Free Design of the Month for October - Embroidered Cork Wallet with Custom Monogram and Option for Cutting with Brother ScanNCut DX

-Brother Sews Blogger


Ahhh, the beauty of cork fabric, made even more beautiful with machine embroidery! This cork wallet is the type of accessory you would be likely to find in a high-end boutique yet you can make it yourself with just a few supplies and your Brother machine. The front flap features the Brother Free Design of the month, with an added monogram to personalize the item. I designed this wallet so you can cut it with your Brother ScanNCut DX electronic cutting machine but you’ll also find an option for cutting your pieces with the included PDF patterns. You’ll find this wallet easy to make in just a few simple steps. Follow them one by one and soon you’ll have a beautiful new wallet. Make one to keep for yourself or create one to give as a gift! Are you ready? Let’s go sew!

Materials and Supplies for Embroidered Cosmetic Case:

• Brother sewing and embroidery machine with 4-inch hoop capability for stitching the free design, or Brother embroidery machine with 5-inch X 7-inch capability for stitching a custom combination design as shown in these instructions.
• CACORKBK 12” X 24” sheet of Black Brother Rolled Cork Fabric.
• Optional but recommended - Brother ScanNCut DX for cutting wallet pieces using FCM files, plus additional ScanNCut DX supplies for cutting cork.
• Brother Embroidery threads and embroidery needle. Featured thread is MT999, Brother Metallic thread - Light Gold.
• SA5929 Brother heavy-weight cut-away stabilizer.
• Clips for securing fabric layers with vinyl.
• Topstitch needle or Microtex needle size 12 and good quality thread for sewing wallet together.
• Temporary adhesive spray designed for securing fabric to stabilizer during embroidery.
• Light weight fusible interfacing for backing main wallet piece.
• Low tack tape for marking cork fabric.
• Removable chalk for marking lines on cork.
• Heavy duty snap for wallet closure.
• Brother Free Design of the month FD_10_2021. See Figure #1 below:

Figure #1


Cut wallet pieces using one of the following options, FCM files for ScanNCut DX or PDF files for cutting with traditional methods:

Option #1 - FCM files for cutting wallet pieces with ScanNCut DX:
- Wallet_M.fcm for main wallet piece
- Wallet_F.fcm for wallet flap
- Wallet_P.fcm for wallet pockets. NOTE: Cut two pocket pieces.
Note: Methods and supplies for cutting cork will vary depending on your ScanNCut DX machine model. I used model DX225 with the CADXMATF12 fabric mat and the CADXBLD1 auto blade.

Option #2 - Printed PDF pattern Files for cutting wallet pieces with scissors or rotary cutting tools:
- Wallet_PartA.pdf and  Wallet_PartB.pdf joined together with arrows matching to create main wallet piece.
- Wallet_Flap.pdf for wallet flap.
- Wallet_Pockets.pdf for cutting two wallet pockets.

Please read through all instructions before beginning this project. Basic steps are as follows:

• Cut wallet pieces using FCM files provided for your Brother ScanNCut DX machine or cut pieces using PDF pattern files.
• Embroider wallet flap.
• Sew pockets and flap to wallet.
• Sew wallet side seams and add snap to finish.

Steps to Create Cork Wallet:

1. Cut cork pieces as follows, using option #1 or option #2 as desired:

Option #1: For ScanNCut DX cutting, transfer all FCM files to your ScanNCut DX. Cut one main wallet piece, two pocket pieces, and one flap. See Figure #3 for an example of wallet and pocket pieces cut using the ScanNCut DX machine and a fabric mat.

Figure #3

Option #2: For traditional cutting with printed patterns. print all the PDF pattern pieces using a scale of 100 percent. See Figure #4 for an example of suitable printer settings.


Figure #4


Tape part A and part B together to create main wallet pattern piece. See Figure #5.

Figure #5

Cut remaining PDF pattern pieces using rotary cutting tools or scissors, taking care to cut pieces accurately and evenly.

When finished cutting using option #1 or option #2, you should have the four pieces shown in Figure #6 to make the wallet.

