With all the new cards having RFID chips there is a lot of concern about protecting them from skimming. I don't know how much a problem it really is but... it's always good to take precautionary steps, especially when it's something simple to do.
Simply wrapping your card(s) in tinfoil does the trick to protect the signal from being picked up by errant skimmers wandering the streets and malls of our neighbor hood. But, let's face it, wrapping our card(s) in tinfoil is not at all efficient, aesthetic, or realistic in our daily lives.
A year or two ago I played with tinfoil being incorporated into a card holder design that I use a lot to make some awesome card holders. It was a disaster. The holder had to be turned inside out after being sewn and the tinfoil crinkled, crackled, split, and was lumpy and bumpy and a royal pain in the tush. Just a mess!
I have toyed with possible designs since then. All in my head. Quite often when I am trying to fall asleep and my mind is picking up random thoughts instead of relaxing. Then I saw a demo for how to change heavy duty tinfoil from the fragile component it is to almost a fabric. Voila! It all fell into place.
Here are the steps to create a simple yet beautiful credit card holder that offers all the same benefits as wrapping in tinfoil.
You will need:
Sewing machine
scraps of fabric or leather for case shell and for lining.
Strapping/packing tape
Heavy duty aluminum foil
snap
I pulled fabric out of my scrap stash. It was fairly easy to find 5"x7" pieces. I even found a piece of leather in the bag that was big enough for one of these. If you use leather, add walking foot to the list of supplies.
Cut a 5"x7" fashion fabric and a 5"x7" liner fabric.
To create tab, go down 1" from top and over 2" from side and cut the edge off. Do the same for the other side. You can mark it if you want. I just lined up the fabric on the mat and put the ruler at the 1" and 2" marks and cut.
Now, with right sides facing, sew around the pieces. I used a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a space open at the bottom. You could leave the whole bottom section unsewed but then you won't have the nice corners. At least I wouldn't. Maybe you could. It's just easier to start sewing about an 1" up along the bottom, turn and sew up the side, over the tab, down the other side, turn and sew about 1" along the other side of the bottom. Be sure to back tack when starting and ending.
We'll call this sewn result the envelope.
Be sure to trim the seam allowance along the envelope. I used pinking shears. This is helpful to reduce bulk when sewing up the card holder sides.
Now cut a 4"x7" piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. It has to be .27 microns thick. Reynolds Heavy Duty is thick enough.
Cover the aluminum foil with strapping tape. The kind I have is just shy of 2" wide. I put down a strip along the edge and then a second strip butting right up next to the first strip. Turn it over and cover the other side as well. Trip the tape covered piece of aluminum foil. I use my craft scissors for this, not the precious fabric scissors.
Turn the sewn fabric right side out. Poke out those holes and slide your thumb or a ruler or for the brave, the tips of the scissors, to smooth everything out. Really, you should iron it at this point but I will confess, for this fast, simple, only I will notice, project I did not iron it. If you feel the need to iron, go ahead and iron it.
Trim the top of the aluminum foil to match the shape of the tab. Trim the bottom of the aluminum foil to be just shorter than envelope. When you lay the tape covered foil on top of the envelope it should be about 1/4" thinner all around.
Now, gently bend the tape covered foil to slide it into fabric envelope. I just bring the sides together and leave the curved section between untouched. It should slide as easily as butter. Let go of the sides and nudge it into place.
Now sew the bottom closed. When you were ironing you could have ironed the seam allowance flat and that would be helpful right now. I just fold it in and hold it in place because I have done it thousands of times with many projects. Do a topstitch across the whole length of the bottom of the piece, being sure to sew close enough to the edge to catch the seam allowance.
Next, topstitch the tab. Fold the envelope so that the topstitched bottom is about 1/2" from the start of the tab. Sew the sides. I tried both a saddle stitch and a specialty zig zag stitch. Either works.
Now add a snap and it's done.
Options besides snaps:
If you want you could add a ponytail holder to top of tab before sewing liner and fashion fabric together to create envelope and add a button.
Sew velcro on inside of tab and outside of envelope bottom before sewing sides together.
