There’s no shortage of possible projects languishing to the side of my cutting table: an Antwerp pullover in a light, summery fabric, a Geneva blouse, some visible mending to be done on a pair of well-worn jeans. But yesterday I needed a quick win – something I could cut and sew in an afternoon without fuss, fanfare or lots of decision-making. Enter the Have It All Wallet.
If you’ve been here awhile, you likely already know about Liesl’s collection of accessory patterns under the Straight Stitch Society brand. If not, this non-clothing pattern might be a happy surprise for you, as it was for me.
On this, yet another unseasonably warm January day in Madrid, I set to work. I chose to make View 1, but without the bow on the closure. With just six pattern pieces, the Have It All Wallet includes 6 card slots, a zippered coin pouch, a slender pocket for bills, and an accordion pocket to collect all those receipts and bits and bobs I collect while I’m out and about.
I chose a vintage blue feedsack fabric for the body of the wallet and a coordinating pink quilting cotton for the inside pockets. Both are remnants that came packaged with many others that caught my eye in lots sold on e-bay or instagram and made their way to me in moments of weakness paid for by the very cards that will soon rest inside.
I’m not one to read the pattern instructions completely before jumping in (which often results in *ahem* “opportunities” to use my seam ripper), but that wasn’t the case with this pattern. Instead, my tendency to only read the very next thing I have to do allowed me to be surprised by the construction of the accordion pocket – something that made absolute sense and was a cinch to replicate once I saw the diagrams and manipulated my pieces to match. The clear folding lines for the card slots took out any guesswork of measuring and marking on my own. Every detail was clearly explained in an easy, conversational style. In under 90 minutes I was done!
Sewing with Liesl + Co, Oliver + S, and Straight Stitch Society patterns is like sewing with a friend: low stress and fun! I’m off to explore with my Have It All Wallet in tow. Why don’t you head over to grab this classic pattern in print or digital format and make your own?
