Introduction: A Collapsible Duct Tape Change Purse

Do you spend a lot of time digging around in your pocket for loose change?  Have you ever wanted an easy way to keep all your pocket change together?  This instructable will show you how to make a quick and easy collapsible change purse out of duct tape.

Essentially this is a duct tape box, but what makes it unique are the way the sides collapse down and fold upon themselves to close the top. 

It makes a great change purse.  Its durable and easy to use and because it is made from duct tape, it can really take a beating.  You can make it more stylish by using different colors of duct tape. I've used mine for over 2 years and it continues to work great.  No more digging around for loose change for me.

Total time for this project:  Approximately 30 minutes for construction

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Step 1: Gather Your Materials!

You will need the following materials for this project:

1) A roll of duct tape
2) Scissors
3) A ruler
4) A pen or pencil that can make marks on duct tape
5) A large heavy book or flat object to place on the completed change purse to initially help it hold its shape.
6) One sheet of printer paper

Step 2: Measure the Width of Your Duct Tape

The size of your change purse will depend on the width of your duct tape.  Measure the width of the tape you plan to use.  Remember this measurement because it will be used as the basis for all other measurements.

In this example, the duct tape is exactly 2 inches wide.

Remember, the wider your duct tape, the larger your change purse will be.

Step 3: Cut Four Strips of Duct Tape

Cut four strips of duct tape.  Each strip should be cut LONGER THAN 3 times the width of your tape.  I recommend at least one inch longer to be safe.

In this example the width of the duct tape is 2 inches.  Each strip is cut to about 7 inches (2 in. X 3 + 1 = 7 in.).

The reason you want to cut this longer is so we have some room for error when we start sticking the tape together.  Remember we can always trim later.

Step 4: Stick 2 Pieces of Tape Together, Criss-cross.

Place one piece of duct tape sticky side up. Place a 2nd piece criss-cross on top of it, sticky side down. Each piece should be stuck as close to the center as possible.

IMPORTANT: Remember that for this to work, the 2 pieces must make a perfect square corner (90 degrees). If there they are taped together at any other angle, you will not be able to tape the sides together.

NOTE: I was able to eyeball this step, but if you can't, you can use a sheet of printer paper as a guide to make sure the pieces are square.

Step 5: Cover the Back of One of the Pieces With Duct Tape.

Take the 3rd strip of duct tape and place it, sticky side down on top of the piece of tape that is sticky side up. What you are doing is creating a "non-sticky" surface on both sides of what will eventually be 2 walls of the change purse. Take care to line up both pieces carefully.

This will make both sides of this one piece "non-sticky".

Step 6: Covering Up the Rest of the Sticky Parts

Use the 4th strip of duct tape to cover the remaining sticky parts. Trim off at the end and use the remainder on the other sticky half. Again, take care to make sure all pieces line up exactly or else there will be some very small sticky parts that will show.

You should now have a duct tape cross, both sides of which should have no sticky parts showing.

Step 7: Cutting the Sides to the Proper Length.

Using a ruler, measure out and mark the width of your duct tape from the edge of where the 2 pieces intersect. Do this 4 times, once for each side.

Once you have marked each side, cut on each mark. You will now have each side cut to the proper length.

Step 8: Cut Another Long Piece of Duct Tape.

From your roll of duct tape, cut a long strip at least 1 inch longer than 4 times the width of your duct tape.

In this example, I cut a 9 inch piece (2 in. X 4 +1 = 9 in.)

This piece will be used to tape all the sides together to make a box.

Step 9: Attaching All the Sides Together

You will now attach all the sides together to make a duct tape box.

Start by taping your long strip that you just cut to one side of your box. Make sure that the tape is straight and that it starts right in the middle of that side.

Bring up a 2nd side and push the 2 edges of both sides so that they are flush with each other, then gently stick the tape onto the 2nd side.

A tip here is to try and keep the top edge of your long strip in line with the top edge of your box side. If you don't then your long strip will start to drift and you will get a small sticky edge that will show . You could easily trim this, but I find it easier to make sure it is lined up correctly in the first place.

What you are doing is taping all 4 sides of the change purse together. When you are done you should have the end of your long strip overlap by about 1/2 inch.

Step 10: A Duct Tape Box

You should now have a duct tape box.

The next steps will show you how to make it collapse upon itself.

Step 11: Making It Collapsible - Crease Each Side.

Start by folding the upper left corner of each side down to the lower right corner. This will make a crease that will run from the bottom left corner to the top right corner.

Do this for all 4 sides.

Step 12: Fold All the Sides Down Together

Once you have creased each side, you now have to fold all of the sides down together. It may seem difficult at first, but if you start by folding down one side, then folding down the next and continuing in that fashion, you will eventually get all 4 sides folded down and the box will be collapsed.

NOTE: At first the duct tape will be stiff. You will have to hold one side down while folding the next.

Step 13: Help It Retain Its Shape.

Your change purse is now complete/ Initially the duct tape will be very stiff and your change purse will want to pop open on its own. There are some things you can do to take care of this.

One is to place your folded change purse under something flat and heavy for about an hour. This will help to reinforce the creases on each side. Another is to put it in your pants pocket empty for a few hours. Your body heat will help the tape to become slightly malleable and help it to retain its folded shape.

Step 14: Enjoy!

Once it can keep its folded shape, it will be ready for use.

To open: Simply grasp the tops of 2 folded down sides that are opposite of each other and pull. The change purse will pop right open.

To close: The change purse will naturally want to close on its own, but you can help it by giving the top a sleight counter-clockwise twist.

You now have a functional and very unique looking change purse. Digging around for loose change will be a thing of the past. Enjoy!

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