Make a Classy Bi-fold Leather Wallet

Working with leather and making wallets can be pretty challenging, especially as a beginner. So in this instructable I will show you how to make a classy bi-fold leather wallet.

I am in no way a professional leathercrafter - I am only a hobbyist with about 5 months experience. However, this is why I think this instructable will be useful for beginners, as it can often be daunting and confusing learning from professionals with 30 years of experience. The method I use may not be the ultimate method, but it works for me and I want to share it. If I have missed something or you would like to add something, feel free to comment.

It can take a lot of trial and error when it comes to making leather wallets - as I have found out - which can be frustrating seeing as how much time they can take, but the satisfaction when you make a wallet that you're happy with is immense, so keep at it if your first try is disappointing.

I have also made a video to go with this instructable, which you should definitely watch at some point as it outlines all of the processes involved in making the wallet.

• 1 - 1.2mm thick (2 - 3oz) Leather (I will tell you the amount below)
• Leather Glue (I use Fiebing's Leathercraft Cement)
• Gum Tragacanth Edge Polish
• 0.6mm Waxed Polyester Thread
• Beeswax

Tools:

• Cutting Knife/Blade/Wheel
• Awl (Optional)
• Ruler (Metal and Cork-backed is preferable but I managed without)
• Cutting Mat/Board
• Wooden Edge Burnisher/Slicker
• Glue Spreader (Optional)
• A set of 4mm Stitching Punches (a 6 hole, 2 hole and 1 hole will do)
• Hammer (preferably nylon head)
• Lighter
• Edge Beveller
• Scissors
• 2 Sewing Needles (you may need more incase they break)

This list can be quite daunting, but you can get the specialist tools on Amazon in a starter kit for a reasonable price.

Choosing the Leather:

Choosing the right leather is very confusing for a beginner, so here is what I suggest you do. You want leather that is 1 -1.2mm (2 - 3oz) thick and apart from that it is really up to you. I would buy small pieces (not half/whole hides) as this means you can experiment with different leathers.

I like the two-tone effect, so I bought 2 A4 size pieces of leather - 1 in indigo blue and 1 in sky blue, and this was a great colour scheme in my opinion.

The leather I got was 1.2 - 1.4mm thick (which was in hindsight a tad too thick) Chrome Tanned Italian Calf Leather from artisanleather.co.uk. This is a great supplier for little bits in the UK. If in the US then I suggest buying from a US company - I'm sure there's plenty of choice and it will be easier and quicker.

UPDATE: Since making this wallet, I have made another using the same pattern and techniques using Wickett & Craig Latigo Leather in Buck Brown (with a thickness of 1 - 1.2mm). I have found this to be an excellent leather for making this wallet. The downsides are that it is expensive and doesn't come in many colours. I sourced it in the UK from leather4craft.co.uk. I am sure you can get it in the US as that is where it undergoes the tanning process.

Cutting the Leather:

Cutting the leather is simple. I haven't included a template as it may print off the wrong size for you and it is just so easy to make your own template. You will need 1 and a half pieces of A4 card. The dimensions of the pieces you need to draw and cut are:

23cm by 9cm (Outer cash piece)

21.5cm by 9cm (Inner Cash Piece)

9.8cm by 9cm (Card pockets)

9.8cm by 6cm (Card pockets)

Cut out one of each of these dimensions. For the 9.8cm by 6cm piece, cut diagonally so you chop one of the corners of (the pictures above and video show this).

It is very important that you remember to cut out two copies of the 9.8cm by 9cm and 9.8cm by 6cm when you use the template to cut out the leather. Then cut out 1 of each of the 23cm by 9cm and 21.5cm by 9cm piece (of leather).

You now have all of the pieces of leather you need.

Leather edges need to be burnished so they are protected. I use Gum Tragacanth and Beeswax for this. When you make a leather wallet, you need to think about it in terms of what you need to burnish when. This will dictate the order in which you construct it.

Burnish the Top Edge of 9.8cm by 6cm Pieces:

So, you are basically burnishing the edge with the diagonal on it as this is the only edge you won't be able to burnish once the 9.8cm by 6cm and 9.8cm by 9cm pieces are glued together.

Burnishing:

I will go into detail about burnishing here and therefore won't later on when it has to be done again.

