DIY ID holder or luggage tag.

Today we are making a simple ID/credit card holder. Great for student ID's, credit cards, or a luggage tag. The strap has a key ring built in a clip on the end of the strap so that you can detach the strap to loop its around your belt or anything else. The insides were reinforced with plastic I cut from a folder. This way the ID holder is stiff and won't wilt like cardboard or card stock would if it gets wet. The clear plastic window is made from a page protector. Best of all this can be made of out scraps of fabric you have laying around!

What you will need:
- 6in x 12in fabric
- Two 3.5in x 3.5in sections of stiff plastic (I got mine form a folder, you can use anything you find around the house)
- One 3.5in x 3.5in clear piece of plastic (I got mine from a page protector)
- One key ring (if desired)
- One clip (if desired)

-sewing machine, thread, pins


Steps:
1) Begin by cutting two 4in x 3.5 inch rectangles. On one of the short sides, fold over 1/4in and hem. Do this to both rectangles, but ONLY one of the short sides

2) Pin them to each other, the good sides facing each other on the inside. Sew a straight stitch as close as you can to the outside edges. Sew all three sides EXCEPT the hemmed. it should look something like this now: (the top is hemmed and NOT stitched shut)

 

This will be the back,  you can flip it inside out now. Later we will stuff the stiff plastic into this pocket and sew it shut. 

3) Next cut a third rectangle but this one will be slightly shorter. 3.5in x 3.5in. This will be the window and you want it to be as wide as the back but slightly shorter. Carefully hem all the edges, making sure when it is hemmed it is now the same width at your back rectangle. This is what it should look like:

 

This will be out window piece

4) Next measure how big of a window you want. We will be cutting this out of the center of this piece.  Once you have decided on a size, cut it out and fold the edges over and hem. At this point you can also begin to measure out the clear plastic that you will be using as the protector for the ID pocket. Make sure your dimensions are going to work for whatever card you are going to be keeping in this card holder.

5) I then used a decorative zig-zag stitch to sew the plastic piece to the fabric "window".  This picture just shows that it is sew and lines up with the back. I did NOT the the plastic to the window AND the back, just to the window.

Looking good!

6) Next sew the front window piece to the back piece, get as close to the edge of the fabric as you can. Once again make sure the window is big enough to accommodate whatever card you will be storing in this holder BEFORE you sew the window down. I used my special edging foot on my sewing machine to help me with this. They are super useful in situations like this!

7) At this point we can measure the stiff plastic inserts that will go into the back pocket to give it form. Make sure they are snug to the edges of the pocket. You also want to cut them so that there is about 1/2 inch of fabric on the top. In other words, the plastic inserts should have about 1/2 inch clearance away from what will be the end of the ID holder. I also cut a notch in the center of the inserts to give me extra room to sew the strap on the inside of the pocket. This plastic is far to thick to put hte needle through so I wanted to keep the plastic out of the way of future stitches.

I ended up using two inserts for extra rigidity

8) The last thing to make it the strap. To do this I simply took a 12in x 1.5in strip of fabric, folded the unfinished edges in and ran a zig-zag stitch to bind them together and make the flat strap. 

9) The next step is to attach the strap and sew the plastic inserts in. I also took this time to add a little added functionality to the ID holder by adding a sewn in key ring and clip to the strap. If these are not interesting to you then don't include them. If you are not adding these additions, then just loop your strap and sew it in. Run a straight stitch across the whole top then stitch back and forth several times to reinforce the strap. If you are adding the key ring, fold the strap into a small loop and only sew one of the ends on the inside of the ID holder. Finish the other end by sewing in the clip. Now the strap can be clipped and un-clipped whenever you like.

Enjoy your custom ID holder!

~Andrew