How To Make A Tea Wallet With Duct Tape

Once you make a tea wallet with duct tape, this DIY project will become a staple in your handmade gift options during the holidays.

Duct tape crafts have been on my radar for over two decades. I was always amazed at the beautiful accessories people were able to create like hair bows, wallets, and purses.

When a maker tackled a skirt or dress? I was in awe.

So years ago, I dabbled in using duct tape to make a business card holder. It was a huge success (in my eyes, at least) but I wasn’t so enamored of the medium that I tried other things.

After all, my fabric stash was already taking up the limited storage I had. So, the idea of adding a new material to the mix wasn’t all that appealing.

Fast forward to summer of 2021 where indoor projects are a must and duct tape made a comeback in my household. (It might have helped that Walmart has a plethora of colors and patterns that are hard to resist, too.)

So I started by making a simple duct tape wallet.

Then, I started thinking through other applications where duct tape could be useful in the area of handmade donations.

And there were plenty! But where to begin?

I landed on a tea wallet because cancer support items are very popular and these would be super cute to include in a DIY chemo care bag.

Tutorial: Make A Tea Wallet From Colorful Duct Tape

This duct tape tea holder will take less than 30 minutes to make and can be done almost anywhere (no craft room necessary) with the right supplies.

One of the key things to keep in mind with this project, and duct tape projects in general really, is to rip or cut a little bit more than you need and them trim things up as needed.

Use These Basic Supplies For Your DIY Duct Tape Wallet For Tea

The basic supplies you’ll need for this duct tape tea holder are these:

• duct tape in two different colors (I use Duck Tape brand because of the quality, selection, and ability to purchase.)
• rotary cutter and self-healing mat
• ruler
• sewing clips (*affiliate link)

Easy Steps To Construct The Tea Wallet

One of the best techniques I learned after reading through some books duct tape crafts was to make “fabric” from the duct tape.

Then, once you have your fabric panels, you connect those pieces with smaller pieces of tape to construct your end result.

So the TL;DR explanation of this project is this: make this tea wallet from one big piece of duct tape “fabric”, fold it, and then tape the folded edges together.

Also, keep in mind that the final dimensions of this wallet folded are 6″ H x 4″ W.

PRO TIP: When I’m working with duct tape, the self healing mat is my best friend because the tape doesn’t stick to it.

Using the mat allows me to cut the duct tape in all different sizes and have everything ready as I need it.

Now, let’s get started!

STEP ONE: CUT OR RIP 8 STRIPS OF DUCT TAPE THAT ARE 13″ – 14″ LONG

Creating fabric panels involves layering tape over other tape.

Sometimes you just place the tape over a small part of the other piece of tape, which other times the tape is placed completely over the other tape.

Some people love ripping the duct tape when they work with it, but I am not one of them. I like laying a big strip down on the mat, instead, and then using the rotary cutter to cut things to size.

To get started, prepare eight strips of tape that are 13″ – 14″ long. If you are following along with this tutorial exactly, you’ll want four strips of each color.

STEP TWO: LAYER ONE COLOR DUCT TAPE TO CREATE ONE SIDE OF ‘FABRIC’

After preparing the strips of duct tape, start to make your first side of duct tape fabric.

To do this you want to take one piece of tape and layer it over another piece about 1/4″ – 1/2″.

Take a second piece of tape and repeat the process.

For the last piece of tape, measure the width of the tape you’ve already layered then cut it to size so that the final width of this side of the fabric is 8″ wide.

This final cut may change with each wallet depending on how much you’ve layered the other pieces.

If you’ve made this a family project, it’s OK if the kids layered more than 1/2″ because there is always wiggle room since you can cut (or not) that last strip to size.

STEP THREE: CUT THE SECOND DUCT TAPE COLOR TO SIZE

To create the second side of fabric you will place tape across the first side length-wise.

So, cut the four original pieces in half to measure 6.5″.

STEP FOUR: LAYER THE SECOND COLOR WIDTH-WISE OVER FIRST COLOR

STEP FIVE: TRIM IT ALL UP TO MEASURE 6″ X 14″

If you’ve been ripping your duct tape, now it’s time to trim it up so that you have a 6″ x 14″ rectangle.

Even if you started out by cutting each piece of tape, it’s good to double check your measurements.

STEP SIX: FINISH THE SHORT EDGES OF THE RECTANGLE

The main fabric piece is complete.

Now it’s time to finish the short (6″ edges) to cover the raw edges.

Cut or rip a 6″ piece of duct tape, then cut that piece in half to create two pieces that are 6″ x around 1.5″.

Tape the first piece and place it over the raw edge so that half of the piece is on the duct tape fabric.

Take the other half of tape and fold it over the edge to finish the raw edge.

Repeat the steps with the second raw edge on the other side.

STEP SEVEN: FOLD EACH SHORT EDGE 3″ TOWARD CENTER

The fabric piece is finished, now it’s time to create two sections for the tea bags.

Decide which color you want on the outside of the tea wallet and place that color right side down.

To form the wallet, take each short edge and fold it over 3″ toward the center.

Clip the edges to secure them then do an extra press on the fold to keep the crease.

STEP EIGHT: TAPE THE FOLDED EDGES TO FINISH THE WALLET

Finishing the last two raw edges is the same as the first two edges.

Double check the length of your folded wallet, because it may be a little bit longer than 8″ depends on your folds.

Once you’ve determined the length, cut a piece of tape to size.

Cut the piece into two parts like you did the first time and fold over each piece of tape over one of the raw edges.

STEP NINE: FINISH THE DUCT TAPE TEA WALLET BY FOLDING IT IN HALF.

Take one of the short edges and fold the wallet in half to line up the edges.

Press down firmly on the fold to keep the crease in the wallet and you’re done!

Now grab some tea bags, tuck them in the pockets, and get ready to gift your crafty creation to someone special. In case you’re wondering, this tea wallet should hold around 8 tea bags (four on each side).

One Easy Way To Embellish Your Tea Wallet

If you used solid color duct tape to create your tea wallet, you may feel like it needs a little more flair.

You can easily add design elements to you tea holder by cutting the duct tape into various lengths and thicknesses and adding it to the front.

You can also make a duct tape sticker in any shape you want to create a one-of-a-kind design.

Enjoy!

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