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Jan 25, 2013

Fabric Origami Wallet




I was so pleased with the result from my Fabric Origami Card Holder that I decided to try something a little bolder today. Most paper wallets you see cannot be considered origami, because they use scissors. The true origami art does not use scissors or glue, just creases. So, I found this really nice design online of a true origami wallet and I decided to try it with fabric! 

This makes a nice thick wallet, with plenty of space for your cards and bills. This pattern can be tricky, so I advise you to first make it on paper. I will try my best to explain each step very clearly, but if pictures aren't enough, you can find a great video tutorial here (though with tyvek paper).

I stiffened a 15.5" x 13” piece of fabric (see related post for instructions) and started the folding! I think the fabric I used was either a bit too thick or I didn’t stiffen it enough. Nevertheless, the result was still beautiful!

(1) Start with the wrong side of your fabric facing up. Fold your fabric in half, parallel to the 13" sides.


(2) Open it again and fold the two 13" sides towards the middle crease you just created.



(3) Open the fabric once again and turn it, so that the right side will be facing up. Then, fold two corners of one of the 15.5" sides to meet at the middle crease, forming two big triangles. We will call this side A.



(4) Open the fabric again, this time with the wrong side facing up. Still working on side A, fold a crease perpendicular to the other three creases, meeting the top corner of the creases created by the triangle.



(5) Open the fabric again and fold a small triangle on both corners of side A.

  
(6) Fold back the crease you created in step 4.


(7) Use the existing creases to collapse each of these two sides, forming pockets.  



(8) Using a bill as reference for the size, fold side A up. 


(9) Flip it and fold the other side of the fabric - let's call it side B. Then, fold the edge of side B using a credit card as a reference for size.




(10) Open the whole fabric once again, and with the wrong side facing up, make two 45 degree triangles on the corners of side B.


(11) Fold the edge crease you made in step 10, but this time to the opposite side (i.e. against the crease).
 

(12) Fold all the creases back together.

  

(13) Take B and tuck it into the pockets of side A.


(14) Lastly, to give it a nice finish, tuck the corners of side B into the inner triangles of side A.


(15) Use an iron to help set the creases and let it cool. Your very own handmade wallet is ready to be filled up!


To make it more secure, I added a closing device with an elastic band and a button. I opened a small whole on the back and hand-sewed it with one thread of red embroidery yarn. On the front side of the wallet, I sewed a big blue button (I had to re-open the folds to be able to sew the button, but it was very easy to close them again). Lastly, I passed the elastic band through the back hole and finished it with a little knot. 


8 comments:

  1. Love this! Thank you for the pictured tutorial! I cannot wait to try my hand at making a few of the wallets!

    I've included your link in today's round up on my blog! http://lanettascreations.blogspot.com/2013/09/fabric-origami.html#.UkFeC4asiSo

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  2. can this be made with a smaller size like 9 x 12

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    1. Hi! A smaller size probably wouldn't allow enough space for cards and bills. But let me know if it works for you! Alternatively, you can make an origami card holder, which calls for a smaller size of fabric: http://bee-a-ba.blogspot.com/2013/01/fabric-origami-card-holder.html. Hope this helps!

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    2. Thank you, Do you possibly know what is the smallest size that it can be made in?

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    3. Like any origami design, you can make it as small as you wish, but it gets increasingly hard to make the folds...so I would say that's the limitation in size.

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  3. Update: a friend added a piece of cardboard on each side of the wallet to make it stiffer. It works like a charm! Thanks for the great idea Quel!

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  4. it is really very nice.please post many other creative things

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  5. This is awesome ! Thank you for sharing !

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