Mini Cork Wallet Tutorial

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I am all about quick projects. Seriously – 4 kids, a business and a household – I barely have time to eat. But I love sewing. After 40 years of living, I finally found what I am passionate about. I could sew every single day and get lost in it. However, there are other loves in my life – my kids, my husband and I gladly set down sewing for them.

They know, though, that I have to sew to stay sane! LOL. But the same sewing day after day is not enough for me – I love lots of textures, colors, techniques. I never learned the rules of sewing being self-taught, so I make a lot of mistakes, but I also am not afraid to try new things!

If you have been on the fence about cork, just Go For It! It is super simple to use – you don’t have to worry about seam allowances, sewing inside out, ironing, starching – none of it! That is what makes this Mini Cork Wallet so quick, so easy, so useful.

Before we really get to it, know that teens love these! Especially teen girls. They hate carrying purses all the time. This fits a license and a credit/debit card. You can even layer up – folding money and tucking it behind a card. It can also be used for business cards, to keep the loyalty cards, and I am sure you could come up with a million more ways to use it.

Plus, you get all the benefits of cork – stain free, water-proof, anti-viral/microbial/etc, and it is vegan and a sustainable resource. It wears like leather without the hassle – no, you do not have to coat it with any protectant.

Ready to have a cute gift made 15 minutes from now? Let’s get started.

Supplies you will need

Cork – color of your choice
Ruler
Rotary cutter
Sewing machine
Thread to coordinate with cork
scissors
cup or other item for notch template

First, you will need to cut your cork. Cut 1 piece – 4 1/8″ x 5 1/4″. Cut 2 pieces – 4″ x 2 1/4″. On the two smaller pieces, you will want to cut a notch in the center to make grabbing cards easier. I used a cup to make a little curve, but you can simple mark the center and make a triangle – or angle down one side. It truly doesn’t matter – the style is up to you.

Then butt one of the small pieces on the end of the larger piece. Cork doesn’t like pins, so use wonderclips if you need to hold it together, but the friction from the cloth side of the cork is enough for me to hold it straight on this small of a piece. It is perfectly fine if the two pieces do not line up perfectly – just center it – I left a slight bit for trimming in the sizes.

Sew at a 2.5″ stitch length, slightly over 1/8″ from the edge of the inner pocket piece (the 4 x 2 1/4″), back stitching a few times at the beginning and end.

Take your mini wallet back the cutting table and cut lining up the stitch line at 1/8″ and trimming any excess. Trim on all sides to make it look nice and sharp.

Try out a couple of cards to make sure the pockets are the right size.

YAY! You have a Mini Wallet!!!

Fold it half and let it sit under a book to get the fold to stay and then enjoy your cute, useful mini wallet or gift it to someone this Holiday Season! Care is simple – simply wipe with a damp cloth when dirty.

Threaded Lines carries a large variety of cork colors and prints in 3 different sizes. Our cork comes from Portugal which is the largest and best quality cork supplier in the world. Shop all our cork here.

If you would like to try your hand at full size wallet – get the pattern here. All the men in my life LOVE these wallets! They are sturdy and fit nicely in a pocket.