How to Make a Small Wallet/ Card Holder
Introduction: How to Make a Small Wallet/ Card Holder
Hi, this is the first attempt at a tutorial, so feedback is encouraged and welcomed.
We will be making a small card holder that can keep two cards per side and uses a small leather loop to keep it closed, if you don't like the look it can easily be modified to utilize a brass snap instead.
As far as tools its up to you but you can begin with minimal amount of tools and acquire what you need as you go
Make your own template using a wallet and your stitching iron distance as reference to avoid messing up T slots, as a reference this piece has the following dimensions
Folded 3 inches wide and 3 7/8 tall
Supplies
Supplies
A piece of leather, ~ 1 sq ft should be enough to get this going, i utilized french calf provided by another crafter Thread, I will be using .45mm poly thread manufactured by Meisi, Leather Glue I utilize Aquilim 315.
One thing i realized after a shot period of time is that the quality of the leather and tools its important, iI started this journey with upholstery leather, less than optimal for sure. Also your tools need to be sharp, just when you think is sharp enough sharpen a bit more, it will help you avoid headaches.
Tools
Maul or hammer, Pricking irons, utility knife or japanese knife, skiving knife, quilting ruler, stitching pony, I utilized edge paint but if your leather is veg tan you can burnish instead of edge paint if that is your preference.
Optional tool would be a creaser for decoration purposes, wuta is the standard for manual and there are several electric ones available in the market.
A few vendors where you can source leather and some tools
Rocky Mountain Leather Supply, District Leather Supply, Europelle, Tatra Leather, Amtan
A far as tools some recognized brands
Palo Santo, Doldokki, James Jones needles, 4z irons, Kevin Lee irons, and many more
Step 1: Making Your Template
Measure a small wallet to get baseline dimensions that would allow you to fit one or two cards in to each slot, then just use a ruler and paper to draw your template and cut with your ruler and utility knife, you can utilize a cereal box or heavier weight paper for this purpose
Ensure that you place the paper pieces next to your stitching iron as a reference to ensure your template is correct, I utilize punching irons by a maker that calls himself 4Z, there are plenty of good quality brands most of htem outside the US, in no particular order
4Z, Kevin Lee, KS blade, Sinabrooks, and plenty others I've personally only used the first 3 brands
Step 2: Marking Your Leather and Making Initial Cuts
Based on previous screw ups and disappointments i make my pieces a bit bigger than the finished size, this allows a bit of wiggle room to fit your parts better and make final cuts that ensure you get a clean edge
Once you mark your leather with an awl on the top or with a pen on the back cut away with an Xacto knife, utility knife, kiridashi, etc. I will be utilizing a japanese knife.
Ive utilized a regular pen this time, but there are silver and white gel pens that you can use on the grain side of the leather and they will rub away with a bit of water.
Step 3: Cut Your Pieces and Then Skive the Edges
In order to keep the edge on a reasonable thickness i skive the edges from the back of the leather pieces, this allows me to have a thinner edge. For skiving i utilize a sharp skiving knife and a piece of granite as a base.
It's worth noting your knife needs to be really sharp, otherwise you will struggle for a while as well as probably messing up a couple of pieces.
I order most of my leather pre-split, in this case the leather i am using as around 1mm thick, but i skive the sides in order to achieve a thin edge as we are layering up to 5 pieces at the edge
Step 4: Line Up Your Pieces and Ensure Everything Looks Good Before Gluing
Its a good idea to verify all your parts look good and have the correct fit before gluing them up, i am utilizing Aquilim 315 water based contact glue, a thin layer its sufficient let it dry for a few minutes until its tacky then put the parts together.
I normally glue the front and back of a wallet utilizing a 90 degree jig, I include a picture of it here, easily made with plywood and a couple of pocket screws. 421