DIY Lanyard

Since I'll need a lanyard for my ID next year, I started looking. I fell in love with these from Vera Bradley, but refused to pay $12.

Upon more thought, I realized, Hey! these don't look to hard to make! I even have some fabric that's really close to the lanyard pictured here.

So, with that in mind, here's your supplies:

• scrap fabric (I used duck cloth because it's durable. I wouldn't recommend knit at all. You can use cotton, but a thicker fabric is best.
• lanyard clip ( I clipped mine off a key chain I wasn't using - talk about thrifty crafting! - but most craft stores carry them, I imagine they'd only be $3 or so).

That's seriously it! These things cost so little since you're using scarp fabric, mine came in for practically free! Beats $12 any day.

Anyway, the first thing you want to do is cut a 37 in. by 2 in. piece of fabric. A rotary mat and cutter works wonders for this. Don't worry if your lines are jagged, they'll be hidden.

Next, break out the ironing board. Iron your fabric in half to get a nice crease line.

Unfold your fabric, and press one end into the center. Do this on both sides.

Now fold the piece in half as to hide the raw edges. Press (don't worry - this is the last of the ironing).

Pin along the non-folded side. Now, hop over to your sewing machine. Sew straight up your pinned side. Have as little seam allowance as possible.

After that, straight stitch the ends, and then sew them together. Loop your fabric through your lanyard hook, and sew.

And that is that! It really doesn't take that long at all!

If you're looking for something to put on the end of the lanyard, check out this tutorial. It's an ID case, another Vera Bradley knock off. It's up next on my sewing list.

Don't know if you noticed my nails or not - it's one of my favorite colors, Cream Pink by Sinful Colors. It's only $2, and really high quality

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Keep Crafting

-K