One of the projects I’m currently working on is turning old cassette tapes into wallets. The steps aren’t too difficult, but it’s going to take practice for me to get it just right so that it looks professional. I think these cassette tape wallets are absolutely adorable. Here’s how to make one yourself:
Materials:
All you need is a cassette tape, a 14” zipper, a hot glue gun with plenty of glue, and some scrap fabric or felt.
Step 1: Disassemble the Cassette
Some cassette tapes are held together by tiny screws while others seem to be glued together. I tried separating the ones that didn’t have the screws by scoring the seam with an X-Acto knife, but this felt dangerous, and I still couldn’t get it to pry part without cracking the case. Therefore, I only recommend using the cassette tapes that could be taken apart with a small screwdriver.
Carefully unscrew each corner and pull the sides apart. Set aside all the insides: the screws, film, etc. These can be used for other projects which I’ll cover in another post. You can keep the cassette tapes in their original form or you can paint them to make them more retro or interesting. I found spray paint works better than acrylic.
Step 2: Glue Zipper
Next, you’ll want to add your zipper by hot gluing it along the inside of the cassette tape. The process is a little bit messy and you have to be careful to leave enough zipper on the outside so that it can still zip up. After I have one side of a zipper securely attached, I snip off any of the excess, but be careful, you’ll want to add a dab of hot glue where the zipper stops so that it doesn’t come off entirely.
After I’ve got one side of the cassette tape lined entirely with the zipper, I start gluing the other side. It’s easier when it’s unzipped, just make sure it aligns correctly otherwise you could get a crooked, off-set wallet. I test out the zipper a few times once the glue is dry, and I re-glue any parts that didn’t quite stick the first time.
Step 3: Add Scrap Fabric
Finally, you’ll cut out a bit of scrap fabric to put on the inside of the wallet to cover the interior. I like to fold the sides of the fabric over and then glue them directly on top of the zipper fabric. This makes it look a little tidier. You could probably also sew the fabric on the inside, but this seemed tricky and unnecessary to me. You can use any type of fabric you want. I chose some from an old T-shirt. Felt is also a good option.
And now you’ve got yourself an adorable cassette tape wallet or coin purse. You could also skip the interior fabric altogether and use it to hold business cards. I’m thinking about adding key rings to the zipper to make it easier to use. This is a fun and easy project that anyone can do, but be careful with the hot glue: it’s very hot and also messy!
I can’t wait to try more projects!