Fabric Wallet - A Simple DIY Sewing Tutorial on Bombshell Bling

This simple fabric wallet is a fun project you can sew up in an hour or less, and you’ve probably got everything you need to make it already sitting in your sewing stash.

I made one and loved it so much I immediately made another. I’ve got several more fabric combinations picked out to make a few more. I have no plans for them – I’ll just stash them away to give as gifts later.

I’ve got a tutorial and free sewing pattern for you below.

Between the exterior, the back lining, and the pockets, there’s plenty of opportunity for fun mixing and matching of prints. The edges are finished with bias tape, which gives another chance to add some color to your wallet.

I think you can see from the ones I made that I didn’t shy away from color at all!

I like to think of this as a “just the basics” wallet. The outside is pretty plain, but that doesn’t mean boring. This is your chance to show off a favorite fabric print.

Inside the simple fabric wallet is a long pocket to hold paper money, and 4 small pockets to hold credit cards or gift cards.

Finished dimensions are 4 1/4” wide x 3 ½” tall when the wallet closed, and 10” wide x 3 ½” tall when the wallet is open.

This is a smaller size wallet, which makes it a great gift to give to kids (especially with some dollar bills tucked inside). Hook and loop tape is an easy closure for young hands to work. For adults, that small size makes it perfect for stashing in a pocket or small bag.

What I love about this project is that it’s super scrap friendly. And I ALWAYS have a bunch of scraps just waiting to be sewn into something awesome!

Most of the pieces you need can be cut from large scraps. The largest piece you’ll need to cut is 8 ¼” wide x 12 ¾” tall. So pull out those scraps and start designing a pretty new fabric wallet!

How to Sew a Simple Fabric Wallet

Supplies

Wallet Exterior – 1 piece, 10” wide x 3.5” tall from home dec weight cotton or quilting cotton

Wallet Lining – – 1 piece, 8 ¼” wide x 3.5” tall from quilting cotton

Flap Lining – 1 piece, 2 ½” wide x 3.5” tall from quilting cotton

Pockets – 1 piece, 8 ¼” wide x 12 ¾” tall from quilting cotton

Lightweight fusible interfacing – cut 1 piece each in the following sizes:

5” wide x 3” tall (to interface Wallet Exterior)
7 ¾” wide x 3” tall (to interface Wallet Lining)
2” wide x 3” tall (to interface Flap Lining)

Hook and loop tape – 1 piece, 2 ½” long

1 ½” wide double fold bias tape (3/8” wide when folded) – 1 yard

Simple Fabric Wallet – free sewing pattern

Prep

Follow manufacturer’s instructions to fuse the interfacing to the backs of the Wallet Exterior, Wallet Lining, and Flap Lining pieces.

Make the Pockets

Use a temporary fabric marking pen to mark the lines on the Pockets pattern piece on the Pockets fabric. Mark both the dashed and the dotted lines. These will be your guidelines for pressing pocket folds into the fabric.

You don’t need to mark the full lines. I just made lines about ¾” long at just the edges.

If you prefer to use a quilting ruler to mark your lines, there are measurements on the pattern that show the distance between the lines.

Fold and press the Pockets piece at the places where you marked. Start at the bottom and then work your way up. Pay attention to which folds are mountain folds and which are valley folds.

The first fold will be a mountain fold.

Next will be a valley fold.

Continue pressing the folds all the way up the Pockets piece.

When you’re done, you should end up with a pleated Pocket piece that’s roughly 2 ¾” tall, with two rows of pockets staggered by ¼”. The last section will fold to the back and should extend down all the way to the bottom of the front pleat.

Actually, that last section will likely extend a little past the bottom of the front pleat. That’s because I added in a little extra length on that section to allow some wiggle room with marking/folding all those pleats. Just trim off the extra so it’s even.

Sew a vertical line down the center of the folded Pockets piece. Backstitch at the top to reinforce the seam.

Now, sew vertical lines ¼” to either side of that first line, again backstitching at the top to reinforce the seams.

Assemble the Wallet Lining

Place the Pockets piece across the bottom of the Wallet Lining, right sides up, and raw edges aligned. Baste in place around sounds and bottom with a 1/8” seam allowance.

Place Flap Lining piece along right edge of the Pockets/Wallet Lining, right sides together, and raw edges aligned. Sew with a 3/8” seam allowance.

The 3/8” seam allowance seems strange here, but there’s a purpose. Because the bias tape that will finish off edges of the wallet (and the left side of the pockets) is 3/8” wide, the 3/8” seam allowance here will keep the finished pocket widths the same.

Press the seam open.

Sew the Hook and Loop Tape

Place the hook side of the hook and loop tape across the right end of the Flap Lining, right sides up, and ½” from the edge. Sew in place.

Place the loop side of the hook and loop tape across the right end of the Wallet Exterior, right sides up, and ½” from the edge. Sew in place.

Assemble the Wallet

Place the Wallet Exterior on top on the Wallet Lining, WRONG SIDES TOGETHER. Use a glue stick to glue baste the layers together. Iron lightly over the layered pieces to dry the glue.

Baste around the edges with 1/8” seam allowance.

With Wallet Exterior facing up, open up one side of the bias tape and sew it around the wallet in the ditch of the fold, raw edges touching. Ease the tape around curves and miter the corners (see how here). Sew all the way around and overlap the beginning by about ¾”.

Flip the bias tape around the raw edges of the wallet to the Lining side, and glue it down with the folded edge of the bias tape just barely past the stitch line. Miter the corners. Press with a hot iron to dry the glue.