I love leather cuff bracelets! Whether I wear one alone, or layer them with other metal and leather bracelets, I think they are always in style. They are bohemian, and can be in funky bright colors or subdued earth tones. With the large selection of pre-made cuffs we sell, the possibilities are endless! I made a few examples using the TierraCast eyelet setting tool and eyelets to show you! Check out how to make them below!
Continue Reading…
Easy to Make Rubber Stamped Leather Bracelets
September 30, 2013With the holidays fast approaching, why not make some simple handmade gifts for friends and family?
Using rubber stamps and permanent ink pads, you can easily embellish ready-made leather bracelets to create fun and whimsical gifts in just a few minutes.
This DIY tutorial shows you how.
Gather your Supplies
You will need the following products and supplies:
- Leather Bracelets
- StazOn Ink Pads
- Rubber stamps of your choice
Rubber Stamp Angel Policy
If you plan on selling your finished pieces, remember to check out the “angel policy” for the rubber stamps you choose. The manufacturer or stamp artist may have restrictions on using the stamped images on items created for sale.
Plan your Design Layout
If you want a certain stamped image to appear in a certain location, like the center of the bracelet, you should plan your design layout.
Depending on the length of leather bracelet you choose, you can plan the layout directly on the bracelet.
Or use the bracelet as a template to trace its shape on paper. Trace several, so you can practice. This is helpful when determining the spacing needed between individual letter stamps when stamping words or names.
Stamp your Design
Place the rubber stamp on the ink pad and press down so the stamp picks up the ink. Repeat several times. Use plenty of ink for a dark image.
Press the stamp firmly on the leather bracelet and hold for a few seconds. Then gently lift off the stamp.
To prevent smudging, allow the ink to dry before stamping the next image. It takes about 3-5 minutes for permanent ink to thoroughly dry, if you can wait that long.
Use plenty of ink for a dark image. Less ink makes for a nice contrast. Or use several different colors of the StazOn ink for your design.
Fixing Mistakes
StazOn ink is permanent. If you make a mistake, you can remove the image with StazOn All Purpose Cleaner. But be cautious, as this cleaner is a solvent and will also remove the dye on the leather bracelet.
When you are finished, use the cleaner to remove the dried ink on the rubber stamps.
Since the StazOn ink is permanent, there is no need to apply a sealer to the bracelet.
Another fast way to make a bracelet is to draw your own design on the leather using Sharpie permanent marking pens.
With ready-made leather bracelets, StazOn ink pads, and your favorite rubber stamps, you can start making your handmade holiday gifts now.
Amy
How to Make Leather Bracelets – Two Finishing Methods
August 12, 2013In this do-it-yourself jewelry-making tutorial, the bracelet blanks from last week’s blog post, “Customizing Tim Holtz idea-ology® Word Bands for a Handmade Look”, combine with Rings & Things’ new leather strips to make two styles of leather cuffs.
Leather Bracelet Style One – A Single-Wrap Bracelet with Drawstring Clasp:
“In the Moment Leather Cuff Bracelet”
You will need the following tools and supplies:
ruler
1/2″ wide leather strip
3mm suede lace
5-ply waxed linen cord
large-hole bead (hole size 4mm)
customized Tim Holtz idea-ology® word bands
Sharpie®, Extra Fine Point
Leather Bracelet Style Two – A Double-Wrap Bracelet with Hitch Clasp:
“The Journey Leather Wrap Bracelet”
You will need the following tools and supplies:
ruler
Sharpie®, Extra Fine Point
1/2″ wide leather strip
5-ply waxed linen cord
customized Tim Holtz idea-ology® word bands
Make things,
Mollie
Easy to Make Lashed Rhinestone and Leather Bracelet
July 10, 2013Making wrapped bracelets just got easier because this simple lashing technique takes just minutes to learn. You can combine leather cord with rhinestone chain for a sophisticated style or use ball chain and leather for an industrial look.
