Keychain Chapstick Holder Pattern

Never Lose Your Chapstick Again With This Free DIY Keychain Chapstick Holder Pattern And Step-By-Step Sewing Tutorial!

Are you always digging through your purse for your chapstick? Or do your kids complain that they need chapstick every time you leave the house, but no one has any on them? That's where a keychain chapstick holder comes in!

pink chapstick holder attached to a set of keys

This nifty little device keeps your chapstick handy everywhere you go. Plus, it's a super quick and easy project to sew - it comes together in less than an hour.

Table of Contents

Why Keychain Chapstick Holders Are Awesome

I love my keychain chapstick holders because I can attach one to my keys and keep chapstick easily accessible all the time. My kids can even use them to keep chapstick with them at school by attaching the chapstick holder to the inside or outside of their backpacks!

three fabric chapstick holders of various colors against a pink and purple background

These DIY chapstick holders are so fast and simple to sew that they make wonderful gifts. They're also a great scrap-buster to use up leftover fabric scraps laying around your sewing room. One of my favorite things to do around Christmas is to make a bunch of these chapstick holders with scrap fabric, add a new tube of chapstick to each holder, and pop one in everyone's stocking!

About the Keychain Chapstick Holder Pattern

My sewing pattern makes an adorable fabric chapstick holder that measures 2" x 3.25". Note that the size of this pattern is intended for standard-sized chapstick tubes. If you want a holder for a different type of lipstick or lip balm that has a larger tube, you may need to adjust the size of the pattern.

a pink chapstick holder attached to a set of keys and a blue chapstick holder

The chapstick holder has a fabric ring tab that is 0.5" x 1.5". The ring tab is used to hang the chapstick holder from a keyring. This ring can then be attached to your most-used set of keys, a lanyard, or your kid's backpack!

Best Fabric for a Keychain Chapstick Holder

When choosing fabric for your keychain chapstick holder, I highly recommend using quality quilting cotton. Quilting cotton is perfect because it's non-stretch, easy to sew, inexpensive, easily accessible, and available in a huge range of colors and prints.

Plus, using quilting cotton is a win-win if you're a quilter because you probably already have tons of cotton scraps laying around!

three keychain chapstick holders laying next to a pile of pretty fabrics

Now, if you'd rather use a different fabric than quilting cotton, you totally can! Just make sure to choose something reasonably durable (not uber-thin or sheer) that isn't too thick or textured. Any good, medium-weight woven fabric will work well for this project.

Here are a few examples of fabrics that would be great choices for your keychain chapstick holder.

Quilting Cotton
Denim
Twill
Flannel
Cotton Lawn
Poplin
Linen

Click Here to Download the FREE Keychain Chapstick Holder Pattern

Supplies for the Chapstick Holder

Here are the supplies you'll need to sew your chapstick holder.

Chapstick
10" Square (or 1/8 Yard) of Fabric
10" Square (or 1/8 Yard) of Fusible Interfacing
Keychain Ring (I like to use a ring anywhere from 20 - 30mm across)
Loop Turner or Safety Pin
Scissors
Rotary Cutter
Rotary Cutting Mat
Thread
Sewing Pins
Iron
Ironing Board
Sewing Machine
Sewing Machine Needle
Printer
Printing Paper

the supplies needed to make a keychain chapstick holder

Step 1: Download and Cut Out the Pattern

Start by downloading the free pattern to your computer and opening it in your favorite PDF reader. I highly recommend using Adobe Acrobat.

*It's important not to print the pattern directly from your internet browser. This is because printing from the browser can mess with the scaling as well as cause it to print with incorrect border lines.

Once the pattern is open in your PDF reader, select the "Print" button. This will open the print settings dialog box.

In the "Scaling" section, make sure that either "Actual Size" or "Custom: 100%" is selected.

Then, print the pattern.

After printing, measure the 1" x 1" test square in the top left of the page.

measuring the test square with a green seam gauge

If the square measures exactly 1" x 1", you're good to start cutting your pattern out. However, if the test square does not measure the correct size, something is off with your scaling settings. In this case, you will need to double-check your scaling and reprint the pattern.

Cut out the pattern pieces. The chapstick holder pattern has 2 pattern pieces: "Main" and "Ring Tab".

cutting out the pattern with turquoise scissors

Step 2: Cut Your Materials

Once the pattern has been cut out, it's time to cut all the materials for your keychain chapstick holder!

