Three steps of finishing a needlepoint tulip keyring: trimming the stitched circle, centring it in a blue keyring, and the finished keyring.

How to Finish a Needlepoint Keyring (Key Fob) at Home, No Sewing

By Lauren McCarter

To finish a self-finishing needlepoint keyring (or key fob), trim the canvas to leave about 2 mm around your stitching. Score and peel away the liner, then centre the stitching on the adhesive and press firmly. Lift the front flap and tuck the bare canvas edge underneath all the way round. There's no sewing and no glue to add.

When I shared this finish on Instagram, someone wondered how the stitching fitted inside the keyring. Step 7 shows how the canvas edge tucks under the flap.

Here's my Tulip keyring finish, step by step, with photos and the notes I wrote on screen in the video.

Which keyring this guide covers

Round self-finishing keyrings, which you may also see called key fobs or keychains. They have a round window with an adhesive disc inside it, and a front ring you tuck the edge of your canvas under. The keyrings in our kits work this way. If you have a similar round fob from another maker, follow the instructions that came with it.

Not strap or loop fobs. Those are usually finished with a binding stitch along the edges, then folded or backed and clamped into metal hardware. For other kinds of finish, start with our needlepoint finishing guide.

What you need

  • Your stitched keyring canvas. Ours are hand-painted on 13 mesh canvas that measures 3 × 3 cm.
  • The self-finishing keyring.
  • Sharp scissors, for trimming the canvas and scoring the liner.
  • Optional: a blunt butter knife. Some stitchers use one to ease up the front ring while they tuck. In the video I use my fingers.

You won't need a needle and thread for the finish, or any glue.

How to finish a needlepoint keyring (key fob), step by step

Each step starts with the note I wrote on screen, followed by a little more detail.

1. Stitch the design and the background

On screen: "Stitch!"

Stitch the tulip and the small circle of white background around it. That white circle is what sits in the keyring window, so make sure it's fully covered. If you're new to the stitch, how to needlepoint walks you through it, and our Silk & Ivory thread guide covers the threads in the kit.

2. Trim, leaving about 2 mm

On screen: "Trim with scissors (leave 2mm around stitching)"

Cut the stitched circle out of the canvas, leaving about 2 mm of bare canvas all the way round. In the video I cut it out roughly first, then go round again to round it off.

Canvas is sized by mesh, the number of threads per inch. On 13 mesh the threads sit about 2 mm apart, so a 2 mm margin is roughly one canvas thread. That little margin is what you'll tuck under the flap in step 7.

A trimmed tulip needlepoint circle beside a blue keyring with the printed liner still over the adhesive
The trimmed canvas beside the keyring, with the printed liner still in place.

3. Score the liner on the adhesive

On screen: "Score the adhesive sticker with scissors"

Inside the keyring's window is a sticky disc, covered by a printed liner. Use the tip of a scissor blade to score the liner so you can get under it. You're only scoring the liner here. The adhesive underneath is what will hold your stitching.

4. Lift and peel the liner away

On screen: "Lift and remove the sticker"

Lift the scored edge and peel the liner off. In the video it comes away in pieces, so I keep going until the whole disc is uncovered before placing anything on it.

The keyring window with the liner peeled away and the adhesive exposed
Liner off: the sticky disc is ready for your stitching.

5. Place and centre your needlepoint

On screen: "Gently place and centre your needlepoint"

Hold the trimmed piece by its edges, lower it onto the adhesive and line it up so the motif sits in the middle of the window, with the bare margin reaching evenly towards the ring all the way round. Check it's centred before you press, because the adhesive is what holds the middle in place.

Trimmed tulip needlepoint being centred on the adhesive inside a blue keyring
Centring the stitched tulip on the adhesive.

6. Press down firmly

On screen: "Press down firmly"

Once it's centred, press the stitching down firmly onto the adhesive. In the video I press with both thumbs.

7. Lift the flap and tuck the edges under

On screen: "Lift the keyring flap and work your way around pushing the edges underneath."

This is how they get in there. The front ring of the keyring, which I call the flap, lifts at its inner edge. Lift a small section, push the bare canvas margin underneath, then move along to the next bit. Work all the way round, pressing as you go.

When you're done, the ring covers the cut edge of the canvas and only your stitching shows in the window.