How to Make a Lashed Chain & Leather Bracelet
July 2, 2013Lashed wrapped leather bracelets aren’t just popular because they look great — they’re also a hit because once you know a couple tricks to get started, they are an easy and fun DIY jewelry project to make! A great twist on this hugely popular style is to lash chain instead of beads to leather cord. Read on to make your own leather and chain wrap bracelets! Continue Reading…
Square Peg – DIY Greek Leather Bracelet
April 1, 2013I love this simple, sleek Greek leather bracelet by designer Mollie Valente. And I’m not the only one who appreciates this combination of simplicity and Greek leather — it is the most popular project on our site for the first 3 months of this year!
Swarovski’s Crystal Bronze Shade (see all 79 shapes!) picks up and reflects the hues nearby, and even changes color depending on the intensity and type of light coming into it — it can look bronze, olive, or even a shimmering gray-blue.
This bracelet features four 7.5″ strands of supple olive-green Greek leather:
Hold the 4 strands of Greek leather together with classic center-crimp tubes. To use center-crimp tubes, select a size slightly larger than your cord — for this bracelet, the 4.5mm inner diameter perfectly holds 4 pieces of round 2mm cord. Add a dab of flexible glue to the ends, and firmly crimp the center section of the tube with round-nose or narrow flat-nose pliers.
Use a hook on one end, and an eye (or loop) on the other end of the bracelet.
The square drum beads have a 5mm hole – great for heavy cord and multistrand designs. They are available in 4 plating colors, and a slightly smaller triangular shape too. A large 8mm round jump ring fits nicely around the bead, so you can hang charms, small pendants or beaded dangles.
Browse our Design Gallery for 100’s more jewelry design ideas and techniques (it’s always free — no login required!).
Questions about this or any other design in our Gallery or catalog?
Comment below, or ask us on Facebook! ~Polly
How to make wrapped leather bracelets
March 8, 2011
Let me begin by stating the obvious – this style of wrapped leather bracelet is EVERYWHERE this season. Everywhere! Even my athletic clothing catalogs – which only have maybe three pieces of jewelry – are featuring this style. Why? Because it is casual yet chic and infinitely customizable! The catalog (which shall remain nameless) priced each bracelet at $120. Needless to say, you can make your own for far, far less using supplies from Rings & Things!
The supply list is pretty short:
- 4-6mm round beads We used gemstone beads, but glass, crystal beads or pearls would also be lovely. The number you need depends on how many times you want to wrap the bracelet around your wrist. Larger beads work too – but they will start getting heavy on multiple-wrap styles. All the bracelets pictured in this post use 6mm. Our new wrapped bracelet kits use 4mm beads. <– The kits are great, because once you make your first bracelet, you’ll have plenty of thread and needles left over with which to make many more!
- Leather cord Our examples use Greek leather. Both the 1.5mm and 2mm worked great.
- Thread Needs to be sturdy and able to pass (doubled) through your beads twice. Pick a color that matches your leather or that provides a pretty contrast. We used earth assortment). We now have tubes with all black or all brown bobbins available too!
- Button or bead for the clasp. Rings & Things has some pretty buttons from TierraCast.
- Required tools: needle (size 12 is a good general choice), scissors, work surface with clips or clothespins.
- Optional tools: needle threader, thread conditioner, glue (GS Hypo Cement, Bead Fix or other fabric-friendly adhesive for extra security on your knots).
The technique:
- Choose your bracelet length and cut your leather. The formula is double your finished bracelet length plus extra for making the knots. For single-wrap bracelet, measure your wrist and then triple that number to get the length of leather needed (7″ wrist = 21″ of leather). For a triple-wrap, multiply your wrist by seven (7″ wrist = 49″ leather). It is better to leave your leather too long than to end up with not enough.
- Cut a long piece of thread (10-12 feet) and thread your needle. Knot the end of the threads.
