Easy Sewing Tutorial: Crafting Adorable Wristlet Key Fobs

Are you searching for a quick and delightful sewing project? Look no further! My easy-to-follow sewing tutorial will guide you through creating charming wrist strap key fobs. These little accessories are consistently the most requested DIY gifts I’ve ever made. People simply adore them and often come back asking for more!

Just recently, the assistant principal at my daughter’s school subtly (or not so subtly!) hinted that the wrist lanyard I gifted her a couple of years prior was starting to show its age. This sparked the idea to share this wonderful tutorial once again, ensuring everyone can enjoy making these practical and stylish key fobs.

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If you’re in a bind for last-minute gifts that are both quick to sew and universally loved, this sewing project is your perfect solution! Wristlet key fobs are not only incredibly useful but also offer a personal touch that store-bought gifts often lack.

Here’s a breakdown of what you should know before diving into this sewing key fob tutorial:

Perfect for Fabric Scraps: This free sewing tutorial is ideal for utilizing your fabric scraps. You only need small pieces of fabric, making it an eco-friendly and budget-friendly project. Each key fob requires two different fabric strips – one for the outer layer and one for the inner layer. These strips are just 2’’ x 14’’. Additionally, you’ll need a small scrap piece to create the tab that secures the hardware and prevents it from sliding around. A 3’’ x 3 1/2’’ piece, matching the inner fabric of the fob, works perfectly.
Stabilizer Recommendation: My go-to stabilizer for Sewing Key Fobs is Decor-Bond 809 from Pellon. However, if you have leftover fusible interfacing from other sewing projects (any light- to mid-weight fusible interfacing will do), feel free to use that instead. You will need a 3 1/2’’ x 14’’ strip of interfacing for each key fob you plan to make.
Essential Hardware: The final component you’ll need is a 1’’ swivel snap clip. While you can find these at craft stores like Joanns or Hobby Lobby in a pinch, my preferred source is Amazon. Amazon offers a wider selection and often better value, allowing you to purchase in bulk for multiple sewing key fobs.

Many other tutorials suggest using metal crimp ends to secure the key fob strap. However, I find these metal clamps to be unreliable in the long run. Moreover, I prefer to avoid purchasing specialized tools whenever possible. Swivel snap clips are a fantastic alternative because they are user-friendly and allow recipients to easily clip their keys to purses, bags, or belt loops – a feature I personally appreciate!

As I continued to sew batches of these charming key fobs for gifts, I noticed the frequent thread changes were slowing me down. This led me to experiment and embrace a more adventurous approach with thread colors.

I began selecting thread colors that harmonized with both the inner and outer fabrics of the key fobs. For topstitching, I opted for the bold look of a triple stitch on my sewing machine. This stitch, which goes back and forth, creates a striking, layered effect. By lengthening the stitch to a 3 or 4, the topstitching becomes even more prominent. The result? My pink thread beautifully accents the gray fabric, and my yellow thread vibrantly pops against the turquoise wristlet.

The best part of this thread experiment was realizing I could use just one thread color for each key fob, streamlining the sewing process. If your sewing machine doesn’t have a triple stitch, don’t worry! A regular straight stitch for topstitching works perfectly well. Just remember to lengthen your stitch length for topstitching – it elevates the final look considerably.

Now, let’s get started on making your own wristlet key fobs! Follow this step-by-step tutorial:

Sewing Wristlet Key Fobs: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Cutting the Fabric and Interfacing

For each sewing key fob, you will need to cut the following pieces:

Outer Strap Fabric: 1 strip measuring 2’’ x 14’’
Inner Strap Fabric: 1 strip measuring 2’’ x 14’’
Wrap Around Tab Fabric: 1 rectangle measuring 3’’ x 3 1/2’’
Fusible Interfacing: 1 strip measuring 3 1/2’’ x 14’’ (Recommended: Decor-Bond 809 from Pellon – light to medium weight fusible interfacing)
Swivel Snap Clip: 1 with a 1’’ opening (available here)

Additional Supplies:

Coordinating polyester thread
Heavy-duty sewing machine needle (size 90/14 or 100/16 recommended, such as Superior Topstitch Needles)
Iron and ironing board

Sewing the Key Fob Strap

Sew Fabric Strips Together: Place the outer and inner 2’’ x 14’’ fabric strips with their right sides together. Sew along one of the long edges using a 1/4’’ seam allowance.

