Cross Stitch Keychain Patterns

One little cross stitch project that’s fun to make, use and give as a gift is a cross stitch keychain. There are lots of different styles of keychain you can make with a cross stitch element, so let’s take a look at a few ideas for a cross stitch keychain.

I love the long key fob style keychains as a medium for cross stitching. This lemon pattern from Stitched by Brook calls for 18 count fabric and comes out 6.9 inches long by 1.1 inches wide (that’s about 17.5 by 2.8 cm). It’s 125 by 21 stitches and uses five colors.

This floral keychain cross stitch pattern from (not so) Modern Millie is a great one because it walks you through how to turn your strip of cross stitch into a keychain using felt backing and some basic hardware. There’s a full shopping list in the project if you need help knowing what to buy.

You can also find cross stitch keychain kits that are like a little plastic frame for your stitching. This one from Rouge Stitchery is a full kit for the Home Sweet Home Keychain. The kit includes cross stitch fabric and thread, coordinating fabric for the back of your keychain and the keychain itself, as well as the pattern.

Another option is to stitch a shape and have your keychain be that shape. For example these double sided cat keychains from Hobbyist RAF, which include a tutorial video to help you put them together. Or how about some Poekmon cross stitch patterns designed for keychains, like these from Video Game X Stitch?

Of course you can also use any mini cross stitch pattern you like, or draw your own, to fit in the space of a purchased cross stitch keychain blank. I love these rounds ones from Rustic Reflectio Store, or you can stitch onto a blank like these from Wonder Stitch UA.

I came across a post recently from Lord Libidan wondering about where all the good cross stitch alphabets have gone. While you can find lots of fonts on Etsy (and I even shared a few good cross stitch fonts recently) it can be difficult to know exactly what you’re getting when you buy a pattern for an alphabet online. You might find just what you want but it’s the wrong size, or maybe everything is plain and you want something fancier.

One option is to hit up your local library for cross stitch books. If you’re looking for large, fancy lettering to use as a stand alone for projects, I found Felicity Hall’s Stitch Alphabets & Numbers on the shelves at my local library.

This book includes lots of guidance in terms of materials, how to stitch and ways to use lettered projects, from simple framing to making alphabet blocks, pillows and a stretched canvas.

There are three sets of letters and three sets of numbers in this book. The circus letters are colorful and include circles and other details inside the letters that make some of them look like faces. They come in a variety of widths but are all 80 stitches high (making them 5.7 inches, or 14.5 cm tall on 14 count fabric.

Woodblock letters vary from a straightforward, blocky H to a G that looks like a fish tail, and they’re designed to have details in the background. There are all 80 by 80 stitches. Shadow letters are blocky with a drop shadow in a color; they vary in width but are 55 stitches tall. All the letter fonts also include an ampersand.

The number fonts include screen print numbers, which are worked in two colors that look sort of like printing; vintage numbers, which have flowers inside the numbers that also have a striped shadow; and floral numbers, where the number is a solid color surrounded by flowers and vines. These are all 79 by 80 stitches, while the vintage ones are 55 by 55 and the screen print ones vary in both width and height.

These aren’t the sorts of letters you’d add to another project, but if you want to stitch a single letter, a monogram, a short word or the table numbers for a wedding, this book offers some fun options and nice project ideas for how to use them.

About the book: 128 pages, paperback. Published 2014 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

Have you read?

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