So Sew Easy

Travel and Passport Wallet

Going away? Or maybe you just need somewhere to keep your passports and
travel documents safe between trips so you’ll always know where to lay your
hands on them.

This travel and passport wallet can hold travel documents for a family and
speed you through check in and security without having to rummage through
bags to find everything.

You can read more about this pattern at So Sew Easy

HERE.

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Skill level – Intermediate. Pattern pieces.
Your shaped pattern piece is at the end of these instructions. You also
need to cut rectangular pieces, and the dimensions are given for these on
Read through all of these instructions before starting the pattern and below.
your project and cutting your fabric.
You can draw these right onto the fabric and then cut them out.

Useful tutorials  Cut outer piece - 11.25 inches by 9.5 inches (plus interfacing)
 Cut lining piece - 11.25 inches by 9.5 inches (plus fusible fleece)
You can find a range of useful sewing tutorials and videos at So Sew Easy –
 Cut inside back pocket - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 9.5 inches
tutorials page.
 Cut optional clasp hanger - 3 inches square
Ideal for this project:  Cut card pocket front - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 2.25 inches
 Cut card pocket back - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 3.5 inches
 How to turn corners with binding  Cut two pieces of Peltex ultra-firm stabilizer, or two pieces of stiff
 Folding binding easily with the Bias Tape Maker cardboard, or plastic canvas to measure 8.5 by 4.75 inches.
 You will also need straight cut binding, 2 inches wide by 2 yards
 Sewing on a button by machine
long in total. Because we don’t have any curves, this doesn’t have
to be cut on the bias.
Materials needed
TIP – label all of your fabric pieces as you cut them, so you can more
 Fabric – quilting weight cotton easily identify which is which later on.
 Interfacing of your choice
 Fusible fleece Fabric requirements
 Ultra-firm interfacing such as Peltex or a stiff cardboard/plastic Total fabric for the wallet and pockets = approx. ½ yard in total
canvas
 Matching thread More would be needed for pattern matching or for a large scale print.
 Button and hair elastic Allow ¾ yard in total.
 Optional – swivel clasp (I used this one HERE)
Mix and match your favorite fabrics as you like throughout the pattern.
 Optional – wide elastic for pen holder

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Directions Trim the seam allowance in half and clip into the seam allowance around
Seam allowances are 1/2 inch (1.25cm) throughout unless stated the curve.
otherwise.

Abbreviations used – RST – right sides together.

Let’s start to sew !

We’ll start by assembling the inner parts of the wallet. Take your two
longest shaped pieces (the ticket pocket) that form the tallest inside pocket.
Place two pieces right sides together and sew around the curved edge.

Clipping into the seam allowance will allow our curved edge to sit nice and
smoothly when we turn it right sides out.

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Turn the piece the right sides out. Use a blunt tool, such as a chopstick, Now repeat the same process for the two shorter curved pockets (the
your fingernail or That Purple Thang to get a smooth curve. Press neatly passport pockets). Stitch, trim and clip, turn, press and top stitch. Set these
and then top stitch around the curved outer edge. Repeat to make the aside.
opposite piece and set the aside.

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Now we’ll sew the card pockets. Stitch together the card pocket front and Turn the piece with wrong sides together so that the bottom raw edges
the card pocket back along the longer sides, RST. Using different fabrics meet and the pocket back forms an even band along the top of your
for the front and back give a nice contrast band along the top of the pocket at the fold. Press. Stitch along the previous seam line to create a
pocket. neat edge. Repeat the process for the other card pocket.

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Gather together your inside back pocket piece and some binding long Fold the binding piece over the raw edge, catching the edge of the lower
enough to fit the longer side. Press your binding equally into 4 along its card pocket piece and stitch in place close to the inner-most fold of the
length, with raw edges hidden inside. binding.

Pin the card pocket to the bottom of the inside pocket back, with bottom Catch the back of the binding as you sew from the front. Give it a press.
edges even. (Try to make it square – mine looks a little bit on the skew
here!)

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Place your two pockets behind the lower card pocket and make sure Baste along the bottom edge and the other long edge to hold the 3
everything is lined up as you like it. The curved edges of the pocket should pockets in place. If the pockets protrude a little from the larger rectangle
come close to the edge of your binding. Pin all the layers in place. fabric pocket backing, then you should trim them to match at this stage to
keep things square.

Repeat these steps for the opposite side until you have both sides
completed as shown.

