Evelyne Wanjiku crafted a beautiful, practical wallet for Saskia, replacing cheap materials with care and fairness, bringing joy with every thoughtful detail. What's your wish?
A request by Saskia from Husum, Germany
Hello,
I think your idea is really great! I would like to have a wallet made by one of your designers. I’m thinking of my current wallet, which was unfortunately made of very cheap materials and definitely not fair. In itself it is really beautiful and practical. The thought of having it made by you makes me increasingly happy.
Please let me know about your capacities. While I am waiting for the answer, I am thinking about my wishes and suggestions for the project.
Best regards from the North Sea!
Your Saskia
The Journey of Creating custom made wallet
Negotiation & Planning
custom made wallet - design ideas and artisan proposals
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for you request. I would like to make this wallet for you. It's a beautiful purse, and looks very practical.
I need your help with a few details..please share the size in cm. Height, width and length..
From my estimation, It looks like it fits a passport, but I would like to be sure.
I've given an estimate based on this, I would like to give a better estimate once I hear from you.
We may not find this plain red leather, but we have some beautiful options in red at our workshop which I can send you pictures once I know the size.
Have a good day, I look forward to hearing from you.
01 Mar 2021 5:18 pm: Saskia
Dear Evelyne,
I am very happy that you want to take over my project.
So this is roughly how I envision it:
The size/shape/color may vary a bit. I don't see it as being that tight. A nice color would be a beige, brown, or taupe. It should not be colorful.
Here are the dimensions: 13cm x 9cm and 4cm - 6cm thickness (depending on how full it is).
There are a few things I particularly love about this wallet. These are the following points:
- The insertion compartment for my severely disabled ID card with a large viewing window ( viewing window: 5,5cm x 9cm).
- Next to this window 4 card slots for cards to show (in the bus or at the doctor e.g.)
- 2 separate note compartments on both sides next to the coin compartment
- 6 card slots on the first side (I would like to make 8 slots out of this, if it doesn't get too big)
- Coin pocket in the middle with zipper and two separate compartments
Otherwise there are other compartments that can be included. But best I send you again detailed photos. The above mentioned items should be included in any case (this is very important to me).
Gladly the wallet can be made of goatskin, if it would become too heavy otherwise. But it should be provided with as little fabric as possible, because with the old one a lot of fabric broke during use.
I hope I didn't catch you off guard with my long text. I am already quite curious what will become of it.
Best regards from the sea,
Yours, Saskia.
Dear Saskia,
Thank you do much for the detailed information.
We have some nice goat skin in the workshop in tan. It's very light and will therefore work so well to keep your purse light with minimal fabric.
We shall use your measurements. I will be happy to see your detailed photos so that we can also show you the different types of goatskin we have then you can visualise how they will work on your wallet.
I look forward to the detailed photos particularly of the zipped compartment so that we can start drawing the pattern..
Have a nice evening.
Best regards,
Evelyne
09 Mar 2021 10:57 am: Saskia
Good morning Evelyne,
I have added a few photos today. I hope they are enough and you can see a lot of details on them.
Best regards,
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
Thank you so much for your message and photos.The photos make it so much easier to follow. We will gladly make you this.
We have tan goatskin and so we can start immediately.
We should be done by friday. Looking forward to making something you will love.
Best regards,
Evelyne
10 Mar 2021 12:54 pm: Saskia
Dear Evelyne,
I have a few more questions.
Once I wanted to ask if there is already a drawing of the purse. I would like to have this one. And preferably also photos of the materials, if that is possible. Because I really care about keeping these pictures so I can show them to my friends later.
My second question is about the button and zipper. How do they look? Because I have a particular taste in those. May I see pictures of that too?
The third question is, where do you put the magnet? Does it go in a place where there's a button now?
And the fourth and last question for now: is the interior of the wallet also made of leather? Or will fabric be used as well? Because the old one has fabric in it, which I don't like in this style though. Different one might.
Kind regards
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
Thank your for you message and the photos. They make it clearer and easier to follow.
I'll be happy to send you the pattern once it's ready so that you can keep it for memories and also if you ever wish to remake the purse in future.I'll also send you photos and videos as we work.
I have noted that you wish not to have fabric in the purse. We shall therefore stick to leather throughout the purse.
I use gold zippers. The press button is black in colour, it will go to the bottom part of the purse. To attach the bottom side. The top bit, just like in your photo, will use the magnet. This magnet will be attached to the folding cover flap, so it will look exactly like in your photo.
If you have a particular taste in zippers and studs, I would be happy to know your preference. I will then go out and look for them.
I've attached a photo of a wallet we did in the past just so you can see the kind of zippers and studs we use.
