Okay, this is the last leather craft for a while, I promise. Does that ever happen to you, though? You find a deal somewhere on something so you decide it is your next medium. Since my bargain in Canada this summer, leather has been that for me. I snagged a whole box of glassware at a garage sale this weekend, so I have a feeling we’ll be entering a world of glass crafts very shortly. Stay tuned.
Anyway, I saw some of these leather key covers (key coozies? key coats? key toppers?) for sale on Etsy, and decided I had to make my own. I’d never seen them before, but a quick google image search revealed hundreds of different kinds. There is a very simple no-sew kind (where you simply take a folded piece of leather, cut a slit in the fold for the key to poke through, and a hole through the key and leather and a keyring through it). However, I liked the way thick stitching looks in leather, so I decided to do a simple stitched one.
Supplies:
Upholstery needle with an eye big enough to fit waxed cord
6 inches of waxed cord
One piece of scrap leather
Something to punch a hole with
Scissors
Key ring
Key
First, make sure you choose soft leather. You need something that is going to be malleable. I would recommend something thinner than what I used. If you’ve got an old leather purse or something, I think that would work wonderfully. Lay out your key on your piece of leather, and determine the size of the leather you will need.
Once your leather is cut, fold it inside-out and use the key to mark where the keyring will need to go, as well as where you want your stitching to go on either side.
Use either a leather crafting tool specifically for hole punching, or you can use whatever you have on hand. I chose to use my dremil (be careful because it might start to burn the leather). You could also use a nail and a hammer to poke the holes.
Once you’ve poked the holes, fold it back right-side-out around the key, and begin your stitching. You can do a straight stitch, or something else. I chose to do a a bit of a cross stitch, because I liked the way the exes looked on the outside edge. If your leather is thin enough (if it is purse leather or thin craft leather) you could even use a sewing machine with a very sturdy thread, just be careful not to accidentally hit the key with your needle, because it will break.
I tried this with one key to start out, and I’ve been using it for about a month now. The leather holds up to a lot of key-abuse. which the rubber ones that I use do not. I plan to make a lot more of these.