Jewelry Series: Unisex Leather bracelets- beaded / braided / cuffed

Learn to make different types of bracelets in the bohemian style using leather (or cord if you wish).

Braided Bracelet:  Braiding is the easiest way to make unique bracelets.

You will need: A pack of 3, 1mm leather cord from Michaels (they have different color choices), Hot glue, cord closures (this is the one I got but in rhodium instead of silver; Michaels Closures), Round nose pliers for jewelry

What you do: 

• Wrap the cords from all colors around your wrist twice to get the right measurement. Cut the cords.
• Leaving an inch from one end, bunch all cords together to create a knot.                                  
• Place this end between your ties and start braiding (for those who do not know to braid, please follow the simple video below; I found it on a random google video search but it helps simplify and explain braiding).                                                                        
• Once your cord is braided till about an inch is left on the other end, pick up your closure set. Add a drop of hot glue inside the closures and place the ends in. Press firmly till the glue hardens.                                                                                                                 
• Use the pliers to gently squeeze in the hook on the closure so the other end doesn’t slip out.

Feel free to embellish with beads or sequins in the middle of your braids 🙂

TUTORIAL FOR BRAIDING

 

Beaded Bracelet: This takes a little more work and patience. You will need leather cording (1mm thickness) and wooden beads with big openings (the cord should fit twice inside the bead, I got mine with a 10mm thickness).

What you do:

• Measure the cord twice around your wrist and cut out the length (you will need 2 cords).  Form a knot on one end of both cords.
• Attach one bead through one of the cords (the gold one in my image) and push it all the way to the knot.
• Pass the free end of the white cord through the bead gently pulling the 2 cords so the bead is taut against the knot.
  

  
• Put both ends through the 2nd bead and push it up against the first.
  

  
• Attach the third bead through the free end of the white (alternating from the previous step with the gold). Push the free gold end through the bead and pull the cord so the bead lines up against the previous one.
  

  
• Repeat the above steps with 15-20 more beads until you have about 5 inches left on your ends.
• Make a loop by knotting the one of the cords and cut off the excess from both (make sure your loop is big enough to slide over the first bead but not too big for to it slip out).
  

  

 

Leather Cuffs: They look great, especially with shirts and boots on and you can ad your own flair to them.

All you need is some leather – from old belts, sections from old jackets / pants or just buy a bag of leather scraps from the craft store, hot glue, snap on fastener kit from Michaels (you will find it in the thread / knitting section. This is what I purchased; it’s a kit and shows you how to attach the fasteners: Snap Fastener Kit),

What you do:

• Dig out your old, worn bracelets or scraps of leather you have and wrap them around your wrist for accurate measurement. Cut out your leather making sure to leave on an extra 2-3 inches. You can cut them in whatever shape you like – rectangle, diamond, oval etc.
• You can cut a few slits within the cuff with a blade to add some dimension or just leave it plain. (I made some slits with an X-Acto knife starting from one end till an inch before the other end).                                                                                                                       
• Follow the instructions on the fastener kit and attach them. Make sure to accurately mark the spots on both ends for the fasteners prior to adding. (You will attach the sharp pronged circle on the inner side of your cuff, put the bigger corresponding circle with the protrusion on the outer side and use the tool to press the 2 together. Do the same on the other end with the smaller snap closing smaller circle. The instructions on the kit are detailed and have images to help).
  

  

  

  

  

  
  I made one more brown one with the fasteners and added 2 rows of snap openings to make it tighter if I need to.                                                                                                                   
• I made 2 black ones with some spare black leather but this time I used fabric adhesive (available at any craft store) instead of the fasteners just to try something different. This doesn’t work as well but it is easier to stick on and attach to your wrist (perfect for temporary cuffs).