Mini Wallet Giveaway

Well, forgetful little me forgot that I was going to do a giveaway this week. I know I just wrapped one up last week, but I did say a while back I'd giveaway the mini wallet I made for the tutorial so I figured I better get on it before anyone decides to eat me. So without any further ado...

The Prize:

The prize for this giveaway is the mini wallet made oh-so-famous in the mini wallet tutorial. It has 2 pockets for credit cards, IDs, coffee punch cards, and anything else your heart desires, and 1 pocket for cash. Remember, this is a mini wallet, so you'll have to fold your cash in half to put it in the wallet.

Who can Enter:
-Anyone. I don't care if you live on Pluto. Well, actually I think shipping to Pluto might cost a lot, so on second thought I'm limiting this giveaway to residents of the planet Earth. Sorry, aliens.

How to Enter (all entries are optional; do as many or as few as you like):
-Follow this blog with Google Friend Connect.
-Follow this blog on BlogLovin'.
-Tweet about this giveaway. (Include link in comment)
-Blog about this giveaway. (Include link in comment)
-Share it on facebook. (Include link in comment)

You can leave your entries in separate comments or in the same one if you like. Maximum of 5 entries per person. Please include a method of contact in at least one of your comments (a blog URL or email address is acceptable).

Giveaway closes Friday, June 17th at 9pm PST. Winner will be selected with the random # generator.

Mini Wallet Tutorial

Yay! It's finally here! Do you guys have your sewing machines out and ready to roll?

Before we begin, let me just say I am sorry for how picture heavy this post is. I am, however, the type of person that learns by seeing, and nothing drives me crazy more than a tutorial with only 1 picture every 5 steps or so. I like to see pictures for every single step. So if that's you, you'll enjoy this. If that's not you, well then, I suppose I'm sorry. But not really.

Click on any image to make it bigger.

Outer Fabric - The fabric I like to use for this is from the Home Decor section at Joann Fabrics. It's 100% cotton, but it's a heavier weight and more durable than plain cotton.

Lining Fabric - I just use plain, thin cotton for this. Your wallet is going to be pretty bulky around the edges by the time you're done sewing it, so try to go as thin as possible to avoid adding any extra bulk you don't need.

OK, you ready? Let's go.

1. Cut your fabric into 8 pieces (4 from the outer and 4 from the lining) matching the measurements below.

2. Set aside the 7x5.5 pieces. Match up the rest of the pieces according to size. Lay them on top of each other right sides together.

3. Sew each section together along the longer (5.5 inch) edge using a 1/2 inch seam allowance. 

4. Open up each section and iron the seam allowance to one side, and then fold along the seam and iron again. Do this on all 3 sections.

5. Get your large, 7x5.5 inch piece of lining fabric and lay it out right side up.

6. Lay the 3 smaller sections you just finished sewing and ironing, right sides up, on top of the lining piece in order of height. Lay down the tallest first, then the second tallest, then the shortest. The finished edges should be on top, and the raw edges should all line up across the bottom.

 7. Lay the large (7x5.5) outer fabric on top of this stack right side down.

8. Pin the bottom half together. If you laid everything out right you should be pinning through 8 pieces of fabric, so it'll be trickier than usual to pin it. 

9. OPTIONAL: Before you pin the top half, cut small triangles from the top corners.This will give the front flap of your wallet a little more shape.

10. Finish pinning around the top. Leave at least a 2 inch gap on the right side. 

11. Sew all layers together, except for the marked gap, using a 1/2" seam allowance. 

 12. Snip a small amount off the bottom two corners. Be careful not to get too close to your seam.

13. Turn the entire wallet inside out through the 2 inch gap. I know this can be tricky, but just go slowly and try not to tug too much or you may burst your seams. Once it's turned inside out use your fingers to push out the corners and make it as flat as possible.

14. Iron the life out of it. 

15. Make sure the raw edges where your 2 inch gap is are tucked inside. If they are sticking out or are folded funny, straighten them out, tuck them inside, and iron to hold it in place. 

16. Put two pins just above the tallest pocket. These are your "don't sew past this point" guides.

17. Now the scary part! Top stitch around the top half of the wallet, stopping before you cross the pins. Technically speaking you could top-stitch all the way around the wallet, but chances are your machine can't sew through that many layers without busting into flames or something like that. 