Add a buttonhole on tab and sew a button on holder.
Simply wrapping your card(s) in tinfoil does the trick to protect the signal from being picked up by errant skimmers wandering the streets and malls of our neighbor hood. But, let's face it, wrapping our card(s) in tinfoil is not at all efficient, aesthetic, or realistic in our daily lives.
A year or two ago I played with tinfoil being incorporated into a card holder design that I use a lot to make some awesome card holders. It was a disaster. The holder had to be turned inside out after being sewn and the tinfoil crinkled, crackled, split, and was lumpy and bumpy and a royal pain in the tush. Just a mess!
I have toyed with possible designs since then. All in my head. Quite often when I am trying to fall asleep and my mind is picking up random thoughts instead of relaxing. Then I saw a demo for how to change heavy duty tinfoil from the fragile component it is to almost a fabric. Voila! It all fell into place.
Here are the steps to create a simple yet beautiful credit card holder that offers all the same benefits as wrapping in tinfoil.
You will need:
Sewing machine
scraps of fabric or leather for case shell and for lining.
Strapping/packing tape
Heavy duty aluminum foil
snap
I pulled fabric out of my scrap stash. It was fairly easy to find 5"x7" pieces. I even found a piece of leather in the bag that was big enough for one of these. If you use leather, add walking foot to the list of supplies.
Cut a 5"x7" fashion fabric and a 5"x7" liner fabric.
To create tab, go down 1" from top and over 2" from side and cut the edge off. Do the same for the other side. You can mark it if you want. I just lined up the fabric on the mat and put the ruler at the 1" and 2" marks and cut.
Now, with right sides facing, sew around the pieces. I used a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a space open at the bottom. You could leave the whole bottom section unsewed but then you won't have the nice corners. At least I wouldn't. Maybe you could. It's just easier to start sewing about an 1" up along the bottom, turn and sew up the side, over the tab, down the other side, turn and sew about 1" along the other side of the bottom. Be sure to back tack when starting and ending.
We'll call this sewn result the envelope.
Be sure to trim the seam allowance along the envelope. I used pinking shears. This is helpful to reduce bulk when sewing up the card holder sides.
Now cut a 4"x7" piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. It has to be .27 microns thick. Reynolds Heavy Duty is thick enough.
Cover the aluminum foil with strapping tape. The kind I have is just shy of 2" wide. I put down a strip along the edge and then a second strip butting right up next to the first strip. Turn it over and cover the other side as well. Trip the tape covered piece of aluminum foil. I use my craft scissors for this, not the precious fabric scissors.
Turn the sewn fabric right side out. Poke out those holes and slide your thumb or a ruler or for the brave, the tips of the scissors, to smooth everything out. Really, you should iron it at this point but I will confess, for this fast, simple, only I will notice, project I did not iron it. If you feel the need to iron, go ahead and iron it.
Trim the top of the aluminum foil to match the shape of the tab. Trim the bottom of the aluminum foil to be just shorter than envelope. When you lay the tape covered foil on top of the envelope it should be about 1/4" thinner all around.
Now, gently bend the tape covered foil to slide it into fabric envelope. I just bring the sides together and leave the curved section between untouched. It should slide as easily as butter. Let go of the sides and nudge it into place.
Now sew the bottom closed. When you were ironing you could have ironed the seam allowance flat and that would be helpful right now. I just fold it in and hold it in place because I have done it thousands of times with many projects. Do a topstitch across the whole length of the bottom of the piece, being sure to sew close enough to the edge to catch the seam allowance.
Next, topstitch the tab. Fold the envelope so that the topstitched bottom is about 1/2" from the start of the tab. Sew the sides. I tried both a saddle stitch and a specialty zig zag stitch. Either works.
Now add a snap and it's done.
Options besides snaps:
If you want you could add a ponytail holder to top of tab before sewing liner and fashion fabric together to create envelope and add a button.
Sew velcro on inside of tab and outside of envelope bottom before sewing sides together.
Add a buttonhole on tab and sew a button on holder.
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