Key Fob and Lanyard Tutorial

Vendor fairs are in full swing here in Utah. My neighbor recently asked me to join her booth for an upcoming event. I agreed, of course! I got to work quickly, making additional key fob wristlets and a matching lanyard for my credit card swiper. They come together quickly and take minimal fabric. These are great scrap buster projects if you are a scrap hoarder like myself.

Supplies you will need:

Standard sewing supplies: sewing machine, coordinating thread, iron, starch, rotary cutter,cutting mat, and acrylic ruler.

5/8″ Peel’n Stick Fabric Fuse Tape
1″ Polypro Webbing
1″ Key Fob Wristlet Hardware
Cotton Fabric of your choice
Lighter

Using your rotary cutter, cutting mat, and acrylic ruler, cut a piece of fabric to the appropriate size. If you only plan on making key fobs the fabric needs to be cut 1 ¾” x 10”. If you want to make a lanyard also, cut your fabric 1 ¾” x WOF (width of fabric) instead. Starting with this length will yield one 33-34″ lanyard and one 10″ key fob.

Iron the piece of fabric in half lengthwise and wrong sides together. Open the piece back up and iron the long sides towards the center crease you just made. Use sizing or starch along the way to give you a nice crisp edge.

Once your ironed fabric has cooled, roll the double sided tape onto the back side of the fabric. Cut off the tape at the end. Next, peel the backing off the tape. Center the fabric onto the webbing and finger press as you go to ensure it sticks.

Take the webbing to the sewing machine. You will want your top thread to coordinate with your fabric but the bobbin should match the color of the webbing. In this case, I used white for the top thread and black for the bobbin. I used a J foot on my Viking sewing machine, which is the zipper foot. It allows me to push the fabric right up to the edge and get a nice 1/8” seam. If you do not have a foot that will do this, eyeball it with whatever foot you feel comfortable with. I use a standard sized straight stitch.

When you have finished sewing, use your lighter to quickly melt each end of the webbing to prevent fraying. Be careful not to burn your fabric!

Cut a small piece (about 1/2″) of the double sided tape to connect the two ends of the webbing together. This keeps the pieces together when adding the hardware. Put both ends of the webbing into your clamp hardware. Press down until it is snug on the webbing. Handy Tip: I use a scrap piece of flannel on top of the hardware and press down with my husband’s channel locks. Add the key ring to the hardware and your key fob or lanyard is complete!

Here are a few ideas for these items:

Add your credit card reader to the lanyard to stand out at the farmer’s market or vendor fair.

 Remove the key ring and add your ID card clip to the lanyard for a custom ID holder for work or school.

 Put a key fob wristlet in everyone’s stocking at Christmas.

 Give a set for a teacher gift.

Keep a key fob wristlet with your shed, auto, boat, or RV keys to easily identify them. With these handy wristlets, you’ll never lose your keys again!

 

 

 

P.S- If you are not a lover of sewing machines, I have several completed key fobs available in my Etsy store.