Figure #6

2. Transfer free design to your machine. Create a combination design for the 5-inch X 7-inch hoop using two of the motifs with an added monogram letter in the center. See Figure #2. Note: If you are limited to using a 4-inch hoop you can choose to stitch a single motif in your 4-inch hoop or hoop the fabric multiple times for a combination design. See Figure #7.

Figure #7

3. Cut a piece of fusible interfacing to match main wallet piece, trimming interfacing so it is slightly smaller than the cork. Apply fusible interfacing to wrong side of main wallet piece. See Figure #8.

Figure #8

4. Hoop cut-away stabilizer in 5-inch X 7-inch hoop. Use temporary adhesive spray to spray flap area on the wrong side of the main wallet piece. Tip: Cover remaining area of wallet piece with paper to avoid spraying past the flap area. See Figure #9.

Figure #9

5. Mark center of flap area on main wallet piece to prepare for embroidery. Center of marking should be 2-inches from top rounded edge and 4-inches from side edges. Tip: Use a piece of low tack tape on the cork and make markings directly on the tape. Remove tape before stitching. See Figure #10.

Figure #10

6. Secure cork to stabilizer, having the marked location in the center of the hoop. Embroider combination design. See Figure #11.

Figure #11

7. Trim excess stabilizer. Use removable chalk to mark a fold line 3 ¾-inches from lower straight edge. See Figure #12.

Figure #12

8. Prepare to complete wallet as follows:

Flip wallet so cork side is facing up. Position first pocket piece 1/2-inch from edge opposite flap and clip in place. See stitching line marked in yellow in Figure #13.

Figure #13

Stitch along lower edge of pocket to secure to wallet, stitching 1/8-inch from the edge. See enhanced photo with marked stitching line in Figure #14.

Figure #14


Position second pocket so it overlaps the first, covering the first pocket stitching line, positioning second pocket 3 ¾-inches from the edge opposite the flap. Note: If you look on the opposite side of the wallet piece, you’ll see that this second pocket piece is even with the marked fold-line. Clip in place and stitch as shown below, stitching 1/8-inch from the edge close to the fold-line. See enhanced photo with marked stitching line in Figure 15.

Figure #15


Next, use chalk to mark a line through center of pockets. Stitch along center line to divide pockets, stitching twice for reinforcement. See enhanced photo with stitching line in Figure #16.

Figure #16

Select flap piece. Cover wrong side of embroidered area with flap piece, matching cut edges. Clip to secure and then stitch flap to wallet, stitching 1/8-inch from outer edges. Finally, stitch along the straight edge just below embroidery, thoroughly attaching flap to wallet piece. See Figure #17a and Figure #17b.

Figure #17a


Figure #17b

Just one more step to finish. Fold wallet piece along fold line, folding up towards the flap with a slight gap between flap and top of pocket area. Stitch side edges until stitching line meets edge stitching for flap. See Figure #18a, Figure #18b, and Figure #18c.

Figure #18a

Figure #18b

Figure #18c

Add appropriate snap parts to flap and lower edge of pocket area to properly close the wallet. See Figure #18a and Figure #18b below:

Figure #19a

Figure #19b

You are finished! Fill your wallet with cards and so forth and you are ready to go. Enjoy!

Additional tips for creating cork wallet:

• It’s important to have a cleanly cut edge with cork. The Brother cork fabric and Brother ScanNCut DX electronic cutting machine are ideal for this project. Test cut before cutting actual pieces as recommended in your manual.
• Iron metallic cork from wrong side only. You can use steam on the wrong side and then turn piece over and pat flat from the right side. In addition, you can place cork pieces under heavy books to weight the cork and make it flatten out.
• Always use a long stitch length for sewing cork. A length of 3.5 to 4.0 works well.
• Take advantage of the ability to move your needle position for straight stitching edges on this project. Whenever possible, have a large portion of your presser foot resting on the cork. If you have a non-stick foot, consider using it to sew easily across the cork.
• Test markers and low tack tape on a scrap before using. Most removable chalk can be brushed away or easily removed with a damp cloth.
• It’s a good idea to test fuse interfacing before you apply it to the cork. Most interfacing fuse securely on the cork fabric with a little steam.
• Clip edges securely and sew slowly to avoid shift of the pieces. A nice finish on this project is dependent on careful cutting and careful stitching.