Remember that when you top stitch you want to stay very close to the edge of the fabric. To keep myself in a (relatively) straight line, I try to line up the edge of the fabric with the side of the hole in the center of the presser foot. The main goal here is to be sure that you're sewing close enough to the edge to sew over the raw edges where your 2 inch hole still is. If you sew too far in, you won't get them and they'll pop out and fray. 

When you're done it should look like this:

18. Double check that the formerly open gap is now sewed securely shut. Give yourself a pat on the back if it is. If not, it's time to familiarize yourself with my good friend the seam ripper and do it again. (My first mini wallet got top stitched about 4 times before I was satisfied with it, so no worries if you don't get it the first time).


19. Fold down the front flap and iron it. 

20. Almost there! The last step is to attach your closure of choice. Follow the given instructions on the packaging of the item you bought to add it to the wallet. Check, double check, and triple check that everything is lined up correctly before committing to anything.

 21. Jump up and down with joy, because you're done!

So that's it! I know that's a lot of pictures and a lots of steps, but it's really easier than it looks. Like I said before, I'm the type that likes to be babied through projects like this, so it's my personal preference to have each step outlined and have a picture for everything. I hope it all made sense! If you have any questions or suggestions to make this better/easier, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll try to get back to you. And of course, if you make a mini wallet, please show me! Post a picture on your blog and let me know about it, or send me a picture via email to violetreaction@live.com. Happy sewing!

Leanna Loves...

1. This Video (a must see for any Indiana Jones fans out there)


2. This Apron

Stephanie of Stuph's Stuff held a giveaway on her blog a few weeks back, which I entered and did not win. In her post congratulating the winner, however, Stephanie graciously offered to send a consolation prize to those that entered and didn't win. Obviously I am completely unable to pass up an offer as awesome as that, so I quickly wrote her with my address, and then this freaking adorable handmade apron showed up on my mailbox a while later. Isn't it perfect? And it's reversible, too. Now I'm feeling like cooking something just so I can have an excuse to wear it. Too bad I don't know how to cook.

3. This Wallet

I finally got around to doing my mini wallet tutorial! I'll work on editing the pics and doing instructions tonight and hopefully will have the post ready to go up tomorrow.

4. This Game/Music-Thingee
I found this on StumbleUpon and find it strangely addicting for some reason. It's called Tone Maxtrix. You start out with a blank black grid, and you just click on the boxes and they make noise. I can't really describe it, so check it out HERE to see the awesomeness for yourself.

5. This Movie

The word on the street (i.e. the internet) is that a lot of people who read the book weren't too pleased with the movie, but I've never read the book so I was able to enjoy the movie for what it was. That's not to say I didn't think it was totally weird, though. The only thing I knew about this movie is that it had Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley in it, so when it started in on all the organ donation stuff it hurt my mind a little bit. The whole thing is rather dreamy, though, and I ended up really liking it.

SALES, STEALS & DEALS: WALLET LOVE

I scored a new wallet today at Marshalls!
My old wallet was in desperate need of being replaced. The zipper for the coin purse would never stay closed, and the button closure was coming out of the fabric. Definitely time for a replacement!

Today I scored a lovely green Kenneth Cole Reaction Elongated Clutch/Wallet!
Original retail is $60.00, but I was able to purchase it for $13.99.

(original photos courtesy of latinmexpromotions eBay)

I tend to choose wallets that are simple, but come in BRIGHT colors so that when I lose them in the bowels of my purse they are fairly easy to pin point.

I like simple. I don't like my wallets to have extra do-dads attached to the outside. Sleek and smooth is how I like it, and this wallet gives me EVERYTHING I want and more!

The wallet has both a bright outside and a colorful/happy animal print inside!

I think that I'm going to enjoy this very much :)

I included a few links that I found online for the same wallet if anyone else is interested!
More detailed pictures are available via the links for the eBay-able wallets! Check 'em out!

Green is available via eBay (two listings: $29.99 and $26.99).
Black is available on Boscovs website for $14.99 (pictured in Pink and White) and also available via eBay for $29.00 and $19.99.
Purple is available via eBay for $36.00.
White is also available via eBay for $36.00 and $29.00.