Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Tutorial: Refurbished Mouse Pad

I was in need of a new mouse pad, but I didn't want to buy one.  I made/sewed a mouse pad last year, but since it didn't have a traditional rubber backing, it would slide all over my desk (annoying to coworkers using my computer!).

I decided to take a mouse pad I already had and give it a makeover!

This mouse pad is from a college a town over.  I didn't go to school there, so I had no real issues with covering it.  Maybe you have a mouse pad that a company was handing out or you have one that's seen better days and needs a facelift.

I took some scrap material.

And traced around the mouse pad to know where to cut the fabric

I made sure to leave plenty of fabric around the edges, in case I didn't lay the fabric just right, there wouldn't be any of the original mouse pad top showing.

Cover the mouse pad with glue. (I used Mod Podge, and used matte because this part won't show.)

Make sure it's covered really good with glue.

Lay the fabric on top and press it down, making sure to leave no bubbles.

Trim the excess fabric.

The next part is super important, because it's what will show AND you need a good surface for your mouse.
Glue the top of the fabric.  I used Mod Podge gloss.  I did one coat with the strokes all going one way.  Then I did a second coat (after the first dried) with strokes going the opposite direction.  Then I did a third coat.  The more coats you do, the smoother the top with be.  Be sure to cover the entire pad. If you're sloppy about this step, your mouse may have trouble moving around.
You could skip this step and just leave the fabric plain, but I wanted a bit of a gloss top for my mouse to glide smoothly.

I glued the sides of the pad too, so the fabric wouldn't fray or try to peel away.

After drying completely, I had a new mouse pad!
The mouse pad works great and looks much more stylish!
(Mr. Lion is my cell phone holder!)
This project is easy, quick (minus drying time), and cheap cheap!  There's nothing better than using what you have around the house!

8 comments:

Katie said...

LOVE THIS. So creative, and I love your fabric choice!

Unknown said...

I agree with Katie - awesome fabric choice!

ScrappyScavenger said...

Love the bold and spunky fabric, and love the idea! Thanks for the inspiration!

Nicole said...

very cool project! so doable! thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I have to agree the fabric choice is fabulous, I love anything up-cycled/ recycled!!!! But what totally made me stop and read was the UALR mousepad. In TN now, but I'm from Cabot!!! Great job!

Cindy said...

Terrific job! I really like this idea, especially since I use a mousepad that's seen better days.

Cathe Holden said...

Very cute! Mod Podge Amy sent me!

Laura in 'bama said...

Sweeet! I have a beat up mouse pad around here somewhere!

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