Easy to sew Mother's Day gift card wallet

I may have missed the boat in time for the UK Mother's Day, but for my readers on the other side of the pond, here is a quick and easy to make gift. You might even be able to put one together out of supplies you already have at home. Even better!

I gave this one to my mum on Mother's Day a few weeks ago, and it was a resounding success. To make your own, you'll need:

One large piece of felt, 12cm x 16cm (or 5 ins x 6 ins, if you only have a yardstick...),

assorted embroidery thread,

small offcuts of coloured felt (pink, yellow, green),

a needle,

two pins,

a pen,

and a spare button.

You may also wish to find a pencil and paper to sketch out your picture for the back, and a spare credit card or gift card to check your dimensions as you go.

Working from the shorter edge of the felt, fold it into three to create a wallet shape. You can use a spare credit card as a guide. Once you have the folds in place, use the pins to mark the creases. Between these pins will be the area you have to decorate. Remember to leave a margin of 0.5cm, or a quarter inch, so you can sew up the sides!

Using the small offcuts of felt, and your pencil and paper, design a picture that will be easy to attach with a simple running stitch. This technique is known as applique and is a simple way of embellishing any project. If you don't have any spare felt to hand, think about using sequins or spare buttons to create a similar effect. Using the paper to sketch it out first will help with the proportion of the design, and make sure it will fit in the space you have.

With small stitches, attach your felt, buttons or handstitched decorations to the back of the wallet. If you are using thick embroidery thread, you could sketch this out lightly on the felt with a thin pencil line for a guide, as you'll be covering it up with your stitches.

Turn over your work, and place a small cut in the centre of the thin flap at the top of the wallet. Once this hole has been made, poke your pen through to mark where you should attach the button. For a neat finish, you can make tiny stitches all around the button hole.

Open out the top flap, and sew each of the two longer sides together on either side. Using a contrasting colour of embroidery thread and small, neat stitches, makes dull stitching really stand out. If you are not confident of your sewing technique, use matching coloured thread. Your mum won't mind if it's not even, it's the thought that counts.

Stand back, enjoy your handiwork, and pop a nice surprise in there for your mum to open on her special day.