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Just what my Eggsy Backpack needed... |
For my part, I had been virtually attached at the hip to my
crossbody sling bag for four years. Even though its smallish size precludes carrying much, I had
gotten used to its distinctive elements of "convenience." Primarily, the flip up the flap to access credit cards in two seconds was something that I
sorely missed in my new bag.
During the trip, I used one of my
purse lanyards
to keep my credit card within easy reach. It did the job adequately, but when
I started using the backpack full time after I got home, I put cards in the
gusset pocket. That wasn't entirely optimal as there was no way to separate
the three cards that I needed to carry and I always worried that handling one
would jeopardize the security of the others.
Meanwhile, I really liked the idea of the lanyard; it was just that
the clear pocket at the end wasn't the best choice for storing credit
cards (i.e., people probably shouldn't see credit cards hanging out in
the open).
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| Attached to the inside of the bag and held in an exterior pocket... |
Therefore, after one week of using my Eggsy full-time, I began to ruminate on
a similar but better solution, the final result of which you see here.
You can call this a mini wallet, a card caddy, or a key chain; it's actually
reminiscent of a biker wallet. It's a simple "sew" that can be put together in various ways depending on choice of materials.
The underlying design of this card holder – one long strip of double sided fabric which is then folded and seamed as required – is one that I have used for at least two previous projects. Because this was meant to coordinate with my Eggsy, I fell back on the same two fabrics, which necessitated cutting two strips. (Thus can be made, however, with one single long strip – folded against itself – just as easily.) Depending on fabric, you may want to interface lightly with something like SF101; I didn't do anything with my selections as one was a cotton twill and the other was a high thread count quilting cotton.
The underlying design of this card holder – one long strip of double sided fabric which is then folded and seamed as required – is one that I have used for at least two previous projects. Because this was meant to coordinate with my Eggsy, I fell back on the same two fabrics, which necessitated cutting two strips. (Thus can be made, however, with one single long strip – folded against itself – just as easily.) Depending on fabric, you may want to interface lightly with something like SF101; I didn't do anything with my selections as one was a cotton twill and the other was a high thread count quilting cotton.
In terms of hardware, I used a chain (taken from a
$1 belt), a split ring, and a swivel clasp. (If you don't like the idea of a chain,
go with ribbon or bias tape, like I did for
this project
and
this.) After taking most of the photos for this post, I added a couple
of rivets. You'll also need a small square (about 3/4") of hook and
loop tape.
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| Fabric required for this quick access card holder... |
The two large strips of fabric are 13.5" long x 2.75" wide*. (If using a
single long strip, it should measure 26.5" x 2.75") The two smaller pieces are
2.5" long x 1" wide.
Start by making the tab at the top for the split ring. Take the two smaller
pieces of fabric, put them right sides together and sew down the long edges.
Turn right side out – be patient, it'll be tricky – press, fold in half and
then press again.
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| Sew together the two small pieces to create the tab... |
Center the folded tab against the right side of one of the short ends of
the remaining strips of fabric and pin or clip. Lay the other strip right side down on
top, pin and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance. (If using just one long strip of fabric, place the other end of it here.)
NOTE: ensure that the raw ends of
the tab extend approximately 1/4" past the ends of the fabric, as shown
below.
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| Sew together at both ends, encasing the tab at one end... |
[By the way, it occurred to me after I finished this that I could have saved myself some time by using ribbon here. In that case, I would have doubled it – like I did for the hanging loop of the Eggsy itself – for extra strength and durability.]
Sew together the opposite ends of the two strips, creating a circular loop.
(If you started with only a single strip of fabric,
you won't need to sew a second seam.) Press open the two seams as best as you can, then
open up the loop and rearrange it so that the two seams are stacked on top of
each other.
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| Match both seams and pin, leaving a suitable turning gap (yellow pins above)... |
Pin as required. Sew along both sides with a small seam allowance (between
1/4" and 1/8"), being sure to leave a turning gap (about 2.5" should be
sufficient).
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| Sew, leaving a turning gap... |
Turn right side out and press well. Stitch in the ditch of the horizontal center
seam.
Measure 2.25" from each end and fold them back onto the strip to create
the pockets. Then fold the entire strip in half along the center seam. Verify
that both sides are even and adjust as necessary; press well.
Pin the pockets in place.
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| Fold the two ends of the strip back onto itself to create the card pockets... |
Check where the turning gap ended up; if it's within the folded area of one of
the pockets, you can close it up later (simultaneously) when you stitch up the
sides of the pockets. Otherwise, stitch it closed now.
Use some double sided tape to stick the pieces of hook and loop tape into position on the pockets, centered about 1/2" away from the bottom edge. Unpin and unfold the pockets and sew the hook and loop tape in place. (Alternatively, you can probably make do with an adhesive hook and loop tape, which is what I did.)
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| View of interior... |
Refold the ends to form pockets, pin and handstitch the sides closed. Why the
hand sewing? To minimize width and to accommodate the cards tightly, I
made this as narrow as possible. If you want to be able to sew these pocket
edges by machine, cut the original fabric wider* (by at least a half inch).
A couple of days after taking the photos for this post, I went back and added
two rivets to the top of the holder. They help the two sides "snap" back together and stay closed. (Rivets aren't the only way to achieve this; you can simply sew a
line right across there, about a half inch down from the top.)
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| With rivets added... |
I made this because I had gotten used to accessing my credit cards quickly
and wanted a way to add that functionality to my new bag (and essentially to any bag I might carry). Those
of you who still keep your cards in traditional wallets may not see any
value in this project; however, it can serve other purposes.
One thing that occurred to me is that transit users might find this handy for keeping a bus pass on a tether.
'Til next... 🇨🇦🍁
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