I'll also attach a photo of the tan leather, so that you can confirm you like this shade. The leather is still in its raw form, we haven't cut it, so you will see the roughness and rough sides too.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a nice day
Evelyne
14 Mar 2021 12:06 pm: Saskia
Dear Evelyne,
I'm glad the photos are helping you.
Glad that the pattern sending worked out! I am also very happy to see pictures of the making process!
The fact that the purse will be all leather is good. I'm not so keen on gold zippers and black buttons, though. Let's see...
I would like subtle zippers and push buttons in matching colors. Preferably like on my old wallet. In your photo, the wallet has the button (is that called a rivet?) on the outside. I don't like that as much, unfortunately. I would prefer the button or magnet not to be visible (from the top). The leather should be more brown (on the photo it looks yellow). In addition, I would be very happy about a color matching zipper! : )
Best wishes and have a nice sunday!
Saskia
Hi Saskia,
Thanks for your feedback.
We will look for a leather that is more brown/darker. And send you a photo.
We will have to use a clothes zipper so that it's more inconspicuous. I believe we can find it in brown.
Since you don't like the press buttons, we can use magnets hidden below the leather.
Once we do the pattern, get the zippers and the leather we will send it to you so that you can approve.
We can get then in tomorrow.
Have a lovely day. Evelyne
18 Mar 2021 10:22 am: Saskia
Good morning Evelyne,
this sounds very good! I'm looking forward to seeing the designs and the materials!
Have a great day to you too
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
I hope you have been well
I've attached a photo of the tan leather, the zip and the magnet we intend to use.
Please have a look and let me know what you think.
The magnet will not be visible from the top, it will be covered by the leather. We gave completely eliminated the push buttons.
Let me know what you think of this.
Have a great day.
Evelyne
19 Mar 2021 4:50 pm: Saskia
Hi Evelyne,
I like these colors much better! It would still be nice if the colors were more in harmony. I'm worried about the dark zipper being too dark.
I looked closely at the pictures, but couldn't find a magnet on them. But it sounds very good the way you plan it!
Have a great weekend!
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
Im still looking for a zipper that would be the same colour as the leather. I'll see if I can get any on Monday and get back to you.
This was the closest we could get for now. I'll search once more on Monday.
Have a lovely weekend.
Evelyne.
20 Mar 2021 9:53 pm: Saskia
Good evening,
that is really very sweet. Thank you so much for all the effort!
Best regards and have a pleasant weekend
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
The zipper is proving hard to find. I think we may have to change the leather because if it's to match completely with the zipper, it's going to give us a hard time finding the zipper in the same exact shade.
Would you consider changing the colour of the leather? We have dark brown goat skin, black, buffed beige. The buffed beige is what would really match the zipper we currently have.
I'm still in town searching, I just didn't want to keep you waiting for a response, so I'll send you photos of the leather on talking about when back in the workshop.
Have a lovely day. 🙂
23 Mar 2021 8:31 pm: Saskia
Good evening Evelyne,
I think you wrote to me this morning. Unfortunately I was still on the road, I hope you understand that I am only now answering. I always have a lot to do.
In any case, it's sweet and considerate that you wrote directly.
So maybe you can just send me pictures and I can see what I can come up with. There can be some variation in color, it just shouldn't be too big or inconsistent. Unfortunately, the last picture (at least that's what I'm guessing) wasn't shot quite realistically.... Maybe this time you could make sure the colors are lit by daylight. Thanks!
Have a great evening and thank you again for your effort!
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
Thank you so much for your patience.
I have gone all round the city looking for the particular zip that would suit your wallet. I'm finally happy to let you know that I finally found it!
Please see the attached photo. If you approve it, then I will be ready to start.
Thank you once again. Let me know your thoughts on this combination.
28 Mar 2021 8:33 pm: Saskia
Good evening Evelyne,
many, many thanks for your great effort! I am really very grateful to you.
I like the combination very much. Unfortunately you can't see the colors sooo well on the photo. But as I imagine it in daylight, it should fit.
Best regards
Saskia
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for the confirmation. I really hope this will look good and will be appealing to you.
If you like, we can start working on it the day after tomorrow. Is that ok?
Have a lovely afternoon.
Best regards,
Evelyne
Crafting Process
How to make a custom made wallet – work in progress
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for the go ahead.
I hope you are enjoying the Easter weekend.
We are on Easter holiday here, we have drawn your pattern, we hope to start cutting it tomorrow and then we can share the photos and videos with you as we continue
Have a great day.
Thank you so much, Evelyne!
I am really looking forward to the first pictures. I wish you and your family a wonderful Easter and relaxing days!
Many greetings
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope your Easter is going well.
We are currently working on your purse. We decided to start with an attempt to see how it would come out in full leather
Unfortunately, despite reducing the leather thickness by skiving, we think it's going to be a very bulky purse if we use leather all around and inside.
Our attempt has led to about 5cm to 6cm in width as you can see in the photo.
