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Choosing the Right Leather Weight
Vegetable-tanned leather is the standard for hand-stitched wallets because it holds shape over time and develops a patina with use. For a slim card wallet, use 2 to 3 oz leather (0.8 to 1.2 mm thick) for the card pockets and 3 to 4 oz (1.2 to 1.6 mm) for the outer shell. Chrome-tanned leather is softer and more pliable but does not tool or burnish as cleanly. Buy vegetable-tanned sides or shoulders from a tannery or craft supplier rather than craft store scraps, which are often corrected grain with a plastic coating that does not age well.


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Cut Your Panels
Use a metal ruler and rotary cutter or sharp utility knife on a cutting mat.
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Cut Your Panels
Use a metal ruler and rotary cutter or sharp utility knife on a cutting mat. A basic bifold card wallet requires two outer panels at roughly 4 by 3.5 inches and two inner pocket pieces at 3.5 by 2.5 inches. Mark all cut lines with a silver pen or wing


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Mark and Punch Stitch Holes
Use a stitching groover to cut a shallow channel 3 to 4 mm from the edge.
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Mark and Punch Stitch Holes
Use a stitching groover to cut a shallow channel 3 to 4 mm from the edge. This recess protects the thread from abrasion. Set a pricking iron or stitching chisel at 3 to 4 mm spacing and punch through both layers simultaneously where panels overlap. Use a


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Saddle Stitch by Hand
Thread a blunt harness needle on each end of a length of waxed thread equal to
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Saddle Stitch by Hand
Thread a blunt harness needle on each end of a length of waxed thread equal to 3.5 times the seam length. Push the first needle through the first hole and center the thread. From there: first needle forward, second needle through the same hole crossing


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Finish Edges and Burnish
Bevel all exposed edges with an edge beveler, then dampen with water or gum
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Finish Edges and Burnish
Bevel all exposed edges with an edge beveler, then dampen with water or gum tragacanth. Rub a wood slicker or the back of a spoon along each edge using firm circular motion until the leather fibres compress into a smooth, rounded finish. Apply a thin


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Saddle stitch is slower than a machine and stronger than a machine. Every hole is a decision. That is what makes it worth doing by hand.


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Tools Worth Buying Once
A good pricking iron and a sharp swivel knife are the two tools that separate clean work from frustrating work. Cheap pricking irons bend or space unevenly and make every stitch line look crooked. Spend more once on quality tools and the leather cost becomes the small part of the equation.