Article

Maker Tutorial - The 18th Century Wallet

photograph, outdoors, smiling woman, 18th century clothing, market wallet, log huts
Wallets in the 1700s were commonly made of fabric and were used by civilian men and women to carry a variety of personal items.

NPS Photo

Learn step-by-step how to make an 18th-century wallet

Civilian men and women used wallets to carry their personal items. Civilians and possibly even some soldiers would have carried them as they marched into Valley Forge on December 19, 1777.

photograph, outdoors, wooden table, thread, measuring tape, scissors, sewing needles, beeswax, thimble


Materials Needed

  • Linen fabric (large enough to fold into long rectangular shape and be able to drape the finished product over shoulder even when twisted in the middle)

  • Linen thread

  • Pincushion

  • Pins

  • Scissors

  • Small chunk of beeswax

  • Tape measure

photograph, outdoors, closeup of fabric that has been stitched together to form one patchwork piece
If you wish to get creative, you can make a wallet by stitching together several different swatches to form your initial piece of fabric.

Gather your materials and follow the steps below to make your own wallet!

photograph, outdoors, wooden table, grass, woman sewing
Gathering the materials.

NPS Photo

Step 1 - Prepare the Fabric

Prepare your fabric by measuring and cutting the linen into a rectangular shape. You can pull a single thread along the warp of the fabric in order to mark the location of your cut. This will also prevent the fabric from fraying along the edge when you make a cut with scissors.

Note: The warp refers to the lengthwise fibers that make up the core of the fabric weave. The weft refers to the "filler" fibers that are woven between and perpendicular to the warp.

photograph, outdoors, woman pulls one thread of a piece of fabric photograph, outdoors, close view of woman's hands pulling a single thread

photograph, outdoors, closeup of women hands cutting fabric with scissors photograph, outdoors, woman cuts fabric with scissors

Step 2 - Mark the Opening

Once the cutting is complete, fold the fabric in half and use a measuring tape to determine where to place the opening. The opening will be a slit in the center of the wallet, and should be large enough for you to comfortably move items in and out, but not so large that things might fall out even when the wallet is twisted shut.

photograph, outdoors, woman folds fabric in half and presses seam with both hands. photograph, outdoors, closeup on woman's hands using a measuring tape on fabric

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands pushing a pin into fabric photograph, outdoors, closeup of pin sitting neatly inserted into fabric

Use pins to mark each end of the opening.

Step 3 - Prepare Needle & Thread

Use beeswax to wax your linen thread. This will prevent the thread from fraying, serve to make it stronger, and make it easier to thread your needle!

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands pulls thread over piece of beeswax photograph, outdoors, closeup of beeswax and thread

Step 4 - Sew the Long Seam

Use a backstitch to sew the seam together along the fabric’s length, making sure not to stitch together the area that you marked for the wallet’s opening.

photograph, outdoors, closeup of inserting needle into fabric photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands using thimble to push needle

photograph, outdoors, closeup of needle coming through fabric photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hand pulling needling through fabric

Step 5 - Finish the Long Seam

Roll each interior hem under itself and pin in place, then finish with a whipstitch. This will add to the strength of the seam and prevent fraying.

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hand folding hem outdoors, photograph, woman's hands fold and press the long hem

photograph, outdoors, closeup of pin holding folded interior hem photograph, outdoors, a fully pinned interior hem

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands beginning a whipstitch holding needle and thread photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands finishing a whipstitch

Step 6 - Sew the End Seams

Use a backstitch to sew each of the two ends of the wallet together.

photograph, outdoors, closeup of one of the end seams photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands stitching an end seam

Step 7 - Finish the End Seams

Just like with the long seam, roll the interior hem of each end seam, pin them, and finish with a whipstitch.

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands folding the interior hem of an end seam photograph, outdoors, closeup of a pinned interior hem of an end seam

photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands making a whipstitch on an end seam photograph, outdoors, closeup of woman's hands pulling thread to finish a whipstitch on an end seam interior hem

photograph, outdoors, closeup of a completed market wallet
A completed wallet with finished seams and central opening.

NPS Photo

Your 18th-century Wallet is Complete

photograph, outdoors, a uniform park ranger carries a completed market wallet on her soldier
Huzzah! You've completed your very own 18th-century wallet! Now what will you carry??

Park Ranger Jennifer Bolton models the finished product...like a boss!

Tags

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Last updated: June 18, 2024