There are lots of ways to protect your leather edges, but this is mine.

First, I will use my finger to daub some Gum Tragacanth Edge Polish onto the edge that needs burnishing. Then, I will rapidly rub my wooden Edge Burnisher back and forth along the edge until it feels smooth. This process will then be repeated several times until it is as smooth as I want it. Then I will rub my beeswax along the edge to give it a bit of extra protection and give it a final rub with the wooden edge burnisher.

Gluing:

You should now be ready to glue the 9.8cm by 6cm and 9.8cm by 9cm pieces together. Spread a thin layer around the edge of the pieces where contact will be made - making sure not to glue the edge that you have just burnished. Follow the instructions on your glue to see how it is best used.

Sewing:

At this stage, you only need to sew the inner edge of the 9.8cm by 6cm piece. The rest will be sewn together later on, and this is why you glue it.

To sew leather, you first need to mark the stitch line. It doesn't really matter what you use to do this - it can be an awl and ruler, wing dividers or a 2-hole stitching punch - the main thing is that all the stitching lines on the wallet are the same distance from the edge.

You then want to punch the stitching holes using the stitching punches. Line it up on the stitching line you've marked and hit it with the hammer. Then move it along, placing one of the pegs of the punch in the last hole you punched to keep the holes at a consistent distance.

Next is the stitching itself. I do a saddle stitch without a stitching pony for my wallet. There are videos on YouTube on how to do this which you can watch if confused - Here is a good one. Basically you want to cut a piece of thread about 4 - 6 times the length you are stitching (depending on the thickness) and thread a needle at both ends. You should then thread both needles through two consecutive holes and keeping tension on one, thread the other through and around. It is difficult to explain so I suggest again watching my video at the top of this page and if still stuck then give it a YouTube search. When finishing the stitch, you should cut the thread without tying it as you can use a lighter to melt the thread to provide a secure finish due to it being waxed thread.

Burnishing (again):

Your part-stitched card pockets should now be ready for burnishing (the inner edge). First, you want to use your edge beveller to skive of a little leather so the edge is more rounded. Then you can burnish the inner edge using the technique described above.

Gluing:

You now want to glue the two card pockets to the inner cash piece - making sure to only glue the three outer edges on each piece.

Sewing:

Once the glue has dried, you can mark and punch out holes all the way round this piece. The only place where you don't want to punch holes is the middle bit at the bottom (the pictures demonstrate this).

You only need to sew across the top of this piece for now, as this is the only part that will not get sewn when the outer cash and inner cash pieces are joined together.

Burnishing:

Once you have sewn across the top of this piece, you can now burnish the top edge of this piece. The other edges do not need burnishing yet as they can be done when the wallet is fully sewn.

Punching holes in the Outer Cash piece:

You can now punch holes in the outer cash piece. Mark out your stitching lines - making sure to leave a 3cm ish gap in the middle of the bottom side. Next line up the inner cash pocket and outer cash pocket so you can see exactly where you need to punch holes. Use this technique to punch holes all the way round this piece - every hole in the inner cash piece should have a corresponding hole in the outer cash piece.

Sewing and Burnishing Top Edge:

Before you attach the two pieces together, you need to sew and burnish across the top of the outer cash piece (you will not be able to do this once the wallet is fully constructed).

Gluing (Part 1):

As the outer cash piece is longer than the inner cash piece (this is so it can fold nicely when filled with cash and cards) the sewing and gluing will have to be done in two parts.

Firstly, you need to glue one half so the stitching holes line up.

Sewing (Part 1):

Once this is dried, you can stitch this half. This will be the hardest bit to stitch as it is the thickest part of the wallet, so persevere.

Gluing (Part 2):

You can now glue the other half. You will notice that the wallet takes shape.

Sewing (Part 2):

Once dried, this half can be sewn in the same manner as the first half.

Final Burnish:

All you wallet needs now is a final burnish. First, skive the edges that you have just sewn along. Next, use your gum tragacanth and beeswax to burnish the edges.

Your wallet should now be completed.

I hope you managed to make a wallet from this instructable. If you are still confused then watch my video at the top of the page.

I have attached some pictures of other wallets I have made in this exact way, to help give you an idea of what you can achieve using this method.

Thanks for reading.