And the coin pocket is 3cm from end to end due to many layers of leather on either side.
My proposal is to use cotton fabric on the inside parts especially the card holding parts. This will reduce the amount of leather we need to stitch together, thus making the purse compact and neat.
The cotton material will only be on the inside parts that are not visible and will also be protected from damage by the layers of leather.
If you will not mind the bulkiness, then we can go ahead and work on your purse in full leather all around.
Let me know what your thoughts are then we can proceed.
Have a happy Easter Monday.
Evelyne
Hello Evelyne,
I spent Easter with my grandparents, it was very nice. I hope you had a nice time too!
I like your idea of using cotton fabric. Because the wallet really looks a bit bulky that way.
Do you see the edges of the leather layers at the end, or do you "conceal" them somehow? Because if you see the edges, everything looks a bit raw and rough... Maybe you can think of something?
Many greetings,
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed your Easter.
We are going to change and use cotton so that it's not too bulky.
Usually we have raw edges or we could bind it or burnish it .
We will send you pictures as we work so that you can put in your feedback and choose your prefered edges.
We will start working on it again tomorrow with the cotton fabric.
Have a lovely afternoon.
Evelyne.
Dear Evelyne,
that sounds good. I am curious to see how it will look like.
Until then have a nice day!
Greetings, Saskia (Automatic translation)
Thank you Saskia, I'm also hopeful you will love the final product.
We spent today looking for a strong cotton fabric that will match the rest of the purse. Much as it will not be visible form the surface once the wallet is done, we wanted a near colour.
We start working on the wallet tomorrow, and will certainly send you the photos and videos
Have a good evening
Evelyne
Hello Evelyne,
that makes me very happy! And thanks again for all the effort.
Best regards,
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope your day went well.
We are still working on your purse.
Today we made the inner parts of your wallet as you can see in the video. Tomorrow we will be working on the outer parts.
We will keep updating you till it's finished.
Have a lovely evening
Evelyne
Hi Evelyne,
this is very cool! It looks quite wonderful so far! The insert tabs for the cards look flexible, I like that 🙂
Have a great evening to you too!
Best regards,
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I'm happy that you like the progress so far. We are still working on the wallet, it has a few challenges especially with regards to keeping it small on the coin part. We had to undo that part yesterday. We will work on it again tomorrow as we don't work on Sundays.
We will keep updating you.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Good morning Evelyne,
of course I like it. So much effort and love went into it.
I hope you can overcome the problems. I cross my fingers.
Have a great Sunday!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you're well.
We are having a challenge with the wallet because the only zipper we could find to match the tan leather is proving quite small on the webbing part.
We are trying to see how we can go around that since getting another zip in the same colour is a big challenge.
If we can't manage to work with this one, we might have to change the tone/shade of the tan leather we used so that we can easily find a matching zip for it.
I will keep updating you on the progress, but we want to give you something you will love. Incase we make any changes, we will alert you.
Have a good evening.
Dear Evelyne,
that sounds really difficult. I would find it really nice if the zipper had the same color. But the color can also be slightly different, if the search is then easier. However, please not so much, as with the first zipper.
Have a nice evening too!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you're well.
we found a different zipper which is bigger. I think it matches the leather, but would like your approval before we proceed.
Let me know if you like it, then e can proceed.
I'm sorry that this is taking so long.
Have a lovely evening,
Evelyne
Good morning Evelyne,
I'm sorry that I have not reported for a few days, my smartphone was unfortunately broken.
I really like the zipper you chose. You are welcome to use it 🙂
Greetings, Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you have been well. So sorry to hear about your phone.
We were waiting for your go ahead before we resume working. We shall begin tomorrow and keep you updated.
Have a lovely day.
Evelyne
Good morning,
thank you, but a smartphone can be replaced fortunately.
I'm already curious to see what happens next.
I wish you a beautiful Sunday!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia
I hope you're well.
I've just attached a video of work in progress, cutting your wallet in preparation for stitching it.
I hope you will enjoy seeing the process.
We will take another one when the stitching is being done. We are enjoying making your wallet. It's a beautiful one
Have a lovely day.
Dear Evelyne,
thank you for the video. It is very nice to see how the idea develops. It's really fun to watch it. I'm already looking forward to the next video!
Thanks to your effort, it's going to be wonderful. Thank you so much.
Have a great day too!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you're well. The purse is coming on well.
We have managed to stitch the wallet, we will send you a video tomorrow. We then want to put in an edge coat so that it's well finished.
We hope you will love the final product.
Have a lovely evening.
Evelyne
Good morning Evelyne,
wow, that sounds really good! I am already curious how it looks now.
Have a good day,
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Just keeping you updated, sorry I wasn't able to take a video today as I had promised.
I promise to do on Monday.
This is just a quick note of apology.
