April has come and (almost) gone, and we have finally made it to the end of our April Sew Along for the Gemella Wallet. Last week, we created our flap, snap tab, credit card slots and ID window. You can check out that blog post here if you missed it.
Everything is really starting to come together! This week, we will bring the Sew Along to a close and finish constructing our wallets. By the end of these final steps, you will have a totally unique wallet that you created yourself.
This week, we will need:
Gemella Wallet pattern
Completed Main Body 1 from last week
Remaining pieces we cut in week 1
#3 zippers and pulls
Wonder Clips
Scissors
Double-sided tape
Fabric pen
Ruler
Basecoat and edge paint
Hole punch
Sewing machine
Here is the full video tutorial for the Gemella Wallet. For each step below, I also include links to jump to the applicable timestamp in the video.
Step 3: Construct the Wallet Exterior
First, let’s construct our second Main Body piece, which is essentially the exterior of the wallet. We’ll start with the zippers: pinching the ends, trimming the zipper tape, adding the zipper pulls, and stitching the zipper tabs in place.
Zipper pulls are a great opportunity to add a unique touch to your Gemella. They come in all kinds of shapes, colors, and materials, so you can stick with something classic or get creative.
Then, we’ll move on to the cell phone pocket (timestamp: 1:00:42). We will construct the cell phone pocket, stitch the pocket to the body of the wallet, and add the snap tab (timestamp: 1:15:49). Make sure to leave a little slack in the snap tab for thicker phones.
Then we will attach the zippers (timestamp: 1:19:27) and add our lining (timestamp: 1:21:50). As I explain in the video, the pattern has the zippers facing each other, zipping toward the center of the wallet. You can definitely adjust this based on your preferences. I say it every week: a pattern is just a suggestion!
Step 4: Assembly
It’s time to put all the pieces together! There’s not much to say here — just a lot of stitching and a little trimming. Then we’ll apply basecoat and edgecoat, attach our snap, and finish off by attaching the flap.
Tip:Â To make your Gemella a little extra special, you can use rivets instead of stitching when you attach the flap. I talk about that in the video at 1:38:47.
And that’s it — you did it! In three weeks, you created a unique, high-quality wallet from scratch. Thank you for sewing along with me this month!
Show Off Your Gemella for a Chance to Win
I hope you enjoyed making the Gemella with me! I can’t wait to see your finished products. As a reminder, if you share a photo of your Gemella Wallet, you’ll also have the chance to win an exclusive 25% discount at the Simply Classic online store. There are two ways to enter:
Option 1: Post in the Simply Classic Inspiration Group on Facebook.
Join the Simply Classic Inspiration Group and create a new post to show us your Gemella Wallet.
Option 2: Leave a comment on this blog post.
Leave a comment on this post that includes a photo of your creation.
In May, we will randomly select one entrant to win a 25% coupon to Simply Classic. That’s 25% off patterns, leather, fabrics, hardware, tools and notions — everything you need for your next project. (Read the official rules here.)
Happy sewing!