Today we take the exterior we completed in Day 2 and combine it with the card slots and zippered pocket we made in Day 3. First we take the exterior panel with lining side up and center card slots below the flap. You can use wondertape along the underside of the edges to make sure slots don’t shift, or just pin in place.

I’m so excited for today; we’re finishing the main wallet!
If you missed it, here are the previous days: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. 

Now fold the rounded sides in over the card slots so that the edge of the card slots line up exactly in the fold of the rounded edge, then pin or clip in place. Once you’ve made sure all the raw edges of the card slots are inside the fold, sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance and a longer stitch length, down both folded edges. 

As before, center the zippered pocket under the flap. Now find the center of the pocket and mark with an erasable marking pen, then create a stitch box, by marking a line 1/2″ on either side of the center line. Very carefully, stitch a box, using the 1/2″ lines on either side of the center line and to within 1/8″ from the edge of the pocket piece. This secures the zipper pocket to the wallet, and also closes up the lining of the zipper pocket.

Draw a 3.5″ line from one bottom corner of the flap to a point that meets the rounded side edge, then draw a line from the corner of the box stitched in the last step to intersect the first line. Repeat for bottom edge, and again for other side of wallet.  

Now using those lines, pinch the rounded side edge around one end of the zippered pouch and clip in place. Sew in place, using a 1/4″ seam allowance, being sure to backstitch at start and stop. Repeat for other side of pocket, and again for other half of zippered pouch with the remaining 2 folds, sewing a total of 4 lines at this step. The pattern suggests starting just below the top and backstitching, but depending on your machine and your interfacing choices, it may be easier to start at the bottom and sew toward the top. Make sure to fold the other pieces out of the way so you don’t sew through those as well. This can be a bit tricky, but just take your time. It may also be helpful to use a larger needle at this step, a leather or denim needle for instance. Some people also find that their machine simply can’t sew through all these layers very well, so opt for rivets at this step. Rivets look nice as well if that works best for you.

You’re done! If you chose optional straps, we’ll complete them tomorrow in Day 5. 

Congratulations! If you made tabs for optional straps, check back tomorrow for those final steps. If you didn’t, come back anyway and you might pick up a tip or 2 for your next NCW! Make sure to share your beautiful wallet pictures! Share on Facebook or Instagram with #HappyOkapiNCWSAL or link up here in comments, or email me. Let me know if I can share your projects as well. 

Find Day 5 here.