In today’s tutorial, you’ll learn how to make leather tassels without sewing in less than 5 minutes! This project is perfect for giving your old accessories a little upgrade or adding the finishing touches on a newly made project. Who doesn’t love making tassels?
The seventies, boho look is here to stay and I’m so excited about it. Just by adding a leather tassel keychain, you can transform the overall vibe and feel of a piece into something more current and on-trend. Plus, if you decide it’s not for you, you can simply take it off. It makes this tutorial the perfect project to try a new trend without the commitment.
Looking for a smaller project? You can see my tutorial on how to make smaller tassels from embroidery thread here.
This DIY leather keychain is awesome for dressing up all of your accessories or luggage! You could even make smaller ones into jewelry if you like or check out my leather earring tutorials here. When it comes to learning how to make leather tassels, the possibilities are endless! Plus, they are really simple to make!
Creative Entrepreneur Tip: The average leather tassel keychain sells for around $20.00 and costs just $1.00 and 5 minutes to make!
DIY Leather Keychain Supplies
- Leather Scraps – this package from Amazon is inexpensive and has a ton of different colors
- Grid Ruler
- Rotary Cutter
and Cutting Mat
- Fabric Glue
- Tailors Chalk
How To Make A Leather Tassel Keychain
When learning how to make leather tassels, start out by cutting a scrap piece of leather to 6“ x 11“. Next, take your Tailors Chalk and mark it 1 inch from the top edge. This is going to keep your tassel from falling apart and make it a lot easier to work with.
Next, use a grid ruler and Rotary Cutter to cut quarter-inch strips up to the chalk line. Continue slicing 1/4″ strips along the entire bottom of your leather piece. As you get near the short edge of the leather, leave a half-inch strip on one end. This half-inch strip is going to create the hoop that holds your entire tassel in place.
We want the hoop that supports the body of our leather tassel to be just a little bit thicker so it can easily support the weight of our leather fringe. To create the leather tassel keychain, fold the half inch strip up and over itself so that it creates a small hoop. To secure it in place permanently, use fabric glue on either side of your leather.
Once the permanent fabric adhesive is tacky, take a strip of glue and apply it to the entire top 1-inch section of your leather keychain. To make a leather tassel, simply roll the top edge tightly in place. The glue will hold everything together permanently once it dries.
Now that your leather tassel is complete, you can either let the glue dry and leave it just as it is….. or we can add some other layers to it to give it just a little bit more interest.
We’re going to do this by cutting another piece of leather to 6 1/2“ x 4“ and then marking the top long section 1/2 inch down with tailor’s chalk. From here, simply repeat the same process by slicing your leather fabric into 1/4″ sections all the way across the bottom. You will need to leave a half-inch section during this step because we have already created the central keychain hoop.
Tip: Before you roll your leather, you can eliminate the look of that chalk line either by flipping it over and having the chalk line be on the inside or by using a damp cloth to remove your stripe.
Once your leather keychain fringe is cut, it’s time to attach your fringe to the body of your homemade leather keychain. To do this, simply repeat the same process. Squeeze a thin strip of permanent fabric glue across that top half-inch line and then roll your leather tassel fringe where we left off. Once you are done rolling, let your glue dry for a couple hours and your tassel is ready to use!
This little tutorial is so fun, so quick to make, and really upgrades your accessories in a trendy fun way. I really hope that you found this article on how to make leather tassels useful and even make a few to gift or sell!
If starting a handmade business and turning your creative gifts into a side-hustle is something that interests you even a tiny bit, I would love for you to join me in one of my free workshops.