Wuta wallet pattern, build, review.

[bikermutt07]

 

Now that we have our top pocket glued and it is dry we can tackle this second pocket that seems to want to stand up.

Now if we have some small spring clamps it's not much of a problem to glue and clamp these little tabs.

So, I don't have any spring clamps, dang. What will we do? At least that's what I was thinking. Maybe you already have a fix, or better yet spring clamps.

Well, here is what I fashioned and it seems to be working.

I pushed the needles through the lined up holes. Then pulled it apart, glued it, reinserted the needles and gave both sides a little pinch.

Tomorrow I will try and figure a way to glue the rest of it. We could maybe get by without glueing the rest if we have to.

Edited August 17, 2016 by bikermutt07

[bikermutt07]

So, I decided that the wrap around area of the main body was a little fat. I did a little more skiving work and this is what it produced.

I think this will fold up a little better.

I dug around in the shed and found on pair of spring clamps. But alas, no plastic pincher covers. Well, that got me thinking........

While the glue was drying I decided to test out a tip from Kevin at Springfield Leather. You can actually make beaded lines with the plastic bone folder slicker. I hadn't tried it yet, but this is how it turned out.

This isn't a necessary step but Iliked. The wallets I've seen with this detail.

Hhere's how to do it. Start with a scrap piece. Always start with a scrap piece. It is way less painful to look at a piece of scrap then an abandoned project that I messed up.

Choose the line you want to use and guide it softly and slowly over your edge. You just want to make an impression with the first pass. Now go a bit deeper on the second pass. You should now have a good line with some definition. Once you achieve that definition you can bear down on it and start rubbing it in. With this particular leather I got almost a black line. After I did this to all the lines I went back over them with (I'm gonna call it) the knife end of the folder.

I think I got pretty good results with this technique. A more expensive approach is a soldering iron with special tips that burn the crease in.

Now we will glue one side of our fold over main body. If you are blessed with 2 spring clamps, then by all means glue both sides. I started with the stitch tab only and then I will glue the rest. This is so I can manipulate the best alignment between the 2 sides of the main body. 

I'll be back when we are ready to stitch up our 2 sides. Enjoy.

[bikermutt07]

I decided to do some digging in the art room.

Behold the Awseomeness that is my wife, "The Art Teacher".

I wish I would have thought to dig thru her goodies 2 days ago.

[cjartist]

Thanks for sharing your progress.  I use those binder clips all the time to hold my work in place.  I usually just shove a couple of small scraps under both sides of the clip so that it doesn't make an unwanted impression.

[bikermutt07]

Oops, thanks for the tip.

[bikermutt07]

Well, I finally made it back. My entire weekend had me married to a chainsaw. Don't ask.

I was not going to go over the stitching very much. But, I am hoping (by showing my process) a pro will jump in and show me what adjustments to make.

I just don't quite have that zig zag saddle stitch perfect yet. But, you can follow this part of the tutorial and I promise your wallet will hold together, or your money back. Let's get going.

This is my pony. I have it fastened to an old nightstand. Why? Because I have a belly. I took the opportunity Friday night and finally glued some leather to it.

 

Now we will start with our awl again. Make sure and keep the flat edge of the awl parallel to the edge of the wallet.

Pull your first needle through the first hole at the bottom of the wallet. Even the the space between your needles.

*Disclaimer* I really don't understand the left hand priorty jargon about the stitching. So, for the purposes here I will be saying outside and inside. This refers to the outside of the wallet and inside of the wallet. It seems I can only make one side look acceptable for the moment.

Back to work. Start with the outside thread and push it through the next hole. Leave some slack on the outside of the wallet. I push this thread down into the bottom of the slot. Everytime.

Now hold it down as you take the inside thread over the top through the hole. Notice how I hold the outside thread down and out of the way with my pinkys.

As you get the inside thread to the outside, tug the outside thread back a little to make sure you haven't pierced it with the inside needle.

Now slowly pull both threads taught simultaneously. I pull the thread coming to the outside up and the thread going to the inside down, like this:

Make sure you don't knot your threads together.

Now, continue stitching. Try to work towards stabbing the awl even depths throughout the piece. I read somewhere here that if you stab the awk different depths it will make the stitches look uneven. Also, be careful when sticking the awl through the leather and make sure to keep your inside and outside stitches lined up. When I get to the last three holes I make the holes a little wider to help with the backstitching. (This may be incorrect).

I don't really have a procedure to share on the backstitching. Just try to make the stitches fall on top of each other. Then snip the threads off with a tiny bit hanging out. Maybe an eighth of an inch. Then singe with a lighter.

Now repeat the process for the other side.

[bikermutt07]

Here is my almost finished wallet.

It actually fits stuff inside it.

I still need to finish the edges, bit I have already started using it. This build was out of necessity. Enjoy.

I will give my overall review breakdown in a couple of days.

Critiques are welcome as I am always learning. One of the main reasons for this tutorial was to force myself to slow down. I hope it helps some fellow newbs.

Make sure and have fun.

[bikermutt07]

*Final Thoughts*

The pattern seemed to work well enough. I like the design and am enjoying using the wallet.

I used 4-5 ounce and it came out a little thick. But this is on me. Full of cards my wallet is roughly 3/4". That doesn't feel to bad in the front pocket. I haven't been able to stuff much cash into it, but coming up with the cash seems to be a bigger problem then where to put it.

The closure strap is a nice touch. Although, it's a little hard to work in the beginning and I'm confident it will loosen up with age and use.

If I did it again I may have gone with a single or double snap closure. I thought about it in the beginning but it seemed it would make it too coin pursey. Now seeing the finished product 2 brass snaps would look good with the leather choice.

Over all finished dimensions are 4"w x 3"t. 

I also didn't do The final finish on the wallet or edges. After experimenting, the leather seemed to have plenty of oils packed into it. Water runs off the stuff pretty well. 

I did do a dry turtle stamp as my final embellishment. My three year old son picked it out.

So, in the end I am happy with this build and am looking forward to learning more. My next project will be a card holder for a friend.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and review.

Keep having fun.

[YinTx]

nice write up.  enjoy the wallet.

Looks distinctly like a '68 Ford pickup.

[bikermutt07]

 

nice write up.  enjoy the wallet.

Looks distinctly like a '68 Ford pickup.

Nope, 66 Chevy long bed. That's his Paw's truck.

I'm a Ford man myself.