Photography by Donovan Roberts Witmer
Who doesn’t love accessories? From earrings, to scarves, to watches, to ties, we have them. Out of all of the little extra pieces of clothing or jewelry that we have, however, there is one accessory that we always need to have: our keys.
Men and women today lead hectic lives, and so these tiny fundamental objects tend to go missing as we throw papers, wallets and planners into pockets and bags throughout the day. With this in mind, the Style girls went to work in the office to discover a simple D.I.Y. project that is sure to take away some of the stress of finding your house keys.
In honor of our Fall Home Issue, we created trendy and practical tassel keychains that are sure to make your keys easily accessible and very attractive. What’s even better about this little do-it-yourself? It doesn’t break the bank.
Materials:
A square foot of leather or faux-leather fabric
(Note: We discovered that vinyl works great for this and is inexpensive. Also, feel free to experiment with different colored leathers.)
A ruler
Fabric scissors
Super glue
Key rings
Optional: fabric spray paint
Instructions:
1. Lay the piece of fabric on a flat surface, measure a 10-by-12-inch rectangle and cut it out with fabric scissors. This should leave you with a 10-by-12-inch rectangle and a 2-by-12-inch rectangle.
2. Take the larger rectangle and measure it into three 3½-by-10-inch rectangles. You will have some extra fabric left over, which can be used for decoration later.
3. Take one 3½-by-10-inch rectangle, and on its longer side, proceed to cut thin strips (1/8 to ¼ inch apart), leaving about ½ inch at the top. This should result in a fringed piece of fabric.
4. Take the 2-by-12-inch rectangle and cut from it a small strip measuring ¼ by 2 inches. Once you have your strip cut, fold it in half so it creates a loop shape. Using a small drop of super glue, glue the ends of the loop together.
5. Take your fringed piece of fabric and place the smooth side down. Take the loop that you just glued together and glue its base on the edge of the upper left corner.
6. With the loop firmly glued in place, begin to roll the fabric strip around the loop. Make sure your rolls are tight. By rolling you will create the tassel shape. Once you have rolled the fabric halfway, glue the top edge to secure your roll. Continue rolling, then glue the top edge again once the tassel is complete.
7. Once the glue has dried, attach your key ring to the loop of the tassel to produce the finished look. Repeat the process with remaining rectangles for multiple tassels.
Notes: For decorative finishes like the stripes shown on Page 28, once your fabric is cut to size (after step 2), tape off a design with clear tape and spray paint your fabric. Allow to dry and remove tape before proceeding to step 3.
Additional decorations like a thin wrap at the top of the tassel can be added after step 6. Use scrap fabric, painted or unpainted, to create decorations as you please.
If you would like to make a larger tassel to complement a bag, you may want to purchase a larger swatch of fabric and adjust the measurements accordingly.