After making my first wallet and using it daily for the last 8 weeks, I decided on a few changes. Those changes are as follows:
- Thinner leather (about a 1-2 oz)
- Punch all stitching holes before assembly
- Stamp logo before assembly
- Use wax to seal leather before assembly
- Add stitching around the top of the pockets (suggested by a coworker)
- Add a snap closure to the flap
- Make the flap a little bit longer to offset wallet thickness.
After making these changes I’m much happier with the overall design of the wallet. It’s a little thinner overall than the original one. It’s lighter as well.
Conclusion
With time comes experience and knowledge. You’ll very rarely ever hit a home run the very first time you try something you’ve never done before. So take the time to evaluate and reevaluate your first attempt.
By acknowledging the flaws in your design, you can see how to improve on it. By seeing the improvements you want to make, you can then work towards the best design you can.
So while my original design was ok and functioned, it was far from perfect. In fact, even with the changes made, it’s still far from perfect. However, I will reevaluate after using it for a few weeks to see if there’s anything I might change to further improve on my design. Now we real-world test and see how well it works.
The Wandering Leatherneck 