Step 1 (Planning) Step 3 (Folding the Interior)  

Wallet Tutorial: Step 2 (Making the Covers)

Materials:
  1. Print (preferably on cardstock) and cut out this template. DO NOT RESIZE the image when you print it. The template should be approximately 3 7/8" by 2.5". There is no need to cut the small colored dot--that is merely a marker for the potential location of the front clasp.
  2. Condition 2.5 ounces of clay (for EACH cover) and roll it through the pasta machine on the setting that achieves a thickness of about 2mm (setting #3 on Atlas pasta machine). Your finished piece of clay will need to have a "working area" of about 3" x 9" (each--one for the front cover and one for the back). Fold the clay in half so that you now have a piece of clay about 3" x 4.5". Place it on a piece of paper (I use 3" x 5" index cards) or an oven-safe working surface. Brayer the clay to ensure there are no air bubbles and the clay is nicely adhered to itself.
  3. Decorate/texture the front and back covers. Use your imagination!!! NOTE: Depending upon how you are decorating your wallet, you may wish to actually cut the covers first (and perhaps even bake and sand them as described in the next steps), before decorating them.
  4. Place the template over the clay. Make certain to position the template so that any words/images will be RIGHT SIDE UP when you cut the clay--this will be different for the back vs. the front cover. Double-check! Triple-check! You may want to print two templates (one each for the front and back) and position them before you cut. (Have I ever accidentally cut an image and had it be upside down with respect to the curved corners? Yes!) Carefully cut the clay using the template as a guide. I do not "curve" my tissue blade for the curved edges, rather, I make a series of short cuts (maybe 3 or 4) to "mostly" curve the corner. This imperfect cut is easily remedied with sandpaper in a few steps.
    5. Corners Before Sanding
  5. Bake the covers at 275°F for 30 minutes (or whatever temperature the clay brand you used recommends). NOTE: I always bake my covers on index cards with the "inside" of the cover down. I've found this gives a lovely matte finish to the inside of the cover. Most of the matte finish won't show, but the perfectionist in me likes the smooth matte finish, regardless. If I use tiles, sometimes air bubbles occur between the tile and the cover (not in the clay itself) resulting in a somewhat "ugly" finish. [I'm not sure why this happens, if someone could clue me in, I'd appreciate it!]
  6. Sand the covers (paying careful attention to the curved edges), starting with 320 grit sandpaper and moving up in grit until you’ve reached 1000 grit. Ok, honestly, sometimes I only sand to 600 or 800 grit.
  Step 1 (Planning) Step 3 (Folding the Interior)