DIY Scissors fob tutorial

Today is a special day because we are going to learn how to make a quick and pretty scissors fob! Get on board :)

The birth of this cute little pansy was totally unexpected and not even planned. I just found out a couple of days ago that there is a scissors fob' day on August 21-st so I wanted to participate in the flashmob even though I've never really made these charms before.

Usually, scissor fobs represent square pillows which you can also use for needles. But since my head is full of other things and realistically I knew I wouldn't be able to start and finish any “responsible” project in this period of time, I decided to opt for something simpler and quicker. This is how this pansy was born :)

By the way, if you've already read and tried this tutorial for en embroidered brooch, making the fob will be a piece of cake for you :)

Scissors fob tutorial

What you need:

-Felt

-Thread and needle for embroidery

-Scissors for embroidery (manicure scissors in case you will need to cut out small details)

-Thread and beads for the pendant and cord (+bead needle)

Here is the pattern of my pansy. I decided to post it as an image rather than PDF so that you can scale it the way you want.

So, first, you need to transfer the pattern to the felt you're using. Outline each of the petals in split stitch.

I used a rhinestone for my pansy because I wanted it to shine a bit, haha. But it is optional, of course. Moreover, if you plan on using beads or rhinestones, I would recommend using it in the end after you're done with thread stitching. It kind of stands in the way otherwise! I just wanted to see whether a rhinestone will fit here so I stitched it down and then just left it be there, haha. Don't be like me :)

Aaand stitched! Sorry, I got a bit too absorbed in working it, so I didn't take the step by step pictures. But maybe that's for the better because you can color it as you want :)

And if you want the same as mine, then here: 

• DMC Ecru + 775 + 800 for the two upper petals
• DMC 598 + 597 + 676 for the side petals
• DMC 519 + 597 with occasional "strokes" of Color Variations 4215 + 676 and Ecru on two edges near the center of the petal. 

Now we are going to assemble the fob!

For this step, you need to have a ready pendant and cord. For the cord, I used a braided floss. And for the pendant, you can use your beads, charms, or make a tassel like I did! Anything that makes you happy :)

You also need a backside from the felt corresponding to the size and shape of the front side.

Lay the backside first, put the free “tail” of the pendant centering it at the bottom, and then lay the stitched pansy on top of it. A kind of sandwich, yes.

Now, to keep the front and back sides together, we are going to use blanket stitch edging, nowadays it is often referred to as buttonhole stitch so check out the lesson for it first.

Bring the needle to the edge of the shape. (Don't forget to secure the thread before that! You can use the last method from this post: How to start thread in embroidery).

Pierce the needle through both of the shapes from the front side to the back, and tuck the working end of thread behind the needle.

Repeat the same steps working the edge of the pansy. When you encounter the pendant or cord, sandwiched between the two sides, just skip over them. Don't worry, they will be secured well enough!

So, continue working around the edge the same way until you make a full round and come back to where you started blanket stitch. When you finish, secure the thread by piercing the shape and bringing the needle out somewhere far (also preferably not on the face side) and there trim the thread off.

Your scissors fob is ready! :)

This is how it's going to look from the other side. I used 3 colors corresponding to the petals, but if you don't want to start and end thread time and time again, you can use 1 color for the full edging.

Also, you can definitely make your edging denser placing the stitches right beside each other. Then the felt won't be noticeable under the stitching at all. But I wanted to do it quick and keep the airiness, so I spaced my stitches.

Make this pansy fob and show it off on Instagram using the hashtag #worldscissorsfobday and tag me so that I don't miss it! Have fun! :)