DIY Network

Soft-Sided Wallet Stay organized with this pocketed leather wallet. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-505

Beautiful and practical, this wallet has — and holds — it all!

Few things are as personal as a wallet: We use them to corral our cash, credit cards, checkbooks, photos and about a million tiny pieces of paper. Michele Beschen has a B. Original way to conquer wallet (and purse) clutter: a roomy, pocketed wallet you make yourself.

Michele Beschen crafted her wallet out of thin leather; the project also works with any other durable, sew-able material. Scroll down for her B. Original how-to.

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Soft-Sided Wallet

Materials:

leather for the outside of the wallet
thinner leather or suede for the inside pockets
china marker
sharp craft knife
scissors
sewing machine with leather needle
heavy-duty waxed thread

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

• Make two cardboard templates with rounded corners:
  
  One rectangle 8-1/8" by 7-1/4"
  One rectangle 8-1/8" by 3-1/2"

• Make a third cardboard template with a rounded half-moon shape at the top.

• Lay out the piece of thicker leather. Trace both rectangular templates onto the thicker leather and cut out with a sharp craft knife, cutting to the inside of the line (figure A). Set these aside.

• Lay out the thinner leather. Trace the smaller rectangular template onto this leather six times. Cut out these shapes with sharp scissors, making the cuts as clean as possible.

• Lay out three of the thinner leather pieces. Use the rounded template to trace rounded notches extending about 1/2" in from the top of each piece. Cut these shapes out with scissors (figure B). These notches will make it easier to open the pockets when the wallet is complete.

• Place a notched piece of the thinner leather on top of a rectangular one and line up the edges. Using a china marker, trace a line 1" in from the sides and the bottom.

• Working with a sewing machine and a leather needle, stitch the two pieces of leather together along the line (figure C). Match up the other two notched pieces with rectangular pieces and stitch in the same manner.

• Stack two of the pockets, notched sides up, and line up the edges. Stitch the two pockets together, sewing the back of the top pocket to the front of the bottom pocket (figure D). Sew them together, creating a seam 1/4" in from the edge of the sides and bottom.

• Stitch the third pocket on in the same manner, and the inside of the wallet is complete.

• Position the pocket section on the larger piece of the thicker leather, lining up the edges along the bottom (figure E). Stitch the back flap of the pocket section to the thicker leather along the bottom and sides, making sure to keep the edges lined up.

• Line up the smaller piece of thick leather with the top of the pocket section. Stitch it to the front flap of the top pocket in the same manner (figure F).

• Decorate the wallet with buttons or rubber stamp impressions.

• If the top flap of the wallet doesn't stay down easily, dampen the inside of the crease, fold it over and weight it down with some heavy books overnight.