DIY Leather Passport Cover

This is one of those projects that I really meant to do before my trip to Paris, but I just didn’t get around to it. Since I have no international trips on my horizon right now I considered putting it on the back-burner, but now it’s done and my passport is all ready for my next adventure.

The big advantage of a passport cover is that it adds pockets so that you can keep a couple of little things (like your boarding pass, perhaps) securely tucked in with your passport. Plus it looks cute and makes you a little bit more mysterious to onlookers when you whip out your ID–who knows what country you’re from?

Materials:
Leather scraps (You could also make it with vinyl or felt–anything pretty substantial that won’t ravel will work.)
Thread
Scissors
Sewing machine
Leather needle
Non-stick sewing machine foot (optional)
Bulldog clips

Methods:
1. Cut out three pieces for your cover. The measurements for mine are for a US passport, so adjust accordingly if necessary. I’m going to call them A, B, and C. A is the body and B and C are the pockets.
A: 32 cm by 13.5 cm
B: 8.5 cm by 10.5 cm
C: 8.5 cm by 7 cm

2. On the right side of the leather, align the 8.5 cm edge of pocket B along the long edge of the body of the passport (A), and align the 10.5 cm edge of B along the short edge of A. Hold the pieces in place with the bulldog clips. You’re basically making a tall pocket. Sew a straight line 5 cm up from the bottom of both. See the diagram.

I have it folded here, but at this step it should actually be flat like the diagram.

Unfolded correctly here, with my library card to help give you a better idea of what’s going on.

3. Align the pocket C with the bottom edge of pocket B and clip it to hold it in place. Sew along the right edge of pockets B and C, sewing through all three layers.

4. Fold piece A so that pockets B and C are on the interior and so there is a 8.5 cm-wide pocket to hold one side of the passport, and a 4.7 cm-wide pocket to hold the other side. Clip everything in place, then sew around the perimeter of piece A with a 1/8-inch seam allowance (0.5 cm, but my sewing machine isn’t metric).