Make giving a gift card more personal by following this simple tutorial!
This is a really simple technique my mother taught me some years ago when I was really into making bags and wallets. It is very easy to modify if you want to make a wallet or larger pouch and allows you to have a lining without having to make one separately or having to sew by hand. This tutorial is designed for a gift card, but like I said, you can modify it’s size anyway you want.
Ok, ready? Let’s go!
You’ll need a piece of outer fabric and lining fabric cut at 4.5”w x 8”l. I like to interface just about everything but in this case since it’s only a gift card holder, you can either interface one piece or neither. You’ll need about a 2” piece of Velcro, too. All seam allowances are 1/2”. I also refer to “sides” and “tops” of fabric. This is especially important if you are using a one-way design fabric.
Step 1: With right sides together, sew across the top.
Step 2: Open up fabric and press the seam flat.
Step 3: Fold other side so that wrong sides are now touching and give it another good press.
Step 4: I like to top stitch here but this is optional. Add a piece of your Velcro about 1/4” from the edge. It doesn’t have to be exact.
Step 5: Now, kinda fold the fabric into the shape of a wallet and insert any card into it just to pinpoint where the bottom is going to be and where the top flap is going to land. With the measurements I gave you, you can skip this part but if you have a certain design on your fabric that you want to show, this is where you will tweek that.
Step 6: Slide the other piece of Velcro in where the flap meets the Velcro you already sewed in. No need to pin, just hold it and run it through your machine. If you skipped step 5, just place the Velcro about 1” from the edge of the fabric and center it. This allows for 1/2” seam allowance and another 1/2” to pull the flap open once it’s finished. Only sew on the lining and not the outer fabric unless you want your stitches to show through on the outside of the flap.
Step 7: Now fold up one side of the fabric where you want the bottom to be. Unless you did step 5, you will want to fold somewhere around 2” from the finished edge you just stitched, which is the width of a gift card. Crease the fabric with your finger.
Step 8: Flip over and do the same to the other piece of fabric. If you feel more comfortable pinning here, go ahead and do that now. If not, no biggie, just move on to the machine.
Step 9: Run a stitch along both sides. It’s best to start on the bottom where the folds are, especially if you didn’t pin, just so you won’t have the fabric shift on you and not meet up properly.
Step 10: Don’t forget to clip corners!
Step 11: Now you have an opening at the top. This is your access point to turn right-side out. Go ahead and do that.
Step 12: And we’re turning….
Step 13: You may have flipped it out and found that your lining is on the outside. Just flip the pocket to the other side and now your lining should be facing the correct way. This is what you should have now (picture above).
Step 14: Now with the Velcro side facing down, press the whole thing flat with your iron. If necessary, you can poke the corners on the inside with something pointy. I use my scissors, but I know they make tools that are better suited for this job. Fold in that remaining opening 1/2” being careful to keep it looking straight (or crooked if that’s how you roll) and give it a nice top stitch to close it up.
What, what? You’re done!! Now stick a super nice gift card inside, and feel better about giving a generic but practical gift because you’ve just included something handmade with their gift card!
Thanks for reading! Would love to hear from you!
