In 2005 I had the idea to make the first folded Tyvek® Wallet.
My inspiration came from seeing the Duct-tape wallets that many DIY'ers were making. The only problem I found with Duct-tape wallets was that the material itself was bulky and didn’t fold very well.
For a long time I kept sheets of Tyvek® hanging in my studio for inspiration and then I had a eureka moment. After searching on google I was amazed that no results turned up for a Tyvek® Wallet or Paper Wallet.
I designed my wallet to be made out of a single sheet of Tyvek® material without stitches since this would also allow the Tyvek® material to remain strong (by not putting tiny stitching holes in it). It was a real struggle to design and realize this product.
My latest Tyvek wallets, I now call them "Mighty Wallets" and even have a custom printed one online here. I also make tons of videos of the Mighty Wallets on YouTube.
Years ago I was contacted by a producer at the Martha Stewart show who wanted me to show people how to make a tyvek wallet using accessible household materials. Most people can find Tyvek envelopes so I used an envelope as the basis for my design. The final design uses the self-sealing closure of the envelope itself as the binding mechanism that holds the wallet together.
Today the idea of Tyvek wallets is very common so I thought it was important to let other DIY'ers know that mine was the first Tyvek® Wallet design in 2005.
I appreciate those of you who give credit to my original design. Thanks for your support!
Here is video demonstration of these same instructions
http://www.youtube.com/tkelleman#p/u/0/oQGJbP92NRI