Because life’s celebrations shouldn’t cost the Earth

Tuesday 26 May 2015

Felt Camper Van Keyring Tutorial

DIY Felt Combi Van Key Chain

These adorable felt key rings are sew easy to stitch up!  They require only the tiniest amount of materials and make equally perfect bag charms or luggage tags.


Even better, they stitch up in less than an hour and are great gift ideas for your 'difficult to buy for' relatives! 


 


I infused the backing felt on this little car appliqué with essential oils and it now hangs in hubby's car as a cute air freshener!

Tutorial

Supplies

Felt
Coloured fabric
Scrap of denim
'Bondaweb' (fusible web)
Ribbon
Split ring
Black thread

1.  Begin by drawing a template, simple shapes are best and suitable motifs include owls, flowers and hearts. If you doubt your drawing skills you can even download digi-stamps as templates.  I stitched up the car and cupcake using stamps by the very talented Wendy Massey over at Handmade Harbour.


2.  Trace your design onto 'Bondaweb' or other fusible web, iron onto the reverse side of your fabric scraps and then cut out neatly.


3.  Lightly mark the windscreen wipers and 'VW' logo with a pencil.  Now arrange the pieces into position on your backing felt and then carefully fix into place with your iron.


3.  Trim the felt at the top of your design and then lay onto a scrap of denim or other hardwearing fabric.  Fold a short length of ribbon in half and tuck between the two layers.  Now comes the fun part!  Machine around the appliqué pieces at least twice using black thread and aiming for a 'sketch-like' feel.  It doesn't even matter if your stitching is a bit wobbly as this all adds to the appeal of raw edge appliqué and free-motion embroidery!


4.  Now closely trim around your design using a small pair of embroidery scissors.  Finally thread onto a metal split-ring and that's it......See I told you it was easy!

Have fun making your own for Father's Day, Christmas stocking fillers, fund raising, etc. etc....

28 comments:

  1. Cute and pretty! Love your idea Josie! I have to try it! Thanks for your tutorial! xxx

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  2. They look great and I can't believe how little time it takes to make them!

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  3. Too cute. Don't they just come alive once you add the back stitching.

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  4. They look brilliant and take no time I should think.

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  5. My favourite, of course, is the owl!

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  6. I adore these little felt darlings, especially the owl x

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  7. These are delightful.
    xx

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  8. Thank you Josie, these would be great in our family for stocking fillers later in the year. Hx

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  9. Aw these are so cute, I'm going to have to show my sister your blog she loves everything like this xx
    katiehopkinsblogspot.co.uk

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  10. Josie, these are stunning. Thanks for sharing the tutorial. I know loads of people who would love these. Xx

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  11. Brilliant Josie! I shall make the VW for a friend of mine for sure. Love your ideas, wish I was as talented x

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    1. You jest! Seriously people you need to go over to Jamie's blog and see the amazing tailoring he is capable of - He is the perfect contender for The Great British Sewing Bee!

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    2. You are too kind Josie! Tailoring is one thing...things like this are another x

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  12. Must be the week for key fobs. I love the camper van so vintage and perfect for the summer holidays.

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  13. These are so pretty! I love the fabrics you've used and your tutorial is easy to follow. Definitely something I plan to try :)
    Cathy x

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  14. Wow, I just love the camper van! Super tutorial, I will definitely have to give this a go. Barbara xx

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  15. These are so cute! Love them! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  16. merci pour ces jolis tutos, j'adore mes petits enfants vont être ravis lorsque je les aurais faits
    bonne journée

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  17. What fun looking key fobs, especially the owl one. Thank you for the tutorial.

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  18. I do love. VW camper!! This is delightful :)
    Where abouts in the north east are you?
    Im in Hull with Geordie heritage lol

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    1. I applied to Hull university many moons ago! We are now based in Durham x

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  19. These are lovely. Definitely going to give them a try when I get chance to get down to some crafting :-) x

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  20. These are lovely I esp love the camper vans x

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  21. Lovely keyrings, I might make some once I'm feeling a bit better, Jo x

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  22. These are absolutely gorgeous, I love them! They are all so sweet, I can't even choose a favourite!

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  23. These would make awesome gifts, Josie!!! Wonder if I can find a suitable pic of a golfer. I love them all, but my favourite has to be the VW. This is my preferred way to appliqué, too.

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  24. I adore this! Huge Volkswagen fan, love the Splitscreen, very cool.

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