Always be prepared when you're out on the town with a handy dandy hand sanitizer case! With faux leather fabric and delicate designs, these are simple to construct in-the-hoop. Make some for yourself and for friends and family, too!
Supplies & Materials:
- 75/11 sharp sewing needle
- Snap setting tools
- Hammer or mallet
- Scissors
- Craft knife
- Cutting mat
- Ruler
- Marking tool
- 1/8 yard of thin and soft faux leather, vinyl, leather or ultra suede
- Tear-away stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive (such as Gunold's KK100)
- Embroidery thread
- Snaps with a diameter of 1/2" - 5/8" (may be called a size 20-24)
- 1-1/4" key ring or 1" swivel clasp
Designs featured in this tutorial include:
- X15627, Delicate Wildflowers Hand Sanitizer Keychain (In-the-Hoop)
When you download the design, you will find multiple files. Some are embroidery files, and others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size. Open and print each dieline file using an embroidery software. If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.
We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)
Next, take both the front and back printed dielines and spray the back sides of the paper with temporary adhesive.
Smooth them onto the wrong side of your chosen faux leather fabric. Placing the dieline on the wrong side of the fabric will prevent the sticky residue from building up on the right side of the faux leather or leather.
Cut around the printed dielines for both the front and back pieces.
Once all the fabric pieces are cut to the correct shape, it's time to embroider the design.
Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer (Madeira E-Z 1.5 oz or Floriani tear-away Medium are good choices). Those brands are more fibrous, less like paper, and will tear more cleanly.
Attach the hoop onto the machine and load the embroidery file (not the dieline files).
Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a finer point and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.
Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric will be placed.
After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer.
Spray the back side of the front faux leather piece with temporary spray adhesive and carefully smooth it in place within the shape.
Then return the hoop to the machine and continue to embroider the "Front Piece Tackdown."
After the front piece has been tacked down, the next part to sew out will be the "Snap Placement Mark." This is a marker to help show where to place one half of the snap (this will be done in a future step).
Follow the color change sheet to embroider all of the inner details. Make sure to stop before the "Back Piece Tackdown" step.
Before sewing the "Back Piece Tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Turn it over so the back side of the design is facing up.
Spray the wrong side of the back fabric piece with temporary spray adhesive and smooth it inside the shape on the backside of the embroidery.
As the bobbin stitching will be seen from both sides from this point on, wind bobbins to match the remaining thread colors used in the design. Place the matching bobbin back into the machine.
Return the hoop to the machine and embroider the "Back Piece Tackdown" step. This will join the front and back pieces together.
Once the embroidery is finished, carefully tear the excess stabilizer away from the outside of the hand sanitizer case.
Turn the hand sanitizer holder over. We recommend removing the stabilizer from behind the strap. Removing this stabilizer will make the strap more flexible.
With a craft knife, carefully cut a small "X" shaped hole within the snap placement mark. It's okay if you cut the thread of the "snap placement mark."
Turn the hand sanitizer holder over to show the back side.
Insert a corner of your cutting mat into the hand sanitizer holder to prevent cutting through both fabric pieces.
Measure 1/2" down from the top edge and cut another small "X" in the center of the back fabric piece. If preferred, you can cut the "x" further down, but this will shorten the strap.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and set the snaps.
For best results, use snaps that have a post rather than spikes or prongs. Snaps with posts are stronger and will last longer. The "pretty" cap or solid side of the snap should be seen on the same side of the hand sanitizer case as the embroidery. The stud side of the snap should be on the outside of the back piece as pictured.
Lastly, slide the strap through your chosen hardware. A 1-1/4" key ring works well. You can also use a swivel clasp or carabineer that fits a 1" strap.
