If you’re creating your own pattern, the main wallet body piece should be roughly 11 in (28 cm) long by 7. 5 in (19 cm) wide. This main piece will also have 2 snap tabs for closures. Each tab will be a square measuring 2 in (5. 1 cm) on all sides. Draw these squares on the left side of the wallet body piece, about 0. 5 in (1. 3 cm) from the top and bottom with about 2. 5 in (6. 4 cm) of space in between them. Each card pocket piece should measure about 4 in (10 cm) long by 2 in (5. 1 cm) wide. Make between 1 and 3 card pockets for the right side of your wallet. If you’re adding a change pocket, make this pattern piece about 3 in (7. 6 cm) by 3 in (7. 6 cm).
A supple piece of vegetable-tanned cowhide leather would be suitable for this project, although other animal leathers would also work. Order a small piece, no more than 1 to 2 ft (0. 30 to 0. 61 m) long, from an online retailer, a local fabric store that carries leather, or a specialty leather retailer. Leather thickness is measured in ounces. Choose a leather weight between 3 to 6 oz (85 to 170 g) for your wallet. A lower weight will result in a slimmer and less bulky wallet. Feel free to use the same piece of leather for the entire wallet or switch it up with different leathers for the pockets.
Move the blade slowly and be very careful not to slip. Keep in mind that this cut edge will be the finished edge of the wallet. Trim off any nicks along the cut edge before moving ahead. If you don’t have a rotary blade, try a sharp utility knife instead. Either a self-healing cutting mat or a kitchen cutting board would be suitable surfaces to place the leather on before cutting it.
If you’re using pins, place one in each corner of the pockets. Note that this will puncture the leather so make sure that you have the layout correct. If you prefer to have more card pockets, just cut out a few more of these pieces instead of cutting out a change pocket. Stack them together and center them on the upper left quadrant of the wallet where the change pocket would otherwise go.
These holes will be where your needle passes through when you’re sewing the wallet together. Don’t punch holes along the top of the pockets. You also don’t need to add holes along the outside edge of the wallet body during this step. Make sure you don’t nudge the position of the taped or pinned-down pockets. You want to keep the holes in alignment across all the layers of leather. Place a piece of thick leather hide below your wallet if you’re using a rotary punch. Doing so makes it easier to punch holes in the leather.
If desired, use a lighter to carefully burn the knot, melting the wax together for a more permanent hold. Start from the inside of the wallet (the side with the pockets) to hide the knot. Create the straight stitch by passing the thread in and out of the holes created with your rotary punch. Make sure the pocket holes are lined up with the holes in the wallet body as you do this. For added strength, complete 2 rows of stitching instead of just 1.
To fold your wallet, first fold in half lengthwise (so that the bottom half of the wallet body is folded up behind the top half containing the pockets). The 2 snap tabs should line up. Then close the wallet by folding it in half crosswise, touching the 2 sets of pockets together.
The snap cap will go on the of the bottom snap tab. The snap stud will go on the top snap tab. The cap and stud be attached, with the leather of both snap tabs sandwiched in between them. These pieces create the “male” part of the snap. The socket will go on the lower-right side of the wallet body, and the open prong will go on the other side of the leather, directly behind the socket. Together these pieces create the “female” part of the snap. You can purchase a kit for metal set-in snaps online. Make sure it comes with a metal cup and anvil that match the size of the snaps you’re using.
Don’t punch holes along the top of the wallet. By keeping this open you’ll have a wide pocket for paper bills.
Start from the inside of the wallet, with the pockets facing up, to hide the knot. Burn the knot to melt the wax if you want a more durable knot. Stitch around 2 times for additional strength. If desired you could use sinew instead of thread to stitch along the outside of your wallet.
Use a ruler and pencil to measure and draw these pattern pieces onto cardstock or kraft paper.
If you purchase 0. 25 yd (0. 23 m) of each fabric, you’ll have more than enough to make 1 or more wallets. But smaller fabric remnants would be fine to use as well. Note that lightweight cotton quilting fabrics won’t make a very durable wallet.
If you’re using 2 types of fabric, pieces #1, #2, and #3 should be traced and cut out of your main fabric. Use your contrasting fabric for piece #4.
Don’t sew the pieces together at this stage. The primary function of these stitches is to prevent the edges from fraying.
Hem each piece separately; don’t connect them together. If you’re doing 2 rows of stitching, place the first row 0. 5 in (1. 3 cm) away from the fold, and the second row 0. 125 in (0. 32 cm) away from the fold.
The hemmed top edges should be offset.
The line should be perpendicular to the bottom edge. Extend the line from the bottom to the top of piece #3. Don’t extend the line over the exposed portion of piece #4, since this will serve as a pocket for your paper bills.
Only sew up to the top edge of piece #3. Don’t sew over the exposed portion of #4. This creates the billfold and credit card sections of your wallet.
Don’t pin the left side of the fabric at this stage.
Make sure that all four layers are sewn together securely. Once sewn, you can clip away the excess fabric at all 4 corners of the wallet to reduce some of the bulk.
Pocket pieces #3 and #4 should now be visible, and your border stitches and seam allowance should now be hidden.
Give your wallet a final press with the iron, adding a crease along the center line.
