How to Make a Leather Tassel Keyring with Rosanna Clare

The exhibitors of The Handmade Fair are back with some great tutorials for you Crafty Bs. 

The fabulous Rosanna Clare joins us today to show us how to make this fabulous leather tassel keyring. This would make such a great gift and I LOVE the colour used in the tutorial. 

You will find Rosanna Clare on stand W108 at The Handmade Fair! 

Below are instructions for making the tassel key ring shown in the photo (see image attached). I make a range of leather bags and accessories as well as running workshops to teach people leather craft skills and how to make their own accessories to take away with them after just a couple of hours. Follow the instructions below to make your very own leather tassel key ring. Please see my website for more details about me, my products and workshops:


TOOLS & MATERIALS
Leather
Thick card for templates
Cutting mat
Metal ruler
Scalpel/rotary cutter
Pencil
Copydex glue
Masking tape
Lobster clasp fastening or split ring
Sand paper
Clamp/bulldog clip


1. Draw around the tassel template (approximately 12cm x 12cm but you can adjust this to suit your needs) using a sharp pencil, on the BACK side of the leather and cut it out using your ruler and rotary cutter or scalpel. Repeat for the small fastening piece (6cm x 1cm).

2. Use a piece of masking tape to secure your leather to the mat. Place it 2cm from the top of the leather. This also acts as a marker. Cut the leather at 5mm intervals towards the tape using the ruler to guide you. I usually do this by eye but you can measure the intervals if you so wish.

3. Feed the small piece of leather through the fastening hoop and apply a THIN layer of glue on the suede side on each end. Repeat along the top of your tassel and leave for a few minutes for the glue to dry clear.

4. Press the fastening ends together and the sand the outside with sand paper to create a ‘key’ for the glue. Apply more glue and leave to dry. Then carefully roll the tassel piece around the fastening as tightly as you can making sure you keep the top edge even as you go to ensure neatness.

5. Sand or scratch away with a scalpel to provide a key for the end section to be glued down. Apply more glue to the end section and press together once the glue has dried clear. Then fix with a clamp or bull dog clip for a few minutes while the glue hardens.

Voila, your tassel is finished!

I have never worked with leather before but funnily enough I have a piece of yellow leather in my fabric stash and this seems easy enough so I might give it a go! Thanks so much to Roanna Clare for sharing! 

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