How to Make a Leather Wallet Pattern in Your Exact Size

A pattern is only as good as its fit. Too tight and the cards will not go in; too loose and they fall out. Most free wallet patterns are drawn for one card size, one leather thickness and one stitching iron, and if yours are different you end up redrawing it.

This guide covers the measurements that decide whether a wallet or card holder fits, and how to make a pattern in your exact size.

The numbers that matter

• Card size. Bank cards are 85.6 × 54 mm. Business cards and travel passes are slightly different.
• Leather thickness. Every layer you add takes up room inside the pocket, so thicker leather needs a wider pocket. Veg-tan of 1.0 to 1.4 mm is a good choice for card holders.
• Ease. The extra room so a card slides in. Allow a few millimetres across the width, plus more for each extra card a pocket holds.
• Stitch margin. How far the stitch line sits from the edge, usually 3 to 4 mm. It comes out of the inside of the pocket, so it must be added to the size.
• Iron pitch. The spacing of your stitching iron, such as 3.38 or 3.85 mm. The stitch line needs to be a length your iron divides into evenly, or you end up with one odd hole.

Why the holes have to line up

A card holder is several layers stitched through at once. If each piece has its own hole marks, a small difference in one piece puts the holes out of line and the stitching wanders. The reliable way is to work the holes out once and copy them to every layer, so they meet exactly when the pieces are stacked.

Wallets with staggered card slots have more than one stitch line. Each slot is stitched along its bottom before the next goes on top, and every line has to finish on a hole it shares with the edge stitching, or the joins look untidy.

1. Choose the style

Open the Wallet & Card Holder Pattern Maker. Choose a card holder, with up to three pockets each side and a thumb cut for the centre pocket, or a bifold wallet, with one to four staggered card slots each side and an optional lining that makes a note pocket.

2. Put in your leather and tools

Set your leather thickness, how far the stitching sits from the edge, your iron pitch and the corner radius you like. Choose angled slits, which match a stitching iron, or round holes if you prefer. The pieces, stitch holes and cutting list update as you go, along with how much thread you will need.

The card reveal is how much of each card shows above the slot in front of it. 10 to 14 mm is easy to grip; much less and cards are fiddly to get out.

3. Cut it out

For a laser, save the layered SVG or DXF. Cut lines, stitch holes and fold lines are on separate layers, so you can run the holes first at lower power. For hand cutting, print it at true size on A4 and check the 50 mm square with a rule before you cut any leather.

4. Assemble

For a card holder, stack each side’s pockets tallest first, glue round the edges and stitch the sides and bottom through all the layers. For a bifold, work from the top slot down: glue and stitch each slot along its bottom line, then add the next. Stitch the inner slot lines, glue the lining to the outside and stitch round the edge.

Common problems and how to fix them

• Cards are too tight. The leather is thicker than you set, or the pattern was printed small. Check the 50 mm square, and see our guide to printing at actual size.
• Cards fall out. The pocket is too shallow for the reveal. Use fewer pockets or a smaller reveal; the app warns you when a pocket holds less than about half a card.
• One odd stitch at the end. The stitch line did not suit the iron. Make the holes with the app’s pattern rather than walking the iron along the edge.

Try the Wallet & Card Holder Pattern Maker free in your browser. Designing the pattern and the cutting list are free; a one-off licence, £9.99, unlocks saving and printing.

Related guides

• How to make a leather card holder (free pattern)
• How to turn a PDF leather pattern into a laser cut file
• 10 free leather patterns for beginners