The Wallet Project

My bed sheet and tea towel wallet...

After knocking off a succession of mini projects, I was itching to try something a little different. I had already bookmarked several wallet patterns while surfing for interesting things to put on my "to make" list, so it didn't end up being a huge decision to make my next project a wallet.

Although many patterns were very similar, the one that I ended up being inspired by was from Mel at All Wrapped Up, with suggested modifications made by Gen at Color Me Domestic.

For my wallet, I used fabric from a bed sheet and two tea towels (see pic from my previous posting). I even saved the bias tape from the trim along the top edge of the sheet to add some interest to the outside of the wallet. The button came from my own collection. (I have since replaced it with one from a bag of assorted buttons that I got for $1 from Dollarama; two other matching ones later found their way onto a bag of my own design.)

Front, back and interior views of my wallet...

I found the project fairly straight-forward, although I was surprised by the amount of fabric required to make card slots. All that fanning and folding also created some bulky seams to sew. Luckily I didn't have to interface any of the card slots or it would really have been thick at the edges. (As far as measuring out the card slots, I found it less complicated to lay down actual cards to figure out where to make the folds, than to measure and fold per the instructions.)

Mel's original wallet is a simple bifold with a magnetic snap closure. The exterior featured a patchwork strip down the back. I went for Gen's modification and added a flap with an elastic loop and button closure. I also changed up the orientation of the pocket openings and put the zippered compartment at the top of the wallet, just under the flap. I didn't add the patchwork strip on the outside since I had already decided that I wanted to use the bias tape as a feature.

I am currently using this wallet. It has held up fine and meets my relatively simple wallet needs. (I keep my "regular" credit card in a separate place and I don't tend to use cash, so my wallet doesn't get taken out very much.) One word about the card slots, though: they are a tight fit. However, there are twelve of them, so that should suffice for most people.