DIY Fabric-Covered Card Holder | A Beginner-Friendly Craft Tutorial
Make a small fabric-covered holder for organizing cards and notes on a ring. It is a lovely way to turn embroidery or a meaningful piece of fabric into a practical, palm-sized cover.
You can freely change the contents to hold shop cards, business cards, notes, tags, photos, and more. Enjoy combining your favorite fabric, lining paper, and hardware to create a one-of-a-kind design.
DIY Fabric-Covered Card Holder | A Beginner-Friendly Craft Tutorial
Materials and Tools |
Cutting Sizes and Hole PositionsCheck the cutting sizes for the fabric, felt, cardstock, and patterned paper, along with the hole positions. |
1. Make the Cover BasePunch holes in the cardstock and felt, then glue them together to make two cover bases. |
2. Wrap the Base with FabricCut an opening in the fabric, then wrap and glue the left, right, top, and bottom edges around the base.🎥 Video available |
3. Finish the Inside and Attach the HardwareGlue the patterned paper to the inside, attach the corner and eyelet hardware, and thread the covers and cards onto the ring.🎥 Video available |
Final StepAdd cards, notes, tags, or other inserts to the ring to complete your fabric-covered holder. |
Materials
Here are the materials you will need:
Fabric: two 12 × 8 cm pieces
Linen canvas
Embroidered fabric works beautifully, but you can also use a favorite piece of fabric that holds special meaning for you.
Felt: two 10 × 6 cm pieces
This will be used as padding, so inexpensive thin synthetic felt is fine. Choose a color that coordinates with your outer fabric.
Cardstock: two 10 × 6 cm pieces
We used 1 mm illustration boardIf thick board is difficult to cut, glue together two pieces of easy-to-cut board about 0.5 mm thick.
8 corner protectors
Width: 15 mm (size S)
These will go on all four corners of both covers.
Choose corner protectors that fit the size you plan to make.
2 sets of eyelets
Overall width: about 12 mmHole diameter: about 5 mm
We used flower-shaped eyelets for this project.
Each set has two parts: the eyelet for the front and a ring-shaped washer for the back.
Eyelet setting tool and base
Use a setting tool and base made specifically for eyelets. We used the set sold in our shop.
Patterned paper: two 9.5 × 5.5 cm pieces
This paper will cover the inside of each base.
Choose any pattern you like, or have fun reusing gift wrap or candy wrappers.
1 hinged ring
About 1.5–2 cm inner diameter
Use a card ring or another ring that opens and closes.
An inner diameter of about 1.5–2 cm is easy to work with and recommended.
Glue or adhesive
We used G Clear, a glue that is less likely to make paper shrink or warp.
Items to put on the ring (optional)
Add anything you like, such as note paper, favorite cards, paper cutouts, tags, or photos.
For this project, we made small stamped cards to keep track of things that are easy to forget.
Hammer
Use this to set the eyelets.
Protective board
To protect your floor or work surface, prepare a wooden, plastic, or rubber board, or a thick magazine.
Craft knife, cutting mat, and metal ruler, or scissors
If you use a craft knife, prepare a cutting mat and ruler as well. A metal ruler is easier to use because the blade will not damage it.
You can use scissors instead if the material is not too thick.
Hole punch and 5 mm drive punch
A hole punch makes this project easier. If the material is difficult to punch with a standard hole punch, use a drive punch.
If you do not have a hole-making tool, you can also use a craft knife.
Marking pen
Use a pencil or marking pen to transfer the hole positions.
Helpful extras
Spatula — Use this to spread the glue in a thin layer.
Toothpick — Handy for spreading glue and winding up any glue that seeps out around the hardware.
Scrap paper — Place this under your work to keep glue off your work surface.
Awl — Helpful for checking the hole positions or widening a hole slightly.
Stickers or other decorations — Use these to decorate the covers or cards if you like.
Cutting Sizes and Hole Positions
Cut two pieces each of fabric, felt, cardstock, and patterned paper for the inside covers, following the dimensions shown in the image.
Make a hole about 5 mm in diameter in each piece of cardstock and felt. Position it 3 cm from the side edge, centered across the 6 cm width, and 1.2 cm from the top edge. Trim the four corners of each fabric piece to match the cardstock.
1. Make the Cover Base
① Make holes in the cardstock and felt
Make a hole about 5 mm in diameter in each 10 × 6 cm piece of cardstock and felt. Refer to Cutting Sizes
for the position: 3 cm from the side edge, centered across the 6 cm width, and 1.2 cm from the top edge. Make holes in the same position on both pieces of each material.
