My first and favorite tarot deck is The Herbal Tarot by Michael Tierra and illustrated by Candice Cantin. I bought it over twenty years ago from a Barnes and Noble when I was first starting down my Pagan path. After so many years of use the box is starting to fall apart, so I decided to make a wrap for it.
That’s the craft I’m sharing today. The wrap is easy to make, requiring only two pieces of fabric and some ribbon. You can either hand sew it or use a sewing machine. Start to finish the whole project takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on how you wish to sew it.
For my wrap I used a scrap of embroidered linen and a piece of cotton I had dyed with black walnuts. The cotton was from an altar cloth I made for The Natural Home Wheel of the Year. Linen is associated with the element of water, and so emotions and intuition. Cotton is associated with the earth element and grounding. The two fabrics work together to aid my understanding of the cards I draw. You could easily work in color correspondences, as well, using a purple colored fabric on the outside and black for the inside.
The wrap has a pocket that fits standard tarot cards. It also has a place to lay out three to four cards in a spread. The ribbon tie holds it all together when not in use. For my wrap I made the tie from another scrap of linen. I cut a piece 20” long by 2” wide. Using my bias binding tool I folded the tie to 20” by ½”. After pressing the folds I topstitched a decorative stitch along both long sides. This is optional however, as a ribbon or other piece of cording works just as well. You can also finish your tie with beads and charms.
Tarot Wrap Tutorial
A tarot wrap provides two different functions. Firstly, it stores your cards, keeping them safe from scuffing and damage. Secondly, it provides a mat on which you can lay your spread.
This design will accommodate standard sized tarot decks with space for three to four card spreads. The bundle is secured with a tie made from ribbon or cording. The project is a beginner level one that will take thirty minutes to an hour from start to finish.
Use linen fabric to tap into the water element and its properties of emotions and intuition. Or if you want a more intellectual slant to your readings use silk to tap into the properties of the air element. Bring in color correspondences by using purple or silver fabric for the outside of the wrap. Black inner fabric will help shield your deck from negative energies while white will purify and protect them.
- Cut 2 pieces of fabric 8” x 25”.
- Cut 1 piece of ribbon 20” long.
- With right sides together, and the ribbon sandwiched between the two pieces of fabric on one short side, sew a ½” seam around all edges leaving a 2” gap for turning.
- Trim the seams and corners. Turn the fabric right side out. Use a chopstick or pencil to push out the corners. Press.
- Fold the short side without the ribbon in 4” to the inside of the fabric and pin.
- Sew a ⅛” seam around all three sides of the tarot wrap that are not folded.