing machine. I started out with hand stitches and decided to move on to the machine for speed…

To stop the fraying on the sides, you could do a double fold and sew it down. But of course, fabric tape makes it much easier. Just tape down one side, leaving half of the tape exposed and flip it over.

Match the tape on the other side and tape down to seal the edge. Voila! No more fraying!

For the bottom, I didn’t want my tape showing on the other side since the top already had the sewn skirt hem in place. I was also addicted to the fabric tape and chose not to sew down the hem. If you are in the same situation, do a double fold towards the inside, pin and iron.

Tape the hem down, removing the pins as you go.

And you’re almost done!

Place your wires along the velcro strip, using the hooked side to fasten wires atop the furry side. I apologize if there are more technical terms for furry and hooked which I’m unaware of. :)

You’ll want to use a longer strip of the hooked side as more length is used up when going around the wires. Up there, I’ve got the wires for my macbook pro, kindle and iPhone.

Now just roll it up, tie a ribbon around it and you’re good to go. A neat, organized pack of wires! (This is probably the first time in my life that I’ve had organized wires woot!)

p/s You can use velcro for the outside as well if you want a more secure closure.

Hope you’ve found this useful! :)