Hi Evelyne,
that is not bad at all. Don't stress about it, we have plenty of time.
Have a nice evening!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
thanks for your patience with us despite taking so long.
I have attached a photos and a video.
Let me know what you think of this.
Hi Evelyne,
it looks fantastic! And you chose a beautiful background for the photos, thanks for that too!
It really looks great like this already. And I like the zipper too. I'm curious how it will look with the edge coating!
Have a great evening,
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Ill try the edge coat on one piece of leather tomorrow, then I see if will look good..I'll share the photo with you so that you see if you ike it with edge coat or without.
Have a lovely evening and thank you for the quick response.
Hi Evelyne,
I am already curious if it will look good.
I wish you a nice evening too!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope your weekend is going well.
We applied the coat on a similar shade of wallet, we wanted to know what you think of this look before we apply it on yours.
Hello Evelyne,
unfortunately I can't see the coat in the pictures. Where do I have to look?
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you are well.
I'll send you a short video, it has the same leather used on your wallet.
We are applying edge coat on it, so this is clearer than the photo.
Let me know what you think.
Have a lovely day.
Good morning Evelyne,
on the video this time I can see very well what is applied there on the wallet. The question I still have is what this edge coating looks like when it dries?
Have a great Sunday!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I have attached a close up photo of a side that has the edge coat and one that doesn't. I hope you will be able to see some difference in these photos
We still have to apply another coat so that it's shiny.
If you like the colour, we will finish applying the edge coat tomorrow.
Have a lovely day.
Evelyne
Hi Evelyne,
that already looks great! You are welcome to do it that way.
Good night
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for your message.
I've attached a video of the edge coat process.
We will finish it then leave it to dry, then we will have a finished photo for you
Thank you for your patience. I hope you will love the wallet.
Dear Evelyne,
You have put a lot of effort into the purse for a long time. I would like to thank you again for that. I think it already looks very good on the video!
Have a nice evening!
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for your kind words.i hope youre well and the weekend has been good.
We finished applying the coat, and it's now dry. I've attached photos of the final product. I hope you can see the edges clearly.
Let me know if there's any change you would like.
If it's ok, then I will send it to Jonchens team to ship it to you.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Evelyne
Hello Evelyne,
It looks very good. Could you take some more shots from a distance so I can see it again completely?
Have a nice day
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
I hope you're well
I've attached several photos taken from a distance. I hope you will be able to see clearly how the wallet looks now.
Let me know what you think and if you would like any changes.
Have a nice evening
Evelyne
Good morning Evelyne!
It looks amazingly fantastic!!! I am infinitely thrilled!!! Thank you so much, you make me very happy with your work. It is simply wonderful.
Love
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Thank you Saskia. I'm happy to hear that you like it.
I will now get it ready to ship to you.
Hoping you will like it and enjoy it as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Have a lovely day.
Evelyne
Yes, I absolutely love it. It's wonderful and beautiful!
Is there any chance I can reorder it again if needed? Please don't throw away the plans, they are precious!
I'm really excited about it. (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Thank you for your kind words.
Certainly, once it gets to you, if you like it, we can make another one for you.
We will keep the patterns.
Have a lovely day😊
This is wonderful! Certainly I can recommend it to others. Maybe someone else will want it someday when they see it on me. Because it really is a piece that everyone will be envious of 😊❤.
Can we maybe keep in touch? (Automatic translation)
Dear Saskia,
Certainly we can keep in touch.
I have WhatsApp +254737773114 and email ewanjiku2005@yahoo.com
I will be happy to hear from you.
Hello Evelyne,
I am very happy about that. I am already really excited about the finished product!
Have a nice day
Saskia (Automatic translation)
(Automatic translation) 10 Jun 2021 10:54 am: Saskia
(Automatic translation) 10 Jun 2021 10:54 am: Saskia
Hello Evelyne,
I am very happy about this. I am already very excited about the finished product!
Have a nice day
Saskia (Automatic translation)
Final Delivery – The Completed Piece in Photos
Customer Photos After Delivery
The Finished Unique Piece – Individually Handmade
Reference: ON004900E-23348
Detailed Cost Breakdown
| Price | |
|---|---|
| Cost of material |
35.01
|
| Cost of labour |
19.45
|
| Cost of packaging |
1.17
|
| Cost of delivery to local operations manager |
2.33
|
| Subtotal – payout to artisan |
57.96
|
| Customer acquisition costs (advertising etc.) |
5.8
|
| Handling fee Urban Change Lab |
5.8
|
| Shipping costs from Kenya to Germany* |
10
|
| VAT (Germany)* |
16.06
|
| Total |
94.68
|
*Shipping costs and VAT vary depending on your location.
Each price shown is based on a unique, custom request. Final prices may vary depending on materials, effort, and delivery location.
