Retired and Crafty: Getting Carded by Erin Erickson of Dog Under My Desk

At a recent crafting retreat, this little gem was being made by one of my friends as Christmas gifts. I thought this would be the perfect little wallet to use when you didn't want to carry a purse - like when you're traveling. From personal experience (we just spent Christmas week in New Orleans), it fit perfectly in the front pocket of my jeans!

The pattern and directions were 35 pages long! Crazy, huh?! Actually, 12 of the pages are the patterns themselves. Erin is very detailed in her directions and I really appreciated it especially since there were 21 pieces (including interfacing) along with the zipper and hardware to make the strap. I didn't have the right Velcro so I ended up using a snap instead. The snap worked fine but I can see where the Velcro would be better in keeping it closed up tight.

I also think I'll make a change to the pattern. I didn't use the clear vinyl outside pocket for my I.D. since I didn't really want my I.D. showing. Plus, there was no way to keep anything in that pocket since there was nothing to keep it closed. I think on the next ones I make (yes, that's plural since apparently I'm going to be making 5 more) is make the binding on the pocket a bit bigger and add Velcro to keep what's in it secure. It would be good for a hotel key card, or transportation card.