Fabric Passport Cover Tutorial

Tutorial: Passport cover with 2 (credit card) slots. Easy DIY Passport Holder Sewing Tutorial.

 Basically, though, you can use this tutorial for any kind of cover (e.g., for notebooks, books, maternity records, EU pet passports, vaccination records, blah, blah, blah). I’ll stick with the passport example.

 So, let's take some measurements:

- the total length of whatever-it-is you're covering + 2 cm
(Make sure to include the spine in the measurement!!)
-> For our local passport, that comes to a total of 21.5 cm

- the height + 2 cm
-> Passport = 15 cm

For the flaps, measure the desired depth on the cover, double it, and add 2 cm.

How deep the flaps should be is really a matter of personal preference, but keep in mind that flaps that are too short won't provide much hold for very flexible booklets (etc.), while very stiff covers (like hardcovers) are difficult or impossible to slide into flaps that are too deep.

-> For the passport, I wanted a depth of 6 cm; doubling that gives 12 cm, plus 2 = 14 cm in length.
Ta-da.
Am I the one making this so complicated??

The height remains the same = 15 cm.

In short:
Outer fabric/lining = 2 pieces of fabric, 21.5 x 15 cm
Flaps = 2 pieces of fabric, 14 x 15 cm
Card slots = 1 piece of fabric, 16 x 15 cm
Optional: interfacing, batting, trims, ribbons, and all sorts of little extras and doodads.

Right. Finally. 

The card slots (skip this step for “standard” covers) 

First, press the flaps in the center with the right side facing out, so that you end up with two pieces measuring 7 x 15 cm and one piece measuring 8 x 15 cm.

Place one of the narrower strips onto the wider strip so that both openings face outwards—or, in other words, so that the pressed creases lie parallel to each other with a 1 cm gap.

Carefully unfold the lower, wider piece of fabric again (pinning it in place beforehand if necessary)…

…and sew the narrow strip of fabric onto just one side, centered.

Sewing on the flaps 

Unfold the flap with the card slots and sew it to the lining fabric, right sides together, using a 0.5 cm seam allowance.

Then sew on the other tab on the right side of the lining fabric, but leave a gap in the middle through which the case can later be turned right side out.

The procedure for the outer fabric is much the same; the other side of each tab is sewn to one side of the outer fabric. 

In rough schematic terms, it looks like this: black = lining and outer fabric; red = tabs. 

Sewing takes place at all points where black and red meet, and the gap left for later turning MUST be located at the bottom left or right so that it ends up hidden inside the case.

Or to put it another way:

Now simply fold the tabs neatly back inwards and sew them together with the outer fabric and lining, maintaining a 0.5 cm seam allowance at both the top and bottom.

For a neat finish, trim the corners (otherwise you get a lump of fabric there) and neaten the seam allowances.

Turn inside out. Close the opening. Finished.