Scrap Fabric Key Tags - Tutorial

These key tags are super easy and quick to make; and best of all they're a great way to make use of those fabric scraps you've been hording for ages (or is that just me?).

What you'll need:

• Scraps of fabric
  I use a printed fabric for the 'front' and plain thermal backed* fabric for the 'back'. But you could probably use any non-stretch fabric for both the front & back.
  *I have a lot of these scraps as I often use this type of fabric to line the bags & baskets I make. 
• Stiff Pellon, Buckram or similar
  I have scraps of this stuff laying around as I use it for stiffening the skirts of my Irish dancing dresses, it is also commonly used in millinery. Basically you want something that's going to stop the fabric from being soft & floppy.
• Ribbon
  You'll only need a little bit. I have found that grosgrain ribbon works best as regular satin ribbon can catch on the metal key-ring and pill a bit.
• Key-ring
  This one's pretty obvious.
• Pins, thread, scissors & sewing machine
  Again, all the obvious stuff.

1. Start out by selecting a fabric scrap that you want to use as your front. I tend to use a picture from my fabric prints, but any pattern you want to use will work fine.
   
   
2. Cut the fabric into the shape & size you the key tag to be.
   
   
3. Trace around the fabric shape on the stiffener and wrong side of the backing fabric and cut them out.
   
   
4. Pin all 3 pieces together with the stiffener in the middle, and the front & back fabrics with right sides facing out.
   
   
5. Fold your ribbon scrap in half (right side out if it has one) and melt the cut edges with a lighter or lit match - this will stop it from fraying and also helps the ends stay together nicely while sewing it all together.
   
   
6. Insert the ribbon at the top of your key tag between the backing and stiffening layers & pin.
   
   
7. Using a straight stitch on your sewing machine, sew all the layers together around as close to the edges as possible.
   
   
   
   
8. 
   
   Trim any edges where they layers don't match up to ensure there are no layers sticking out from the others.
   
   
9. Using a zig-zag stitch on your machine, stitch all the way around your key tag going across the ribbon as shown. I set the machine stitch length to around .4 and the width to around 4.0.
   
   
   
   
   
10. Tie off & cut any loose threads.
    
11. Insert  your key ring to the top of the ribbon.
    
12. Enjoy your new key tag!
    
    

Note: you don't have to use your new key tags just for your keys... The little miss puts them on her bags as zipper pulls and decorations. Since I've used plain backing fabric we put her name on them with fabric markers too.

You can see that these are very well used by the little miss!