Ex Die in Diem

by

Wallets

I am not a tall man.

This lack of stature has its advantages: I can fit better into small spaces, I can reach the Pringles in the bottom of the can, and I can get very slightly closer to you before you notice me (perspective is such a fun thing to play with).

Unfortunately, a smaller man wears smaller clothes with commensurately smaller pockets and storage areas. This has led to an ongoing quest to reduce the things I carry with me, especially if they are not the things I can leave behind when I go out, like my wallet.

I’ve gone through a series of wallets over the years, from the kind of gigantic, Velcro-closure things we use as children onto more refined leather affairs with pockets and pop fasteners, eventually settling for a number of years on a very simple four-cards-and-notes sleeve which I picked up at John Lewis almost by chance, and which served me very well, even if it did have a tendency to stain my white credit card with a line of leather dye.

I did find that even this over time felt too large, too conspicuous and too pocket-strainingly bulky for my needs or desire, and cast around for a replacement once more. I found some really simple elasticated straps and pockets that looked like what I was after, and was on the verge of spending a good chunk of change on one when I realised just how simple the objects I was looking at were, and decided to make my own:

My hand-sewn wallet

It’s a dual-layer affair, hand sewn with my favourite bright orange thread, and fitted exactly to the two cards I routinely carry with me (debit and driving licence). Every day that I slip it into my front pocket on my way out the door, I get a tiny fragment of enjoyment because it has that made-for-me rightness that just can’t be bought.

Next up, bow ties.

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