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Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of your outer fabric piece. Cut two around the outside in a later step. You could also use a temporary spray
pieces of Peltex ultra-firm stabilizer, or two pieces of stiff cardboard to baste.
measure 8.5 by 4.75 inches.
Fuse a fusible fleece to the reverse side of your inner lining piece. Place the
Position them on the wrong side of the outer piece, leaving ½ inch free at lining piece over the outer piece with wrong sides together. If your print is
the top and bottom and on the outer edges. You will have a larger gap in directional, check to make sure both are going the right way. Pin or clip the
the center as shown. These ½ inches around the outer edges are your layers together around the outside.
seam allowance.
Use an erasable fabric marker on the inside to run a line from top to
bottom along the edge of the stabiliser. You can feel where the edges
come in the center.

If your Peltex or stabilizer is fusible, fuse in place as shown. If not, you can
fuse a light weight piece of interfacing across the whole piece to hold the
Peltex or cardboard in position at this stage. It will be secured by stitching

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 Stitch through all layers, down both lines from top to bottom, catching the
elastic as you sew. Press or otherwise erase your temporary lines.

If you wish to add in a pen holder to the center of your wallet, cut a piece
of wide elastic suitable for the size of your pen, plus some extra and pin
that in place across one of the lines you just marked with the loop in the
You can trim the ends of your elastic if you like.
center of the wallet.

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Optional – if you wish to create a hanging loop or swivel clip for holding
locker, car or suitcase keys, you can make this now.

Take your 3 inch square optional clasp hanger. Fold it in half wrong sides
together and press. Open out and press the raw edges in towards the
center and press, then finally fold in half again along the original line and
press again to make 4 layers with raw edges hidden

Stitch along the two longer sides close to the edge of the fabric to hold all
layers together.

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Add your two assembled pockets to the inside of the wallet, matching Decide on placement for your clasp. Feed the small fabric piece through
outer edges. Clip or pin around the outer edges. the clasp and pin it to the top of your wallet. The tab is made deliberately
longer for you to decide on your own preferred placement and length.

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 Sew your binding with a ½ inch seam allowance all the way around the
outside edge of the wallet, from the inside. Start and stop at the center
bottom and tuck in the end for a neat finish at the overlap.

If you need a reminder on how to turn corners with binding, check out this
tutorial – Bias Binding Corners

Cut yourself sufficient binding to go around the entire wallet. Press it into 4
or use a Bias Tape Maker to fold it and press it - see here for tips on
creating binding and using the Bias Tape Maker. It can be used to make
regular straight binding too.

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Optional – if you like, you can trim down some of the bulk from your seam
allowances between the outer fabric and the lining fabric.

Cut a piece of narrow elastic or use a colorful hair elastic and sew it onto
the right hand side of the wallet. On the outer of the wallet, find the center
and sew the elastic securely into the seam allowance.

This is going to be covered by our binding in the next step.

[You could also choose to made fabric or ribbon ties in place of a button
and elastic – check out the pattern testing versions for how they closed
their wallets.]

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Fold the binding around the outside of the wallet and pin or clip it in place. If you are confident with your binding, you can of course use a straight
stitch.

Stitch your binding in place from the outside. I like to use a decorative
stitch on my binding. That way I can be sure to catch the binding on the This cute wavy stitch, called a Serpentine Stitch, fits well with the ocean
outside and if it’s not quite exactly even on the inside, the decorative stitch theme of my fabric.
won’t look out of place in the same way that a straight stitch might, if it
Fold your wallet, check for placement and sew your button on the front on
missed the binding in places.
the center.

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And your travel and passport wallet is completed. or upload your completed projects to the pattern page on Craftsy. Or show
off what you made in the Show and Tell section of the forum.

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In a Twist Dress Color block knit On Safari Skirt redistribute or alter them in any way. Please don’t print and give to
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your friends, or send it to anyone by email. Please do not rebrand this
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Thank you for your understanding.

For the latest list of patterns available, pop on over to my designer page at
Craftsy. Usage – you ARE allowed to use this pattern to make things to sell on
a small handmade basis, such as for craft fairs and for your Etsy shop.
This pattern graphic, the photos and the instructions are copy right However it may not be used for larger scale commercial purposes

Deby Coles at So Sew Easy. Please do not copy, publish, sell, without a commercial licence.

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 Ticket pocket - cut 2 (full length)
for each side, remember to mirror them

Passport pocket - cut at dotted line

to make pocket shorter. As above, cut
2 for each side, mirrored

Cut outer piece - 11.25 inches by 9.5 inches

Cut lining piece - 11.25 inches by 9.5 inches
Cut inside back pocket - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 9.5 inches
Cut optional clasp hanger - 3 inches square
Cut card pocket front - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 2.25 inches
Cut card pocket back - 2 pieces at 5 inches by 3.5 inches