Pressing and Preparing the Strap

Press Seam Open: Open the sewn fabric strip and press the seam allowance open with your iron. This will help reduce bulk and create a flatter strap.
Pre-Fold Strap: Fold the strap in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together, and press along the fold. This ‘teaches’ the fabric to create a neat, crisp edge along the seam in the finished key fob.
Fuse Interfacing: Open the fabric strip again. Place the fusible side of your interfacing strip against the wrong side of one of the fabric layers (it doesn’t matter which). Press with a hot iron to fuse the interfacing to the fabric. Ensure you press firmly from the fabric side to properly adhere the interfacing while protecting the non-woven interfacing from direct high heat.
Fold Long Edges: Fold each of the long raw edges of the fabric strip towards the wrong side by approximately 3/4’’. This fold should be just enough so that the raw edges meet and align with the edges of the interfacing underneath. If you look closely, you’ll see this alignment in the photo provided. Press these folds in place.
Final Fold and Press: After folding and pressing both long edges, fold the entire strip in half again along the original center seam, encasing the raw edges. Press the entire strap flat to create a clean, finished edge. Set the prepared strap aside.
Prepare Wrap Around Tab: Now, take the 3 1/2’’ x 3’’ fabric rectangle for the wrap-around tab. Fold one of the 3 1/2’’ sides to the wrong side by about 1’’ and press. Then, fold the opposite 3 1/2’’ side over so that its raw edge is approximately 1/8’’ away from the first folded edge, creating a double-fold effect and concealing the raw edge. Press this fold as well. This will create a finished tab piece approximately 1’’ x 3 1/2’’.

Topstitching and Final Assembly

Topstitch Strap Edges: Set your sewing machine to a topstitching stitch length of 3-4. For a bolder look (optional), switch to a triple stitch if your machine has one. Topstitch along both long edges of the 1’’ x 14’’ strap, sewing approximately 1/8’’ from the edge. This topstitching not only adds a decorative touch but also securely closes the strap.
Attach Swivel Snap Clip: Change your sewing machine to a wide zig-zag stitch (set it to the widest setting possible). Slide the swivel snap clip onto the fabric strap. Butt the two ends of the strap together, overlapping slightly if needed. Place the joined ends under the sewing machine foot and zig-zag stitch back and forth several times across the join, securely catching both ends of the strap. This creates a strong and durable loop for your key fob.
Position and Secure Wrap Around Tab: Move the zig-zag stitched join on the strap so it is approximately 1 1/2’’ away from the swivel snap clip. Take the prepared wrap-around tab and position it around the zig-zagged join, with the raw edge of the tab facing the key fob strap (this will hide the raw edge). Tuck the short raw ends of the tab piece to the inside of the tab, creating a neat finish.
Topstitch Tab in Place: Carefully adjust the wrap-around tab until it is snug and tight around the strap join. Secure it in place with a clip or pin. Sew two short lines of topstitching to attach the tab, connecting these lines to the existing topstitching lines on the strap. Neatly backstitch at the beginning and end of each topstitching line to secure the stitches.

This amount of topstitching is usually sufficient to securely attach the tab and complete the key fob. However, you can add more topstitching for extra security or a different aesthetic if desired.

In my earlier versions of these sewing key fobs, I topstitched a square around the tab to secure it. While this is another option, I find it slightly more challenging to sew a perfectly square topstitched shape, especially on a small project like this.

Which version do you think looks best? Whether you prefer the square topstitching or the simple lines, the most important thing is to enjoy the process of creating your own unique sewing key fobs!

If you sew wristlet key fobs for yourself or as thoughtful handmade gifts, I would absolutely love to see your creations! Please post a picture on Instagram and tag me @sewcanshe or use the hashtag #sewcanshe so I can admire your handiwork and share in your sewing success.

Happy Sewing!