Stay-closed Trifold Wallet

Some years ago I made a wallet that I loved, but did not fully instructablize it. It wore out; I made another just like it: here's how!

You need only about half a square foot of fabric. It needs to be reasonably stiff; denim or heavy cotton is ideal, and you may have suitable scraps in your scrap pile. You also need a couple yards of thin double fold bias tape in a matching color (or anyway a color you like). Thread, scissors, tape measure, sewing machine are the only other requirements.

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Step 1: Cutting and edges

The wallet uses only three pieces of fabric, the outer piece, and two inner pieces forming the inside of the money pocket and the card pockets. The dimensions I used are these:

8" x 4"
7 3/4" x 3 3/4"
7 1/2" x 3"

I worked out the sizes from laying out 3 credit cards in the arrangement I wanted, with a suitable amount of space in between, and accounting for about 1/8" edging around all sides. The significant idea is that each piece is a quarter inch shorter, lengthwise, than the next biggest. The ends, however, will be sewn matching up, making the outside long and the inside short. Properly controlled, this length differential creates the desire to fold up which is this wallet's most excellent feature.

Sew bias tape to one of the long edges on each of the two smaller pieces.

dchall8 says: Oct 8, 2012. 4:15 PM

Thank you.

I made a similar wallet out of Tyvek several years ago thinking it would be indestructible. While Tyvek will not tear, it will wear out. I'm ready for a new one. This is just right. I already have some denim I want to use. I will be gluing it together with fabric glue rather than sewing.