Cut the following number of pieces from your fabric and interfacing.

Fabric

Main: Cut 2
Ring Tab: Cut 2

Interfacing

Main: Cut 1
Ring Tab: Cut 1

the materials cut out for the chapstick holder on a turquoise mat

Step 3: Apply Interfacing

The first step, before we can get to sewing, is to apply the interfacing.

Place one of the fabric Main pieces and one of the Ring Tab pieces wrong sides up on your ironing board or mat.

chapstick holder pieces laying on a grey pressing mat

Place the corresponding piece of interfacing bumpy side down on each fabric piece.

placing interfacing down onto a fabric piece

Next, fuse the interfacing to the fabric.

pressing interfacing onto the fabric with a pink iron

To do this, you will usually place a damp cloth on the interfacing, then press on the cloth for 10-15 seconds with your iron. However, the method can vary based on the brand of interfacing you are using - so make sure to check the instructions that came with your interfacing!

Step 4: Prepare the Ring Tab

Next, it's time to prepare the ring tab for the chapstick holder.

Start by placing the two ring tab pieces right sides together.

placing the ring tab pieces right sides together

Then, pin them together along the long edges.

Stitch along each long side of the ring tab with a 3/8" seam allowance.

stitching lines marked on ring tab pieces

Next, trim the seam allowances down by approximately half with a rotary cutter or scissors. This will reduce bulk and make turning the tab right sides out easier.

cutting the seam allowances short with a pair of turquoise scissors

Then, turn the ring tab right sides out by pulling the tube through itself with a loop turner or safety pin.

pulling the ring tab right sides out with a loop turner

To do this, I like to use my loop turner. To turn the tube right sides out with a loop turner, push the end of the loop turner through the tube. Then, hook it over the edge of the fabric. Pull it back through the tube, pulling the fabric through with it. You might have to work the fabric with your fingers to get it started, but once the end starts going down the tube, it should pull through pretty easily.

a graphic showing how to turn the fabric right sides out with a loop turner

If you don't have a loop turner, you can use a safety pin instead. To do this, hook a safety pin through the fabric near one end of the tube. Then, push the safety pin down into the tube. Pull the safety pin through the tube, pulling the fabric with it. Like with the loop turner, you may need to work the fabric into the tube with your fingers at the beginning to get it started.

Once the tube has been turned right sides out, press it flat, pressing the seams to the edges.

pressing the ring tab flat with a pink iron

Finally, topstitch along both long edges of the ring tab, sewing approximately 1/8 - 1/16" from the edge of the fabric.

a graphic showing the stitching lines for topstitching the ring tab

Step 5: Assemble the Chapstick Holder

With the ring tab prepared, we're ready to put this chapstick holder together!

First, lay the interfaced Main piece right side up on your table.

one of the chapstick holder main pieces placed on a marble table

Next, fold the ring tab in half, matching up the two unfinished ends.

the ring tab folded in half and held up to the camera

Place the ring tab approximately at the center of the top edge of the Main piece with the unfinished ends along the top edge of the fabric. Pin the ring tab to the Main piece.

the folded ring tab is pinned to the top of the main piece

Then, stitch the ring tab to the Main piece, sewing with a 1/4" seam allowance.

a close up of a sewing machine stitching the ring tab to the main piece

Next, place the uninterfaced Main piece on top of the interfaced Main piece with right sides together.

the second main piece is placed right sides together with the first main piece

Match up the edges and pin them together around all 4 sides.

chapstick holder pieces pinned together on a marble table

Stitch the chapstick holder around all 4 edges, leaving an opening on one side approximately 2 inches long. This is important to be able to turn it right sides out through later.

a graphic showing the stitching lines to sew the chapstick holder

While sewing, I like to rotate around the corners to keep them nice and sharp.

To do this, stop sewing when you reach 3/8" from the first corner. Make sure the needle is down in the fabric. Then, lift the presser foot and rotate the fabric 90 degrees. The next straight edge should now be in front of the needle. Put the presser foot down and continue stitching, repeating this process at each corner.

a graphic showing a closeup of a sewing machine rotating around a corner

Once the chapstick holder has been stitched, trim the seam allowances off of the corners diagonally. Make sure to cut up to (but not through!) your stitching. This helps to reduce bulk for sharper corners later.