A lanyard for your keys Do you keep your keys on a lanyard? I started a couple of years ago when I was in and out of the car with a baby in a capsule and a small child. I needed two free hands and easy access to car and front door keys. The long length of lanyard could always be grabbed on the way out, then slung around my neck when shuffling between front door, car, pram, drop off point. Even if you’re not juggling those things, I think it’s worth having keys at the ready when you’re getting in and out of your home or car. Less time spent rummaging through the dark bottomless pit of a handbag alone, the better. However, fast forward a couple of years and I still seem to be sporting the same freebie lanyard with a logo of a football team. With red and white stripes, it clashes perfectly with most of my clothes. Nice accessory! (not). Time for the “eye catching” lanyard to go and be replaced with something more appealing. Since tassels are the thing right now, they are the decorative detail to add to a key ring and then make a lanyard. Making the Tassel There are different way to tackle tassel-making depending upon whether you use thread or cut leather. For this tutorial I used the tassel making technique perfected here by Fall for DIY (blog) when they ran a “tassel happy challenge” on Instagram. I’ve used Francesca’s cardboard template design. It’s a bit like making a pom pom. I’ve also played around with different styles for tying them together, embellishing (decorating) and attaching the tassel to a clip. Do the same and see what you prefer. Enjoy having a smart tassel lanyard for your keys. A note about materials I bought some “D” ring clips from Lincraft (Haberdashery and Craft supplies in Australia) but you can easily use metal circle clips, or swivel hooks. I’ve re-used the swivel hooks from old promotional lanyards. I also used a copper adhesive tape for effect on the tassel. My roll came from Japan, but you can buy copper and aluminium tape at hardware stores. Otherwise fabric tape is another option. I’ve used mock-suede leather thonging I found from haberdashery supplies, but real leather thonging would be a nicer option.