Easy Key Fobs Tutorial

I’ve been using Aurifil as long as I’ve been quilting, and have tackled all kinds of projects since becoming an Aurifil Artisan this year, from pure experimentation to personal challenges.

This time, I decided to go for a personal favorite project of mine, one where I could relax and completely focus on playing with the threads, where it’s pretty hard to make mistakes and, if you do, you won’t have to spend an hour with a seam ripper to fix it. That’s the story of how you guys get to learn how to make my key fobs!

Not only is this project an easy one, the end result is incredibly practical. These are the easiest gifts EVER. I’ve given these to teachers, my daughter’s college roommate, that one distant relative at Christmas who you can’t possibly give another t-shirt to, you get the gist.

For close friends and family, I can ask them to pick out which fabric or threads they’d like, and for acquaintances, I rely on my own eye to make something nice, but no matter what, they are always a hit. In fact, I use one of these for my own car keys; you can wear the fob as a bracelet if you don’t have pockets, plus it makes your keys easier to find in a dump-all purse or messy counter-top.

Now, for the how-to.

MATERIALS

  • Long scraps, at least 10" to 12" long. Leftover binding or jelly roll strips work perfectly.

  • Fusible fleece scraps  10" to 12" long (you can also use batting!) 

  • Aurifil thread in different colors and weights.

  • 1” key fob hardware with key rings (I got a bunch of different finishes)

  • Key fob pliers

  • Regular quilting supplies: sewing machine, small scissors, thread, etc.

STEP 1

For each key fob, cut:

  • Two fabric strips 2" x 10" (you can make them around 11" for bigger hands).

  • Two strips of fusible fleece 1" x 10" (or longer as said above) I cut mine just short of 1".

STEP 2

Place the fusible fleece on the wrong side of each fabric strip with the glue side up.

STEP 3

Fold up both sides of each fabric to cover the fleece and press following the manufacturer directions. Mine said 15 seconds on max heat, so that’s what I did.

STEP 4

Line up the two pieces with wrong sides together and clip or pin in place.

STEP 5

Stitch them together along the two long sides with a 1/8" seam allowance.

STEP 6

Fold in half aligning the two raw edges and sew them together using a zig-zag stitch.

STEP 7

Snip the leftover thread and it’s time to install the hardware!

STEP 8

Position the clip and press slowly half way with the pliers. Make sure it doesn’t slide out when pressing. If this happens, readjust and try again. Make sure that everything is positioned correctly and press firmly to completely close the clip.

STEP 9

Add the key ring and you are done!

I used thread to contrast with the fabric on some of my key fobs and to complement on others.

Since I really wanted to add to the decoration, I played around with different weights and colors, making an extra seam on some or using two different threads on others.

My favorite was to use the Aurifil variegated threads, which add a lot of fun all on their own!

I also used different hardware finishes.

So there you have it! Make one for yourself, your friends, that saint of a teacher who put up with your kid all year, it’s your choice!

If you want to take a look at the threads I used plus many more, you can browse the huge Aurifil collection here. The variegated ones, you can find them here.

Happy quilting!

If you make these key fobs, tag me with #sewmarianatutorial so I can find them.

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