Your business cards are a labour of love, so why not show them a little love? Stop throwing them in the bottom of your purse (or is that just me?) and slip them into a fun handmade case. I am lightening up our ethics theme with this simple DIY project for a felt business card holder. It can easily be customized with your business colours, embroidery, or felt appliqués. While a sewing machine is preferable, you can even stitch it up by hand!
Materials:
- 2-3 Colours of Felt
- 1/4″ Elastic (approx 6mm)
- Thread
Instructions are for standard 2″ x 3.5″ business cards. Adjust measurements to fit if your cards are a different size. I recommend choosing wool (or wool blend) felt for durability – at least for the outside.
The How-To:
1. Cut two pieces of felt 11cm x 17cm (approx 4 5/16″ x 6 11/16″).
2. Take your outer piece of felt (grey) and place it right side down. As per the image, make a diagonal cut from the lower left corner to 1.5cm (approx 5/8″) up the lower right side. Place the inner piece of felt (polka dot) right side up and make the same cut.
3. If adding appliqués or embroidery, you’ll want to do that before stitching the project together. I hand-stitched on a small heart in a contrasting colour.
4. Stitch the angled edge together. Ensuring you leave a 4mm (1/8″) space on either end. I layered the two pieces allowing the inner piece of felt to peek out a bit – you can do this too or align the edges evenly before sewing.
5. Fold up the angled edge to create a pocket for your business cards. The longer side of the pocket should be approximately 5.5cm (2 1/8″) and the shorter side approximately 4cm (1 1/2″). Pin.
6. Cut a piece of elastic 24cm (approx 9 1/2″ long).
7. Sandwich the cut ends of the elastic between the felt pieces on one of the sides.
8. Stitch up both sides. Use approximately a 4mm (1/8″) seam allowance. I just use my sewing machine foot as a guide.
9. Stitch along the top straight edge.
10. Trim any uneven edges and loose threads. Insert business cards. Wrap your elastic around. Enjoy your newfound organization!
A note on material sources – Solid coloured felt from Benzie Bazaar. Polka dot felt was purchased in Japan, but you can find some on Etsy here. Colourful elastic is from Bitsy Bands. Business Cards are JukeBoxPrint.com.
I love the colors your chose!
Thanks Vicki – I’m a sucker for a splash of hot pink!
I might be in love with these!
Sara, thanks for the sweetest comment. I kinda am too – it’s the polka dot felt!
…totally adorable and perfect for ‘stocking-stuffer’ type mini gifts 😀 *love-love!*
Thanks Beka! Glad you like them.
so cute!!
Thanks Alicia!
Lovely job here. Just adorable……
Thanks Colleen – would love to see your spin on these, should you end up making one!
Super cute!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing how to make this case. It was harder than i thought but I attempted to make one today. It turned out Ok ,for my first time sewing anything…
Hi Norma… glad to hear you tried the project. Sewing, like many things, is a member of the “practice makes perfect” family. Though our first projects don’t always turn out as well as we’d like, the more we make, the better our sewing skills become. Hope you keep sewing!
Omigoodness! Thank you! I’ve been tossing mine in my wallet, but this is so much better! Yay!
csqdesigns.indiemade.com
What a great idea! Thank you for the tutorial — and for your links to supply sources!
Love this! Added link on the Norwegian sewing forum I belong to. Thank you SO much!
best regards from Eva Mari 🙂
I made these with an embossed faux leather and they turned out very nice.