Cassette Tape Wallet

Tapes degrade over time... the sound sucks on most of them, and my tape player is broken.

BUT they still look cool!

So this funky blue tape is now a wallet.
As illustrated, this wallet will make you wealthy (and yes, that is real money) (and no, you can't have some).

I was inspired by

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=113031.0;topicseen
and
http://www.craftzine.com/blog/archive/2007/04/cassette_wallet.html

What!? you don't have funky colored tapes lying around waiting to be re-fashioned?

Fine. Do what I did and hit up the thrift store...

You'll need:
Some old tapes
Pliers
Screwdrivers (small)
Hot glue gun (and glue sticks)
Scissors
a sewing machine or needle and thread
Small scraps of cloth
A zipper (or buttons, or whatever other closure you can dream up).

Pull them apart!
Some tapes (newer ones) are sealed together with plastic or glue. You'll need the little flathead screwdriver to pry these open.

Older ones often have screws (hence the mini phillips head)

Now pull out all of the innards. You can use the actual tape for shiny streamers, or do what I did. Give it to the kids. They spent 2 hours wrapping them around the house to see how long they were.

See all the bumpy plastic crap on the inside?
This has to go. Use the pliers to pull/hack it off.

Cut out a piece of fabric that is a little bigger than your tape.
and
Salvage some zipper from some garment.
(mine came from a particularly atrocious vinyl raincoat.

This is what happens when you try to sew a zipper into something. You actually snap the needle on your machine. So no blaming me for the broken needle if it happens to you.
Consider yourselves forewarned!

Now this part was the biggest pain. My brain is not very good at comprehending zippers. (Go figure, I can get a 4.0 at uni and I can't sew a zipper).

Hopefully, you're better at sewing zippers than I am.

Basically, you'll sew a little bag, inside out. You'll need to sew the zipper accross the top before you sew up both sides. Compare to the size of your cassette so the bag is the right width and height.

Finally, flip it rightside out. If you did this right, your zipper will work. If not, you'll need a pair of scissors to pick out one side which you sewed on upside-down (OK that was just me).

Realize that your pouch is way too lumpy and go back in with your scissors and the wire cutters and trim down the ends of the zipper and the seam allowance (the extra cloth).

Get out that hot melt glue gun and put dots all over the inside of the nice clean cassette shell. you'll want to avoid the little holes.

And did you know that tapes melt when you bump them with a hot glue gun?

I do.

Now go to a local 80's night, and flash your classy new wallet around!