{Green Living} A Personalized Business Card Holder Made From a T-shirt

If you’ve been looking for the perfect business card holder, have I got the solution for you!  Myra’s post on how to Make Your Own Fabric Labels inspired me to pursue this customized card holder with a few items that I had laying around the house.  Here are the supplies that you’ll need.

1.  A couple of T-shirts, preferably a white one for printing on and another color for the inside of the holder and one more color for the pockets

2. Freezer Paper and an iron for applying it

3. Bubble Jet Set for setting your print to the T-shirt

4.  A sewing machine

5. Small piece of interfacing

You’ll want to print your design on a piece of 8 1/2 X 11 T-shirt fabric prepared with Bubble Jet Set.  It’ll help the design stay put.  Just follow the instructions on the bottle, soaking the fabric for five minutes and then allowing it to dry.  Once it’s dry you can iron on a sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 freezer paper to the T-shirt.  Lay the freezer paper, plastic (shiny) side down and run a medium heat iron across the paper for about 20 seconds.

The T-shirt is now ready to print on.  Insert it (along with the attached freezer paper) into your printer.  Note that there is a possibility that your printer could jam so be prepared for that.

I used a simple 3 row table in Word to print my design, the middle row is 1/2″ tall (this is where the holder folds).  For the purposes of this tutorial, I’ll be using the design on the right.  But if the orientation of your design is more traditional (as in the design to the left) remember to flip your top design upside down so that it reads right when the finished product is folded in half.

Once printed remove the freezer paper, trim the design, interface and the remaining two colored T-shirt (I’m using a piece of colorful scrap fabric for one of them) to the same size leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance all the way around.

Cut the piece of fabric that you intend to use for the pockets in half.  Fold over and iron a seam on each piece.  Then sew the seam down creating a finished edge.

Then, lay out your fabric pieces in the following order:

1.  First, lay the T-shirt piece for the inside down with the pockets right side up on top of it.  The seams should be facing the center opening.

2.  Lay the printed piece of T-shirt down next, printed side down.

3.  Finally, lay down the interfacing and pin everything into place and sew on three edges.

Then turn the fabric right side out through the open seam.  Fold and iron the edges of the open seam toward the inside.  Sew it shut and continue to sew all the way around your new business card holder for a consistent look.

There’s just one thing left to do…add your cards.

And toss the holder into your purse!