Reflections and critiques from finishing up the second wallet:

This year I am tackling leatherworking. The main goal is to learn the fundamentals and make wallets, card holders and then maybe book coverings.

Below is the wallet 2.0 (1.0 is effectively a leather version of the vinyl wallet 7.0). It looks good and below are my comments and reflections:

Form factor is good, the pieces are easy to measure and cut, glue and assemble. Both panels are 3 6/8'' x 4 6/8'' in dimension.

From use, the inner leather needs to be thinner to cut down on the profile.

The leather I'm using is from a gift a professor I use to work for. It was massive so it'll give me good mileage.

Other notes: The corners need to be curved which will help with the profile as well (making it look smaller than it really is).

I'll cut out more of the pattern using 3-4oz leather and see how it feels as panel 1 and 2 and then make a hybrid of both.

Vinyl Card Holder

This weekend I designed and sewed a vinyl card holder. I also pulled out my leather hide sitting in storage and tried that as well and both look very snazzy. I may need to tinker with the design a bit since both are very tight. I think I need to buy special glue to adhere to the back of vinyl to add a decorative fabric for the parts exposed.

Tentative future projects

I wouldn't mind doing these down the road:

Business card holder out of vinyl. Design incoming.

Leather wallet. May use Wallet 7.0 as the template.

Box 1.0

I designed, drew up the model and created a mockup of the wallet. The measurements are skewed to allow the tag inside the wallet (this was intentional so that it would add body and have my contact info). The template was designed on drawing paper, so it's pretty thin. I think I'll make the actual boxes out of bristol board or a similar card stock. The x's are all parts that should be cut out.

With the template cut out and tabs made (this will need refining), I ended up using tape. Ultimately I'll use glue or another adhesive that won't show.

I wanted the box to fit snug but still have some space in case the gifter wanted to have tissue paper to gussy it up a bit. The wallet can lay flatter but it naturally bulges out. The card insert gives it body and also contains my email address and website link.

Box design for wallet 7.1

First design for the box that will house the wallet 7.1 design. I gave the box about 1/8'' ease in every direction in case you wanted to add tissue paper. There will be light scoring, folding and hopefully minor gluing. Not sure about the type of paper I want to use but the measurement I need to cut out is 13 2/8'' x 5 4/8''. Bristol board may be the stiffest paper to use. I'll make a box out of drawing paper to see if it fits and then move to paper options later. I want to make a folded paper ring around the box so it stays shut and looks more professional. Will do that design later.

Wallet Pieces 7.1

I'm working on my workflow and cut out a bunch of the wallet 7.1 body pieces which I'll assemble in various stages. I am using basting tape to press down some parts that need top stitching. I need to cut the cash straps and use different colors but I may opt to streamline the decorate stitch with red or black. I can make it a thing!

Wallet Template 7.0 and 7.1

Below is the wallet template with cash strap designs. There isn't a big difference between 7.0 and 7.1 except for the addition of a 2/8'' seam to hide raw edges. I'll see if I can make this into a printable free template.

When you trace this template, I would strongly suggest cutting inside the pen markings as it will give you the tightest fit for your cards. This template will hold 8-9 cards comfortably.

Wallet Fabric

I went to Joanns this week to pick up more vinyl fabric to make more wallets. They had the cool tire tread vinyl that I bought last time in black, gray and tan, but not in red. The red I got in a slightly thicker vinyl but it will do in a pinch. I'll be playing with contrasting colors and with contrasting colored thread in the not-too-far-future.

Basting tape should arrive today and that will allow me to sew down the raw edges. Doing so will mean that I will have to add 2/8'' to the length and 1/8" will be gobbled up in the seam allowance.

Going back to the honey-do list, I am drawing out the pattern multiple times on the fabric and will cut them all out at once to increase production. Also, I have started cutting inside the pen markings to make sure that the pattern measurement is true (and thus tight).

Below is a picture of wallet 7.0 with an accent color. When I get the basting tape and pattern modified, I will probably call that 7.1.

Future of Wallet Designs (the honey-do list)

I'm really digging the wallet designs and like the direction it's going in. That said, there are plenty of room for improvement which I will list below:

Workflow - I need to cut out a bunch of the templates so I can increase my work flow. I already do this for the money strap but the body of the wallet should also have this.

Hide exposed edges - The wallets will age (hopefully) gracefully but sewing in exposed edges will make the wallets look more professional. This does mean that I have to extend the length by 2/8'' and use basting tape to keep it from slipping, and then top-stitch 1/8''. This has to happen before the assembly of the body since the wallet mouth is too small to wrap around the pressure foot.

Create a box - This is the box the wallet would go in. I am tentatively planning on selling this at the IFAW craft fair so I think it would look snazzy as a stocking stuffer. Anyone have ideas for how much to charge for the wallet?

Buy more vinyl - This is for when I run out vinyl (which is happening soon!). I'll play around with color and texture.

Experiment with decorative stitches - Self explanatory. The money strap will need something other than a zigzag stitch. Different color options is also a good idea.

Designing Methodology

When I design I usually start super simple: What do I want to make. By this time, I basically know my aesthetic so I know how I want whatever I'm making will look but the various elements can be pretty complicated.

If I wanted to make a bag, I want to know what kind of bag it'll be, what kinds of enclosures I want, how the bag will be held or carried and pockets. Don't forget the pockets. I'll usually have an idea about the dimensions and from there I break down each sewable element such as which step needs to follow the previous step, measuring panels with seam allowances, etc. Often I'll look online for how construction works, the materials needed, and over the course of a few hours to a few weeks, I will spend designing how I want this bag to look and how I'd assemble it.

I have a fairly tame aesthetic and tend to want as simple a design as possible, since I don't work with a lot of exotic materials/tools. Also I find that busy designs are needlessly complicated and there are often too many ways things could go to hell. Remember KISS: Keep It Simple Stupid.