Printed leather wallets

I designed this printed leather wallet for men who like to travel light, more specifically – my husband, for when he goes out for a beer with his friends. What’s great about this wallet is that it allows you to carry all the essentials (credit card, driver’s license and some bills) while still remaining quite compact and slim in your pocket. Not to mention the fun colorful patterns :) Over time I found that women like these wallets too, as gifts for their men, but also for themselves.

As I like to keep things simple, this leather wallet is also quite simple to make. So whether you’re looking for a DIY gift idea for men, or just want one for yourself – here it is:

Men slim DIY leather wallet

What you’ll need:

For the outer wallet: 8”x3.15” (20.5×8 cm) printed leather piece, 2-3 oz. thick
For the bills compartment: 8”x2.75” (20.5×7 cm) piece of thin leather (I usually use pig skin)
For the credit cards pockets: Two 3.35”x2.75” (8.5×7 cm) pieces of thin leather
For the ID pocket: 2.95”x2.75” (7.5×7 cm) piece of thin clear vinyl or plastic
Knife or scissors
Sewing machine and thread

This leather wallet is made of 5 rectangles and 4 seams. I wrote down all the instruction below, but if you prefer – here you can find illustrated instructions and a printable wallet pattern.

Thin leather wallet for men

How to make a Printed Leather Slim Wallet:

All seams for the wallet should be sewn about 4-5 mm from the edge of the leather.

Seam #1: Place the pockets pieces on top of the bills compartment piece, and align to the edges. Make a seam next to the top edge to attach all layers together (if you’re having trouble holding the pieces in place for sewing take a look at my Easy Working with Leather Tips Series).

Leather wallet inner view

Seam #2: On the bottom edge, make a seam as follows: start at the middle of the bills compartment piece to the right side, until you attach the inner-bottom corner of the right pocket and the ID pocket. Keep the needle inside the leather, lift the foot of your machine and turn all layers around, so you can sew back to the other side and attach the inner-bottom corner of the second pocket. Lift and turn again, and go back to the middle point, where you started the seam.

The outer wallet piece is longer than the bills compartment piece. The reason is that it allows the wallet to close better without excess leather that will create redundant bulk. Therefore you’ll need to attach the layers together in two separate seams:

Seam #3: Place the bills compartment piece on the outer wallet piece aligned to the bottom-right corner. Sew and attach all layers from the top-right corner of the wallet to about 4-5 mm from the bottom corner. Again, keep the needle inside the leather and lift the foot to turn the wallet 90 degrees, and continue sewing next to the bottom edge. Sew until you reach seam #2 and overlap it a little.

Seam #4: Place the bills compartment piece on the outer wallet piece aligned to the bottom-left corner (since it is shorter than the outer piece, the right edge of the wallet will rise up a little from your work desk). Sew and attach all layers the same way as seam #3.

It is important to sew these two seams separately and not sew all the way through and around the wallet. You need to leave a gap of approx. 0.4” (1 cm) in the middle of the bottom edge seam, or the wallet won’t close well.

Done!

DIY leather wallet for men

Final tip: The measurements mentioned above fit slim bills like US Dollars. Measure your own country’s bills size before cutting the leather – you might need to adjust the size of the wallet and make it longer/wider.

Here you can find detailed illustrated instructions on how to adjust the wallet’s size.

Who would you make this wallet for? Please share below.