Fingers tucking the edge of the needlepoint under the front ring of the keyring
Lifting the flap and pushing the canvas edge underneath, working round the circle.

8. Finished

On screen: "Finished!"

Turn it over and you'll see the Matilda Stitch Co logo embossed on the back. The keyring has a clip clasp and a split ring, so it's ready for your keys.

Back of a blue needlepoint keyring embossed with the Matilda Stitch Co logo
The back of the finished keyring, with the Matilda Stitch Co logo embossed in the middle.

Watch the whole keyring finish

My Tulip keyring finish, with the steps I wrote on screen. The video has no sound.

A few tips for round self-finishing keyrings

  • Leave a margin you can tuck. For this keyring, leave about 2 mm of bare canvas around the stitching. Another maker's guide for a similar round fob suggests about two canvas threads, so follow the maker's instructions if you're using a different keyring.
  • Stitch the background right out to the edge of the circle. That's the part that shows in the window.
  • Keep a small piece flat while you trim and place it, and centre it before you press.
  • Strap fobs are a different finish, with a binding stitch and hardware.
  • Our passport covers are self-finishing too. See how to finish a needlepoint passport cover.

Make your own keyring

If you'd like to try this finish, the Initial Keyring Needlepoint Kit lets you choose your initial on the product page and pick a pink or blue keyring. Each kit has a hand-painted canvas on Zweigart mono deluxe 13 mesh that measures 3 × 3 cm, a size 20 DMC tapestry needle, Silk & Ivory threads (50% silk, 50% merino) and the self-finishing keyring. White thread is supplied for the background.

Four small hand-painted needlepoint canvases with gingham binding beside a pink and a blue self-finishing keyring
Keyring canvases before stitching: two tulips, an H and an S.

The tulip in the video is the Matilda Tulip Keyring Needlepoint Kit, with the same inclusions and the same choice of pink or blue. Both kits are A$69.95 and ship to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada. A keyring is a lovely small thing to stitch for someone's keys, too.

Orders are sent from Melbourne. In the US, our distributor Oz Needle & Thread supplies Matilda designs to shops across the US including Le Fil Studio in Los Angeles and KC Needlepoint.

If you're new to needlepoint, our beginner kits guide is a good place to start. You can browse our needlepoint and tapestry kits for delivery to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada.

Quick answers

What's the difference between a key fob, a keychain and a keyring?

The words overlap. A key fob is usually the decorative piece your keys hang from, a keychain is a ring or chain of rings that holds keys (often with something decorative attached), and a key ring is the ring that keeps them together. Here in Australia we say keyring, and most US needlepoint guides and searches use key fob or keychain. In this guide they all mean the same round self-finishing keyring.

Do I need to sew or glue anything?

Not for the round self-finishing keyring shown here. The adhesive is already in the window and the front flap holds the canvas edge, so there's no sewing involved and no glue to add. Strap-style fobs are different and are usually finished with a binding stitch.

How much canvas should I leave around the stitching?

For the keyring shown here, leave about 2 mm of bare canvas around the stitching. On 13 mesh, that's roughly the distance from one canvas thread to the next. Another maker's guide for a similar round fob suggests about two canvas threads, so follow the maker's instructions if you're using a different keyring.

Is a keyring a good first finishing project?

A round self-finishing keyring is one you can finish at home, with no sewing and no finisher to book. When I shared this finish on Instagram, I described it as quick and simple, with no sewing involved. Strap-style fobs take a binding stitch and hardware, so they're more involved.

What comes in a Matilda keyring kit?

Each keyring kit has a hand-painted canvas on Zweigart mono deluxe 13 mesh that measures 3 × 3 cm, a size 20 DMC tapestry needle, Silk & Ivory threads (50% silk, 50% merino) and a self-finishing keyring in pink or blue. On the Initial Keyring kit you choose your initial, and white thread is supplied for the background. We ship to Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Canada.

Can I finish a strap-style needlepoint key fob the same way?

No. Strap or loop fobs are usually finished with a binding stitch along the edges, then folded or backed and clamped into metal hardware with pliers. Some stitchers send them to a professional finisher instead. The method in this guide is for round keyrings with an adhesive window and a front flap to tuck under.

Happy stitching,
Lauren x

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