What is a wristlet key fob
Ever had so much character ribbon or just decorative ribbon lying around and wonder what else you could do with it besides making bows? Well wristlet key fobs are the perfect way to put that ribbon to use. You can make something fun and creative that you can give out as gifts for family and friends, while only spending a few dollars for all the supplies. Key Fobs are awesome keychain wristlets that you can use to keep track of your keys. They can be simple or as decorative as you like.
What you will need and where to work
To get started you can find many of the hardware on Amazon and Etsy. Items just vary on how much time you have and how much you want to spend. Here is a list of some essentials you’ll need to start:
- Grosgrain Ribbon
- Cotton Webbing
- Iron on adhesive
- Key Fob Hardware(clamp, key ring and hardware)
- Iron or Heat Press
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Heat pad or Ironing board
These are just a few basic items that you will need to get started making your key fob. Once you’ve picked up your supplies, you need to make sure you have the right work space to work on your craft. You want to make sure you are working on a sturdy working space next to an outlet for the items you will have to plug in.
What do we have here?
Now once your work space is all set, you want to make sure you prep all your items. For the cotton webbing you want to make sure you have a sturdy piece that will be a solid foundation for your key fob. To make sure your key fob is the right size, you are going to measure out your ribbon and cotton webbing to 11 inches, also you will cut your iron on adhesive to the same length as well. By cutting the ribbon and webbing to 11 inches you will be folding them over to make a 5.5 inch loop, perfect size that will fit most wrists. You could always go longer or shorter depending on your needs but this length seems to be a good generic length for most people.
Put it all together!
Now once you’ve prepped all your material items, it’s time to assemble your key fob. So your work space should either have a heat pillow or an ironing board so that you don’t burn the items on your table that you will be pressing. To start, you will press your cotton webbing for a few seconds with your heat press or iron, just making sure it is flat and that you have pulled and moisture out as well. From there you will place the iron on adhesive on the webbing making sure to center it in the middle. Once that is placed you are going to want to press the iron adhesive on 220 Fahrenheit for 40 seconds making sure to give it medium pressure.
Once you have pressed all along the adhesive, let it cool for a few moments before you peel the protective layer. Now that you’ve peeled the layer you can set your ribbon on top of the adhesive, making sure that it’s centered and straight as well. Once you’ve set it to your liking , you will press again for the same time and temperature as before. All pieces should be nice and smooth. If you notice that your ribbon isn’t quite as secure as it should be, press it with the heat press for another 40 seconds and that should hold.
Clamp it, clamp it real good!
Once all the ribbon is secured to the webbing it’s now time to assemble everything and make your Key Fob! For the key fob piece you will fold it in half bringing the two ends together. Once you’ve done that you will grab the key fob hardware and enter your two ends into it. The hardware has prongs that will sink into the webbing securing everything together. Once the hardware is in place you will use your clamps to seal it all together. Make sure you give even pressure to all sides, especially where the prongs are. Those prongs will hold all your webbing and make sure your key fob is sturdy and secure.
Finished beauty
Once you’ve clamped it your key fob closed you are pretty much done. The nice thing about these are that you can make them as simple as you want or even decorate them as much as you’d like. You can let your personality shine through these, whether it be through showing of your fandom or just showing of your favorite color. You can add key rings, beads, charms and jewels, whatever your heart’s desire.