Key Fob Tutorial

Update: My tutorial is currently featured on the University of Delaware's UD.I.Y. Pinterest Board! Pretty sweet, huh?

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It's my first tutorial (squeal)!

I've recently discovered (thanks to a family friend) one of the most simple but adorable sewing projects! Key Fobs are stupid easy to make- even for a beginner sewer- and I can't believe I hadn't thought of the project myself! The key fobs are durable and useful, and can be used to hold your house and car keys, and even as a replacement strap for a clutch! This tutorial can be modified using different size materials to make full size lanyards or even smaller key fobs.

What I used:

• 1 inch cotton webbing (*** For this particular one, I used a lighter weight non-cotton strapping, but I've recently switched over to the heavier cotton)
• Fabric of Choice (at least 12 inches long) 
• 3/4 inch Bias Tape maker
• Heat n' Bond Strip
• 1 inch metal D-ring 
• 1 inch split rings 
• Sewing Machine
• Iron 

Total Time: 10-15 minutes 

I started by cutting my materials to size. I like to make my key fobs big enough so they fit comfortably around my wrist, so with a seam allowance I cut my strapping to 12". Because the fabric needs to be pulled through the bias tape maker, the specs on that are 12" by a little less than 1 1/2". For the fabric, it really depends on the texture, some of the heavier fabrics need to be a little smaller to run through the bias, so you should play with it until it's perfect for you. (I know that's a little general but it's what worked for me! I've learned that sewing isn't really an exact science sometimes.)

While running the fabric through the bias tape maker, be sure to iron it as it comes out so you get the consistent shape. After running it through, I used a small strip of heat n' bond (cut in half) and fused it to the fabric for some added stability and strength! After that, take the paper backing off the heat n' bond and flip it so that the fabric strip and strapping are layered. Depending on wether you're using cotton webbing or something more synthetic, it's important to lay a towel or piece of fabric over the fabric and strapping before you iron to fuse the two materials. This will help prevent any melting on synthetic strapping! 

 Fusing the two materials together makes it a lot easier to sew them together and will help prevent any slippage that might occur. It keeps the materials nice and flat and makes it so that pins are unnecessary! I like having a pin-free fabric, I think it looks cleaner. For this step all you need to do is sew up and down each side to make a permanent connection between the two materials. The next step is super-mega important! Be sure to slide the D-ring onto the material BEFORE you sew it into the key fob shape! If you forget to do this you won't have anything to attach keys too and that would just be not fun at all. When sewing, be sure to put the two good sides together and sew so that you can see only the strapping. Because this material tends to fray, it's important to go over the seam a few times when folding over.

All that's left to do is turn your fob right side out, and sew another seam on the outside next to the D-ring (sorry I didn't take a picture of this step, but you can clearly see the outside seam on the finished product.) This seam will help keep the D-ring in place. After that, just attach the split ring to the D-ring and viola, you have your very own key fob!

This is a super simple project that almost anyone can do! I'm so happy with how the key fobs are turning out and I just had to share how easy it was. All in all making one takes between 10 and 15 minutes! I also have an embroidery machine so I like to embroider on the fabric before running it through the bias tape maker. That adds about another 10 minutes to the total time, but I think the personalized ones are super fun and make great gifts! 

Hopefully this tutorial was easy and straightforward! I can't wait to start sharing more of my projects as I expand this blog! I have plans to open up an Etsy store in the near future so look out world, I'm coming for you!

XO Meagan 

Perfect for Pinterest: