Wallet dyed royal blue is done. Below are the pictures.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Box Template 6 4/8'' x 12''
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.
Box fully assembled.
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 with wallet and card insert.
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.
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.
If you want to make one, these are super easy to measure, cut and sew. This wallet will carry (comfortably) 8 cards, plus 5 bills. This is made from black textured vinyl which is thin enough that I could run through the sewing machine.
Measure 4 6/8'' x 3 6/8''
At the 2 3/8'' cut a hole to your liking. Mine was about the size of a nickel.
Measure 1'' x 3 6/8'' This will be your strap. I measured 1/8'' and beveled the strip as a decorate measure.
Cut your wallet design in the fabric of your choice. I would recommend using a wallet that has some stretch as your cards will need to fit inside it. Fold your fabric right sides together and slip your strap inbetween the two layers at the midpoint. Carefully sew along those edges at a 1/8'' seam allowance on both sides. Invert everything so only the right sides are showing. Use a pen to even out the corners. Wallet is done!
I measured the midpoint on the wrong side of the fabric and added a decorative stitch.
I'm cutting back on my video games to design more. Designed and made 2 more wallets from vinyl. These are incredibly rough designs and mockups that need a ton more tweaking. The biggest drawback of vinyl is how terrible the edges look when you cut them. It's a work in progress and shows promise.
