“Forget-Me-Not" Phone Wallet

Hi there! This is a tutorial for medium advanced sewers (you should be able to use the basic functions of a sewing machine) to make what I like to call “The Forget-me-not Phone Wallet.” As you can see in the pictures, the wallet is predominantly a phone case at the front, but it also unfolds to make a wallet. I don’t know about you, but I personally forget everything I could possibly need when I leave the house because I have everything scattered in different pockets. The only thing that I always have with me is my phone. To solve this problem, I decided to make a phone case that I can also carry other essentials in, for example: keys, money, public transport tickets, and credit cards.This phone case has really helped me to organise my life, and I hope that it helps some of you :)

Step 1: Collect Materials

What you will need:

-Material Scissors

-Thread

-Sewing machine

-Iron

-Pencil

-needle

-pins

-2 buttons

-2 different colors of material about 50cmx50cm (try to make them match)

-Paper

-Printed pattern, which is attached as a word document to this step (very important)

Step 2: 2. Cut the Pattern

This part is the most time consuming part, but don’t worry it gets less tedious. To help you with the cutting, I have made a pattern that you can print out, and it tells you exactly what to cut out. The pattern also numbers the pieces, and I may refer to these numbers to make the tutorial more easy to understand. You can print off a template at the attachment. Once it is printed, just cut out the individual pieces of paper

Step 3: 3. Cut Out the Fabric

Now that you have cut out the pattern and pinned it onto the fabric, you can cut out each individual piece. It is very important that you are generous with the amount of fabric that you use, always cut around 2-3cm extra on each side, since it is always better to have too much fabric than too little.

Step 4: 4. Sew the Credit Card Pockets

These are the pockets that will be on the inside of the wallet when you unfold it. The first step of sewing them is hemming the side that will be left open, as shown in the picture above. To make this easier, I would advise ironing the fold of the hem rather than pinning it because this is just a lot less hassle and is quicker.

Now that the pockets are hemmed, fold the lining/inside of the wallet (#1) in half, and pin one credit card pocket on either side of the fold, as shown in the picture. Now simply use the sewing machine to sew the pockets onto the lining, so that the openings are facing the fold in the middle.

Step 5: Sew the Phone Pocket

Now move on to sewing the phone pocket. To do this collect the piece of fabric marked “#6. Phone Pocket” and the piece marked “#3. Lining and top of phone pocket.” Like in the pictures above, pin piece #6 onto piece #3 so that everything is inside out. Now sew the bottom edge and the two sides together with the sewing machine. Turn the pocket to the right way round again, and fold the excess lining that is left at the top over the front of the pocket. Sew the flap into place, closing the opening. For now, set the “pocket” to the side. You will make it into a fully functioning phone sock in a couple of, steps, but first you must make the flap that holds the entire wallet in place.

Step 6: Make the Flap That Holds the Wallet in a Folded Position

To make the flap, grab piece number 7. The first step is to fold it in half. The second step is to use the sewing machine to sew the two longer sides and the bottom together. Use the opening at the top to pull the fabric through, making it the right way around rather than inside out. Now sew the top sides together (be sure to fold them first to avoid fraying).

Step 7: Making the Outside Shell of the Wallet

To make the outer shell of the wallet, place the “flap” on the edge of the piece of fabric labelled “#2. Outside of wallet” Now place the “Phone pocket” you made earlier on top of the flap and the outside of the wallet. The flap should be sticking out of the so called “fabric sandwich” Now simply sew the bottom side of the phone pocket along with the two long ones on the sewing machine. This should connect everything to look like the picture above.

Step 8: Connecting Everything to Make the Overall Wallet Shape

Now that you have the complete outside shell of the wallet, you can connect it with the inside of the wallet to make the overall shape. To do this, grab piece number 1, which has the credit card pockets pinned to it, and piece number 2, which you just attached the flap and the phone pocket to. Now place the two pieces of fabric on top of one another, so that the pockets are facing each other on the inside. It should look inside out. Now pin them together, and use the sewing machine to sew 3 of the four sides. Make sure that the side you leave open is the side with the flap. Now use this opening to pull the fabric through so that it is back to being the right way around. It should look like the picture above.

Step 9: Hand Sew the Opening

To finish the wallet, you must now sew closed the edge that you left open so that you could turn the wallet the right way around. This edge is very thick, and my sewing machine could not sew, it, so I did it by hand. However this is quite time consuming, so I would advise trying to use the sewing machine.

Step 10: Adding Buttons

You have got the overall shape, now all you need is a few practical buttons and button loops to fasten the whole thing shut, and to add a little bit of decoration. You must hand sew one button at the top of the phone pocket, as shown, and one on the back side of the wallet, which is also shown in the picture. You must also sew little loops that can be put around the buttons to hold the flap in place, and keep the pocket closed.

Step 11: Congratulations, You Are Done!

I hope that you enjoy using your “Forget-Me-Not Phone Wallet!” Remember to turn of the iron and the sewing machine and have a great day :)