I was asked to come up with a cute, little zipper pouch that could hold cards on the outside! After a couple tries, I came up with this design and they really are adorable! It sounded really boring to call it a card and coin pouch, so I asked my Facebook group for suggestions! I got a lot of good ones, but the WhatchaMaCallit Wallet just fit perfectly! LOL They are a really quick and easy sew…but the best part is that you can use up your scraps that you haven’t been able to bring yourself to toss!!! So, today I am going to share my pattern with you!
*I do not mind you using this pattern or sharing it, but would very much appreciate if you gave me credit or linked back to this post.
Before we get started, I will share a little knowledge with you! Bag making seems scary but I promise it’s not…jump in and have fun! Get creative! Patterns are just suggestions, if something seems like a better way to you, do it! Try different interfacings or fabrics. There are so many ways to do things and the beauty of sewing is you can do things the way you like or the way they make sense to you! I use Pellon 950f interfacing for all my bags, but I suggest going into a fabric store and feel the different types to decide what will work best for your project! And try different fabric types…I love using my scrap bin for projects like this! You can use wovens, cotton spandex, double brushed poly and even sweater knit!
Now that I’ve told you to get creative, there are somethings you should not do…at least for this pattern! While you can use just about any fabric for the flat side on this (the neon leopard above is double brushed poly), you should only use a woven for the card slot side. If you use an interfaced knit for the card slots, it will be way too thick in several spots. The next one is not a definite No No, but just a suggestion…especially if you are using custom fabric. If I use custom fabric for the flat side, I make my card slots out of a non custom fabric. The reason being, by the time you fold it up you really won’t see much of the pattern, so there’s really no sense in wasting a 16″ strip of expensive fabric.
*All of the fabric I’m using is from So Sew English fabrics https://sosewenglishfabrics.com/. The neon leopard is double brushed poly that I had left over from a shirt I made, the stripes are a seersucker woven and the blue for the lining I believe was a chambray! This shop is hands down my favorite place to get fabric…the quality is always amazing and the prices are very affordable!
So let’s just dive in! Here are the materials you will need:
- 4.5″ x 6″ 1 pc main fabric
- 4.5″ x 6″ 2 pcs lining fabric
- 16″ x 6″ 1 pc fabric for card slots (this will be big but we will trim it down later)
- interfacing for all of the above pieces
- #3 zipper at least 7″ long-I like to go about 10″ and cut it down later
- ruler and marking pen
Iron all of your interfacing on before you start
We are going to start by making the card slots. Take your card slot piece, turn it to the back and mark the top. Start at the top and draw a line 3″ down, then 1.75″ from there, 2.25″, 1.75″, 2.25″, 1.75″. You should have 6 lines drawn.
Now take the top and fold to the front at the 3″ line. Then fold to the back on the 1.75″ line. Forward on the 2.25″ line, back on the 1.75″ line, etc!
The next step is to topstitch each pocket. Fold the other two out of the way to stitch. You should have nice creases now so it won’t be an issue getting them back in place.
Line all of your card slots back up. Now is the time to adjust them if any look crooked. Sew down both sides very close to the edge to lock the slots in place.
You will notice that the card slot side is bigger than the flat side, so we need to trim it down. Take your ruler and measure 1″ from the top of the first card slot, then trim the top edge. Then measuring from the top, we want it to be 4.5″, cut off the extra at the bottom.. Now all 4 pieces should be the exact same size!
If you slide a card into the slots right now, it will not stay put because the slot is too big. There are other ways of doing this so we don’t have the void on the sides but I wanted a simple project so this is how I’m doing it! We need to stitch both sides of the card slot piece, 1.25″ in on both sides. I have this nifty magnetic seam guide that helps me a lot!
Now we are ready for the zipper!!! Switch to your zipper foot now if you have one. Check your machine accessory tray because they don’t all look like mine. Pull the zipper pull all the way to the left…for now, we will have it hanging over the edge of your fabric, this makes it so much easier to sew! Take a lining piece and lay it right side up, then the zipper with pull to the left teeth facing up and finally the card slots right side down. You are sandwiching the zipper between the lining and card slots. Sew the zipper in place. I line the edge of my foot up with the edge of my fabric/zipper sandwich! Then you will flip the lining and main over so they are wrong sides together and topstitch. Repeat with the other side of the zipper.
Push your zipper pull just inside the outer edge of your fabric and put a couple stitches over the zipper to hold it closed. After you have done this Open your zipper 3/4 of the way…this part is very important!
Next, we are going to match up the two outside pieces so they are right sides together and the two lining pieces the same way.
Fold your zipper tape in half toward the outside pieces and clip. Repeat for other side. Clip all the way around leaving an opening on the bottom edge of the lining. Stitch all the way around (except for the hole in the lining) with a 1/4″ (ish) seam allowance. *I use the edge of my foot as my guide. As long as you use the same everywhere, you really can use any seam allowance you want on any bag!* Make sure you backstitch at the beginning and end, but also over both sides of the zipper.
Trim your zipper ends a little closer (but no too close) to the seam to reduce bulk. Clip all 4 corners…again close but don’t snip your stitching. I like to trim a little off the card slot sides just to cut down the bulk but it really isn’t necessary!
Reach in the hole you left open and gently pull the pouch through, so it is right sides out. Use a stick, pencil, etc to gently poke the corners out (make sure you don’t poke through). And also push out the zipper close to the pull. Fold the seam allowance at the opening down inside and top stitch.
Push the lining down into the main and your WhatchaMaCallit Wallet is finished!
I hope this tutorial was helpful and always feel free to ask any questions you have!
Happy Sewing! ~Christy~
Stitches By Christy 
You are so creative.
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Thank you so much!
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Love this little wallet …can’t get the zipper to lay flat …I’m gonna keep trying !
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Thank you! Let me know if I can help!
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