broddhisatva Report post Posted June 24, 2008 Thus far the majority of my wallets have contained prefab inserts of one kind or another, but I'm trying to find a way to cut the major suppliers out of this part of my work and come up with something a little less, well, "mass market" looking. The question is, for those of you who make your own wallet interiors : what tips can you give. Bonus points for those who don't use sewing machines, as there's no way in hell mine will sew leather and being a bootstrap operation I can't afford to buy something more sturdy. (Apologies to KevinKing .... there's just no Juki in my immediate future) -b Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
abn Report post Posted June 25, 2008 Well, I suppose I qualify on both counts: I make my own wallet interiors, plus I sew 'em by hand. (I'm attaching a sample pic below...) I'm not sure what kind of advice you're after, but I'll throw some stuff out there and maybe it'll help. Your first task in building your own wallet interior will probably be to pick the leather you plan to use. I'm currently using Tandy's kip sides (9155-00), but I've had some success using pigskin, as well. The next thing you'll need to figure out is the orientation of the pockets. The pockets on all of my wallets face each other. I find this manner of construction easier, plus you get the added security of knowing you can't lose a card when the wallet is folded. However, I've noticed that most commercially-produced wallets stack the cards vertically, so you should play around with each design style to see which one you prefer. Some folks use a lightweight, slick fabric inside wallet pockets, but I can't offer any advice there. The last thing I can think of is to mock up your design and use it as your own wallet for a while. I created a wallet about a year ago that I thought was really nice looking. However, I had layered the pockets in such a way that when fully loaded (20+ cards), I couldn't get my credit card out! Too many pockets and too much friction. Oh yeah, and don't forget to make the length of your wallet interior a bit shorter than your wallet back so it'll fold correctly. I think that's about all I have on this subject. Good luck, and let us know how it works out! Best, -Alex Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
