Friday, September 6, 2013

Cord Tacos

I saw these leather cord tacos in Real Simple as I lazed through my Sunday afternoon. Lightbulb!  I got up from the sofa and promptly sewed three of them, and yes, they solved annoying cord tangles. 

The cord taco is simply a disc of firm fabric with a closure, so that it can fold around the cord like a taco shell and fasten closed. I used a button and loop, but I'm sure a snap, velcro, or even two ties would work, too.

My hand mixer came with a plastic cord-tie, which broke (of course) after a few months.  I used a rubber band to keep the cord corralled, but it wasn't easy to get on and off.  I love this cord taco!  I also made one (not shown) for the extension cord I keep in the kitchen for popping the slow cooker out the kitchen window to cook outside.
 

This is the children's night light, a vintage conch shell from my childhood which used to have its cord sprawled around it.  It has a little flower cut-out appliqued on it, but I was in a rush when I took the picture.



And then, in the zone, I solved another pesky problem and made an envelope for my cell phone charger.  To keep the envelope from being clutter or getting lost when the charger was in use, I carefully sewed the charger cord into a channel in the bottom of the envelope.  I'm very pleased with it, although I could have made the envelope a little larger.


I used the letter look from the needle case.  And yes, the lining of the envelope is a scrap left over from my shirt dress. 
 


I do so love these little solutions, these little comforts of a well-tended home.

8 comments:

jenny_o said...

The cuteness is killing me! So clever to sew the charger cord into the holder.

And maybe, as an alternative for sewing a cord taco, I'm thinking about using an old shoulder pad. I have kept a few larger ones from thrifted clothing that were sewn to match the garment, so they have nice patterns and colours. Not as nice as yours, mind you, but good enough as a lazy adaptation :) Thank you for passing on the inspiration.

Hazel said...

Brilliant! I especially love the charger envelope with the channel at the bottom.

Sew Blessed Maw [Judy] said...

WHat a great idea.. the cords under my computer desk...are a mess, and kill me every time I look at them..
I am going to be making some tacos to hold them..yea..
thanks for sharing.

Polly said...

This cord taco idea is so smart. I love it! Sure beats the binder clips I use. Maybe I'll sew a couple up sometime soon--I need to control the cords of the phone and the ipod station!

Margo said...

jenny_o, that is the best idea for shoulder pads I've heard yet!

BLD in MT said...

That is such a good idea!

sk said...

Margo, you're amazing.

What about a bra-strap taco? Any ideas for something along that line?

Margo said...

sk, I've had shirts that have a little fabric loop with a snap underneath the shoulder seam. You snap it around your bra strap and it keeps the strap hidden. I've never added one to a shirt, but it can't be hard. Bra taco. . . har har!