DIY Lanyard | Free How to Make a Lanyard Tutorial

Welcome to Peek-a-Boo Pages – today we’re here to show you how to make a DIY lanyard. This lanyard is a simple sewing project that’s perfect for beginners.

A lanyard is perfect for holding keys, badges, id cards, etc. Lanyards seem to have become even more popular in recent years and are often seen at events, business meetings, sport, and especially schools. Teachers love to use lanyards to hold keys, security passes, hall passes, whistles, and more.

Well, are you ready for the kiddos to go back to school? Maybe they have started already (mine have!) If you’re a teacher and want a new lanyard for yourself or if you want to make the perfect teacher gift to get things off on the right foot then a new lanyard might be just what you need. The great thing about making your own lanyard is that you can customize it and make it with any fabric you want.

With all that being said, here is an easy, fast tutorial to make a new diy lanyard that will get you or your kiddos ready for the new year.

DIY Lanyard | Free How to Make a Lanyard Tutorial

Supplies Needed for Lanyards

• 1/4 Yard of 42″ – 44″ of fabric or a fabric scrap that is at least 3″ x 42″ long for the lanyard.
• Swivel clasp or clasp from existing lanyard (shown here.)
• Matching thread.
• Break-Away Hardware (optional- assembly will vary slightly depending on which hardware you purchase. A good selection is available here)

Sewing a Fabric DIY Lanyard

Lanyard Step 1: Using 1/4 yard of fabric or fabric scrap, cut the fabric into a long straight strip measuring 3″ wide x 38″ long for your lanyard. If you have a rotary cutter and ruler, use it to create an accurate cut. If not, you can use scissors, take your time and cut as straight as possible.

Lanyard Step 2: Once your long strip is cut for the lanyard, iron it in half, wrong sides together.

Lanyard Step 3: Open up the ironed lanyard fabric and fold in the raw edges toward the middle. Iron. Fold the strip closed, press again. You should now have a long strip that measures roughly 3/4″ by 38″ long.

Lanyard Step 4: Now is the time to thread your clasp onto the lanyard fabric. Place it somewhere in the middle of the folded fabric.

Lanyard Step 5: Take the two short unfinished ends and open them up. Pin them together, right sides together, matching fold lines and edges as shown above.

Breakaway DIY Lanyard

We should also mention at this point that you can make a “breakaway diy lanyard” with a simple modification. All you have to do is change up the hardware a bit and add a breakaway clasp to the lanyard. You can generally find both plastic and metal clasps just on Amazon.

The breakaway clasp definitely adds something to the lanyard, especially if you’re using it for keys, as you don’t have to take the lanyard off your neck every time you need to access the keys to unlock something.

Lanyard Step 6: Now that you have your lanyard clasp hardware in, sew the seam of the lanyard using a 1/4″ seam allowance. Press seam open.

Lanyard Step 7: Fold the lanyard strap back into place and press again if needed. You will now have a fabric loop with a clasp on it. Using pins or clips, clip every 6″ – 8″ around the strap, holding the open edge closed.

Lanyard Step 8: Finally, using a 2.5 stitch length and matching thread sew the open edge closed on your lanyard. Sew as close to the edge as you can or 1/8″ away from the edge. You are sewing in a circle so when you get to the clasp, move the clip or pin and push the clasp out of the way. Sew all the way around the lanyard until you meet back up with the beginning stitches.

Now sew on the other side (the folded edge) sewing close to the edge or about 1/8″ from the edge. Sew all the way around until you meet back up with the beginning stitches. This line of stitches is done purely for decoration and can be skipped if you choose.

Lanyard Step 9: It is now time to sew the diy lanyard together and keep the clasp from moving around. I like to find the seam (where the shorts ends were joined) and move the clasp right next to that seam. You can see that seam in the photo above, to the right of the red clip. Sandwich the clasp between the strap and pin or clip the two sides of the strap together.

Lanyard Step 10: Place the presser foot right next to the clasp bottom (not on top of the clasp.) You may have to move your pin or clip. Sew the lanyard strap together, making sure to back-stitch at each end, reinforcing the seam. Trim threads. Sew another seam 1/8″ – 1/4″ away from original seam (moving clasp further from the presser foot.) Back-stitch at each end. This second line of stitching helps to reinforce the lanyard. Trim threads.

Congratulations! You have finished your brand new lanyard. Clip on your credentials or keys, slide it on your neck and have a great school year! If you liked this project, you might also like our Back to School Sewing Checklist.

Also since we’re on a thing with lanyards, I thought I’d point out to you another great blog post we have here – the DIY Key Fob:

Like the lanyard, the key fob comes in handy for keeping track of your keys. Our blog contributor Kelly provides an excellent, step by step tutorial on how to make the leather key fob from just a leather scrap (1″x10″, a key ring, and a swivel clasp). On top of that, she’ll give you a few tips and tricks for sewing with leather. Like the lanyard, the key fob makes an excellent quick gift and is a good project for a beginner. Go take a look.

Thanks again for stopping by for the lanyard tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it and can start making something special for someone. If you need help with a sewing project or want to share what you’re making be sure to join our Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop Facebook Group.

We also keep our hundreds of sewing patterns over at Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop. Sewists love how easy it is to make professional looking clothing with our patterns. We also carry a wide variety of apparel fabrics over at KnitFabric.com – where we strive to have high quality fabrics, at better prices, with flat rate shipping. Come and see us today.

Happy sewing!