Most makers would live with a wallet that bulges once the cards go in, or patch the problem with a quick trim. This maker went the better route and remade the whole piece from scratch, which is the kind of decision that separates a throwaway project from a keeper. The result is a handcrafted multi-fold wallet in vegetable-tanned leather, closed with a snap button and finished with a stamped exterior in blue.
The construction reads as a proper full workflow. Panels are cut from paper patterns with masking tape and metal rulers guiding the way, then thinned with a skiving knife where needed. Stitch holes are punched through templates using a press fitted with chisels, and the components are held in a leather-padded stitching pony for saddle stitching in brown thread. Edges get sanded flush, then burnished with Tokonole using both a motorized burnisher and a handheld wooden slicker until they come out glossy.
Two details stand out to me. The repeating geometric pattern is stamped over a numbered metal grid plate on the dyed blue exterior, which should keep the spacing honest across the whole panel. And instead of brushing on dye, the maker uses sponge-tipped squeeze bottles and says the dye bottles are Paint Dabbers or Graffiti markers from Amazon, easier than brushes. The blue and brown card slots give the inside a nice contrast against the brown strap that snaps around the front.
One question is still open: whether the extra clearance went into the outer piece or the inner pockets were shortened. That answer would make this an even more useful reference for anyone fighting the same bulge.