At .Ar:ti|sans we want as many people to experience the art of making as possible by introducing them to DIY and Craft.

Our Entry Level Keyring Kit is the perfect introduction for anyone who wants to start their leathercraft journey. We’ve used high quality veg tan leather offcuts from our leather workshop to make these keyring kits in an effort to reduce the waste we produce.

Before you get started, don’t forget to pick up your craft kit here.

Below we will take you through instructions of how to make your own keyring step-by-step. From experienced artisans to crafting newbies, this kit is for everyone.

First check you have everything you need!

Your kit should include

• Leather piece with punched holes
• 1 keyring
• 1 leather needle
• 2 small canvas cloths
• 1 binder clip
• Thread, 2 colour options

You will need to find

• A small pair of scissors
• A pot with a little water

Preparing the Leather

Step 1: Using your fingertip, gently wet the edges shown in dark grey. Be careful to not get any liquid on the leather surface. Using one of the canvas cloths provided, rub the edges indicated until smooth and shiny.

Step 2: Place the leather piece inside the keyring. Fold the leather piece around the keyring and clip to hold the two sides in place.

Threading the Needle 

Step 3: Cut your thread in half and thread one end through the eye of the needle. Pull through 6-8cm of thread then pierce the thread with the needle similar to the drawings below

Step 4: Pierce the thread again at 1 cm distance along the long piece of thread.

Step 5: Holding the needle tip, pull down the entire thread. This is called locking the needle.

Stitching

Step 6: Start by inserting the needle in-between the folded piece as shown in the picture.

Step 7: Pull the thread out leaving a 10 cm thread coming out from the inside of the folded leather piece. Then take your needle around to the hole on the back of the keyring.

Step 8: Starting from the back, bring the needle through both holes and back to the front pulling the thread firmly. Repeat this process 4/5 times.

Step 9: On the last stitch, bring the needle up through the middle of the folded leather piece where the other thread end is still hanging.

Finishing

Step 10: Tie the threads together in a knot as close to the back of the holes as possible. Make 3 knots and then cut the loose ends. Push the knotted end in between the leather sides to secure it.

Step 11 : Repeat steps 3 to 10 on the other side and burnish the edges shown below using the same burnishing technique used before.

Voilà! You have your personally crafted leather keyring!

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Tag us and let us know how you get on. We look forward to seeing your creations!

Explore our other craft kits here!