If the holes are difficult to make, see this tip section
for help.
② Apply glue to the cardstock
Apply glue to one side of the cardstock and spread it in a thin, even layer.
③ Glue the cardstock and felt together
Align the holes and outer edges, then glue the felt onto the cardstock. Make two matching bases for the front and back covers.
Point | If the holes are difficult to make...❓
Materials that are very soft or very hard can be difficult to punch.
Making the holes can be trickier than expected, so use the tips below if you need help.
If the felt is too soft to punch
① Mark the hole position
Mark the position of the hole with a pen or similar tool, then fold the felt in half.
② Cut with the tip of your scissors
Cut along the marked line.
The hole does not need to be a perfect circle. The cut edge will be hidden by the hardware, so it only needs to be large enough for the eyelet to fit through.
This method lets you make the hole even without a punch.
If the base is too hard to punch
① Mark the hole position, then use a craft knife to make small cuts around the circle.
The eyelet will hide the cut edge, so the hole does not need to be a perfect circle.
② Use an awl or another fine-pointed tool to remove the center a little at a time.
Work slowly and carefully to avoid injury.
You can also make a clean hole with a drive punch and hammer. Be sure to use a punch that matches the hole size.
Another option is to make the holes before gluing the layers together. If you want a thicker base, punch the holes first, then glue together as many layers as needed. ☝️
Making the holes can be trickier than expected, so use whichever method works best for you.
2. Wrap the Base with Fabric
① Transfer the hole position to the fabric
Place the base on the wrong side of the fabric. Use the hole in the base as a guide to mark the hole position on the fabric.
② Mark where to make the hole
Mark the hole position with a pen or similar tool, then fold the fabric in half.
③ Cut with the tip of your scissors
Cut along the marked line.
The hole does not need to be a perfect circle. The cut edge will be hidden by the hardware, so it only needs to be large enough for the eyelet to fit through.
This method lets you make the hole even without a punch.
④ Apply glue to the left and right edges of the base
Place the base on the fabric with the felt side facing down. Align the holes in the fabric and base, then apply glue along the left and right edges of the base. Wait about one minute for the surface of the glue to dry slightly.
It is easier to apply the glue to the base rather than to the fabric.
⑤ Fold and glue the left and right sides of the fabric
Hold the fabric smooth to prevent wrinkles or slack. Fold one side at a time over the base and glue it in place. Fold and glue the top and bottom edges in the same way.
Repeat these steps to make two fabric-covered bases for the front and back covers.
If you find it difficult to wrap the fabric neatly, watch the 🎥 easy-to-follow video.
3. Finish the Inside and Attach the Hardware🎥 Video available
① Make holes in the inside cover paper
Make a hole about 5 mm in diameter in each 9.5 × 5.5 cm piece of paper, in the same position as the hole in the base.
As you did with the fabric, place the base over the paper and mark the correct position before making the hole with a punch or similar tool.
② Glue the paper to the inside of the base
Glue the inside cover paper over the folded fabric edges to give the inside a neat finish. Check that the holes in the base and paper are aligned.
Attach the second piece of paper to the other base in the same way.
③ Apply glue to the cover corners
Apply a small amount of glue to each corner of the cover, then let the surface dry for about one minute.
It is easiest to work with when the glue is still slightly tacky but no longer sticks to your finger.
④ Attach the corner protectors
Carefully slide a corner protector onto each glued corner.
Insert it little by little while checking the front and back to make sure the fabric and inside cover paper do not wrinkle.
🎥 Easy-to-follow video
Attach the hardware to all corners of the front and back covers in the same way.
Point | Remove excess glue neatly
To remove glue that seeps out around the hardware, gently rotate the tip of a toothpick to wind up the excess glue. ☝️
🎥 Video: Wrap the Base with Fabric
🎥 Video: Attach the Corner Protectors
⑤ Attach the eyelets and ring
Set an eyelet in the hole of each cover, then thread the covers and cards onto the ring. See the linked page for detailed instructions.
Final Step
Set an eyelet in the hole of each cover, then thread the covers and cards onto the ring to finish your project.
We used embroidered fabric, but your favorite printed fabric will also make a beautiful cover.
Try using a fabric that holds special meaning for you, then freely change the contents to suit what you want to organize—shop cards, business cards, notes, tags, and more!