Holding the thread by the knot, let the needle fall to the ground so it is centered on the thread. Fold your piece of leather in half, leaving a loop large enough for your button to fit through. Holding the knot-end of the thread with the leather, tie an overhand knot so that your thread and leather are now connected.
Using binder clips or clothespins, attach your loop to the top of a piece of cardboard. Use a second clip to attach the leather ends to the bottom of your board (leave the thread loose).
Do this 5-6 times, pulling the thread tight around the leather to form a binding. (The pattern could go either way, but since I’m right-handed I’m going to describe it this way. Reverse it if needed!) Here is a close-up of the lashing:
If somehow you come up short, all is not lost. You can tie a disk bead onto just one strand of the leather (use glue to enforce your knot), like on the 2nd bracelet from the left. Or if your ends are really short, use a hook-end crimp, as shown on the pink bracelet on the right.
Other design options:
- String your button or bead clasp first, then tie a series of knots on the end to make the bracelet length adjustable.
- Use jump rings to attach a couple of charms, like on Mollie’s Belle Star bracelet.
- Leave the leather tails long and add beads or decorative knots.
- Substitute a different type of cord for the leather, as in Tracy’s rattail and dragon blood jasper design:
Have fun creating your own wrapped bracelets! You’ll find it is quite addictive once you start. Please feel free to post questions – I will do my best to answer! ~ Cindy
Need supplies? Rings & Things ships around the world! The most popular wrapped leather bracelet supplies are:
- Round gemstone beads | 6mm round glass beads
- 1.5mm Greek Leather cord | 2mm Greek Leather cord
- Thread (size D Super-Lon)
- TierraCast buttons (to use as a clasp)
- Size 12 beading needle
- Or – complete wrapped leather bracelet kits!
Q: “How do you start a new thread in the middle of the bracelet?”
(answers selected from replies to blog comments)
A: It’s best if you can avoid running out of thread (start with 10-12 feet to avoid running out). But if you do, start a few beads back and go through them again. This means you’ll have to go through some of your beads 4x, which (depending on your beads and cord) might be impossible. Other problems are that your bracelet will be weaker than if you were able to use 1 continuous thread, and you’ll be able to see the section that has twice as much cord as the rest of the bracelet.
A2: Get really good at hiding knots in your beads. =)
A3: If you’re down to just a tiny bit of thread, it is going to be hard to tie the ends onto new strands, but if you realize you’re not going to make it and cut off the needle, rethread and knot the strands together, you can probably pull the knot inside of a bead. I hope this makes sense – basically, you’re not “starting anew” but pausing, adding on some extra thread, and picking up right where you left off. 🙂
Edited December 2021 to update links.
DIY Multi Strand Leather Charm Bracelet
December 8, 2015One of my favorite combinations when making bracelets is leather and charms! When deciding what color of leather to use, I chose turquoise because it’s a color that always calms me – plus it seems to work for all seasons. It reminds me of the beach where I would love to be! I decided to make this a multi strand bracelet because the stacked bracelet look is such a huge trend right now. To make your own version of this multi strand leather charm bracelet, read on. It’s easier than you think! Continue Reading…
Easy to Make Leather and Trade Bead Wrap Bracelet
September 17, 2014Making a wrapped-leather bracelet doesn’t have to be difficult or take a lot of time – this colorful African bead bracelet is proof of that. In fact, if you can string beads and tie a simple overhand knot, you can make the “Volta River” Wrap Bracelet. It’s an easy afternoon project!
Gemstone and Leather Cuff Bracelet Tutorial
September 24, 2012How many times do you open up a magazine and see photographs of adventurer type models wearing simple, but chic leather jewelry? I see it quite often when I’m thumbing through the usual magazines at check out while I’m shopping. It’s easy to see why these types of bracelets are oh, so trendy. They’re simple, stackable and easy to customize! Plus leather is pretty durable if you’re like me – a little too hard on your jewelry.
I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make this bracelet in a few photographs!