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This adorable Pickleball Keychain made with faux leather, heat transfer vinyl, and a Cricut is the perfect gift for the pickleball lover in your life!

The SVG file is available in my shop if you want to make this project!

Ready to get started? Let’s dive into the materials and steps!

Step 1: Get the SVG Template

Step 2: Shop the Supplies

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Compatible Machines✅: Cricut Maker, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Maker 4, Cricut Explore Air 2, Cricut Explore 3, Cricut Explore 4, Cricut Joy Xtra, Cricut Joy
Not Compatible Machines❌: none
Blade Used: Standard Fine Point Blade
Cut Setting Used✂️: Faux Leather (Paper Thin) with “More” pressure

• Faux Leather & Heat Transfer Vinyl
  • Use any smooth faux leather you’d like. I used this solid white from The Polka Dotted Peach.
  • Use any easy to weed heat transfer vinyl you’d like. I used Siser Glitter HTV in Neon Yellow for the pickleball itself and Siser Easyweed in Hibiscus, Melon, and Light Pink for the paddle.
• Other Project Supplies
  • Fabric or craft glue (I used Beacon Fabri-Tac)
  • Split Ring Keyring (I like the 30mm size)
  • 10mm Jump Rings
  • Faux Suede Tassels (these are 1.5″ long)
  • Flat Nose Jewelry Pliers and/or Chain Nose Jewelry Pliers
• Other Cricut Supplies
  • Blue Painters Tape
  • Small Curved Scissors
  • Teflon Sheets
  • Purple Strong Grip Mat
  • Weeding Tool like a Pin Pen or like the one in the Cricut Basic Tool Set
  • Cricut EasyPress Mini
  • EasyPress Mat, 8×10 size

🛒 To shop many of these supplies below in my Amazon storefront, click here.

Step 3: Make the Project

Set Up Your Design

1. Open a new canvas in Cricut Design Space.
2. Upload the SVG file for the Pickleball Keychain to your canvas.

Prepare to Cut

1. Click Make It.
2. Mirror your mat(s), since you’ll be cutting the faux leather and heat transfer vinyl face down.
3. Choose the Faux Leather (Paper Thin) setting with More pressure.

Cut the Faux Leather

1. Place the faux leather pretty side down on a Strong Grip (purple) mat.
2. Secure all edges with blue painter’s tape.
3. Load the mat into your Cricut.
4. Press the C button to begin cutting.
5. When the cut is complete, without unloading the mat, use a sharp tool to gently lift the edge and check the cut.
6. Repeat the cut if necessary by pressing the cut button again.
7. Once the cut is complete, unload the mat and remove the shape.

Cut & Weed the Heat Transfer Vinyl

1. Next, cut the heat transfer vinyl mats.
2. Place the first heat transfer vinyl layer shiny side down on a green cutting mat. Load the mat into the Cricut and cut.
3. Weed away the excess HTV. Cut the other mats, weed away the excess vinyl, and trim the shapes apart from each other.

Press the HTV onto the Faux Leather

1. Preheat an Easy Press to 265 degrees or set an Easy Press Mini to the Low setting. Place the faux leather on a heat pressing pad.
2. Layer the first HTV layer on top of the faux leather base. Cover with a Teflon sheet or cover sheet.
3. Press for 5-7 seconds at a time.
4. Remove the Teflon sheet and try to peel away the clear vinyl cover sheet. If the vinyl lifts up, cover and press again in 5 second increments.
5. After the clear carrier sheet is removed, cover and press once more for 5 seconds.
6. Repeat with the other side, then press all layers in order. Refer to the Layering Guide.
7. Place the warm faux leather shape under your heat pressing pad to cool flat for 1-2 minutes.

Glue the Keychain

1. Thread the faux leather shape through the keyring and leave the ring on the “bridge” area.
2. Apply fabric or craft glue all over the back of one half of the faux leather shape. Fold the top half over onto the glued bottom half.
3. Line up the edges of the faux leather with your fingers and wipe away any excess glue.
4. Place the glued keychain under a heavy book for 1 hour.

Attach an Optional Tassel

1. Once the keychain is dry, use flat nose pliers to add a faux suede tassel if desired with a 10mm jump ring.

Your Pickleball Keychain is complete! Isn’t that cute?

Answers to your questions about making a Pickleball Keychain with a Cricut

Q: Which Cricut machines will cut faux leather?
A: You can cut faux leather with any of the current Cricut machines because they all cut faux leather with the standard fine point blade included with each machine. For this project you can use the Cricut Maker, Cricut Maker 3, Cricut Maker 4, Cricut Explore 5, Cricut Explore 4, Cricut Explore 3, Cricut Explore Air 2, the Cricut Joy Xtra or the Cricut Joy.

Q: What do I need to press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather?
A: To press heat transfer vinyl onto faux leather you’ll need a traditional heat press, Cricut EasyPress, or Cricut EasyPress Mini. I used a Cricut EasyPress Mini for this project because it’s great with pressing small projects like earrings, keychains, and accessories. I set the EasyPress Mini to the Low setting and covered the HTV on the faux leather with a Teflon sheet before pressing for about 10 seconds. For a larger EasyPress I set it to 265 degrees F.

Q: How do I get the SVG template for this project?
A: Get the SVG file from my SVG Shop here.

Until next time… and happy creating!

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