How to make a passport cover

A fabric passport cover protects the corners of your passport from getting bashed in a bag, makes it easy to spot in a sea of identical maroon documents, and uses barely a fat quarter. It’s a beautifully quick make that looks thoughtful as a gift, pair it with a luggage tag for someone heading off travelling.

What you’ll need

• Outer fabric: 24cm × 18cm.
• Lining fabric: 24cm × 18cm.
• Two pocket pieces: 12cm × 18cm each (these hold the front and back covers of the passport).
• Optional fusible interfacing the size of the outer, plus thread, scissors and pins.

A standard passport is about 12.5cm × 9cm closed, so these measurements give a snug fit with seam allowance. Press all your pieces before starting.

Step 1: Hem the pocket pieces

Take each 12cm × 18cm pocket piece, fold it in half so it’s 6cm × 18cm with a folded edge along one long side, and press. That folded edge is the opening the passport tucks behind, so a crisp press here makes it look neat.

Step 2: Build the sandwich

Lay the lining piece right side up. Place a folded pocket at each short end, raw edges out, folded edges facing the middle. Then lay the outer piece on top, right side down. You now have a stack: lining (face up), two pockets at the ends, outer (face down). Pin all the way round.

Step 3: Sew around, leaving a gap

Sew all the way around the outside with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving a 7cm gap along the top edge for turning. Backstitch either side of the gap. Snip the four corners diagonally so they turn out sharp.

Step 4: Turn and topstitch

Turn the whole thing right side out through the gap, the pockets will flip neatly to the inside ends. Push the corners out, press well, and fold the gap’s raw edges inwards. Topstitch all the way around close to the edge to close the gap and finish it crisply.

Step 5: Pop the passport in

Slide the front cover of the passport into one pocket and the back cover into the other. It should sit snugly and close like a little book. If it’s tight, that’s normal at first; the fabric eases with use.

Make it extra

• Add an elastic loop and button on the outside to keep it closed in a busy bag.
• Interface the outer for a sturdier, more padded feel that protects the corners better.
• Personalise it with initials in free-motion stitching or a decorative machine stitch before you assemble.

A neat little make

A passport cover is a clever little sandwich: lining, two folded pockets at the ends, outer on top, sewn round and turned. The pockets do the holding; the topstitch does the finishing. It’s a half-hour make that feels like a proper handmade gift, and a great way to practise neat corners.