DIY Stitched Leather Bracelet ~ Monthly Crafty Destash Challenge

It’s time for another Monthly Crafty Destash Challenge!  For this month, I’m using up some leather & faux leather scraps leftover from various projects.  I’ll also be able to use some of my jewelry findings, which have been sitting around way too long!  This DIY stitched leather bracelet was quick & easy.  I think it may make it into some gift packages this Christmas!

Every month, a group of bloggers challenge each other to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies!  Rules are to use mostly things from your stash & up to $10 in extra supplies if needed.  Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge

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Materials

I’ve collected this box of leather & faux leather scraps over many years.  Some of them are left from upholstery projects & some are left from costumes.

I’ve also collected quite a few jewelry findings over the years.  If I find some I like or see a good deal, they tend to find their way into my shopping cart!  I like to keep them in little baggies divided by type & metal tone.  This makes it much easier to find just what I need!

I’m also using my Singer 4423 Heavy Duty machine for today’s project.  It’s not a necessity to do this project, but it makes it much easier!  You will need either a denim or leather needle to do this.  I’ve found the denim needle works just fine for thinner leathers.

I picked out these scraps to start with.  The light faux ostrich skin is left over from recovering my grandmother-in-laws dining room chairs.  The other two & the faux alligator skin were samples I got when trying to decide what to use!

Most of this is faux leather, but I have a little bit of real leather.  You can tell the difference by looking at the back.  The real leather has a more textured look on the back {piece to right with pointed top}.  Faux leather has more of a woven, fabric look on the back, like the center, yellow colored piece.

Once I decided what pieces to use, it was time to cut them up & lay them out!

Cutting & Stitching

I liked the shape of the pointed piece of leather, so I cut it down to about 2 1/2″ long.  This was based on how I wanted it to fit on my wrist.

I did use my rotary cutter & ruler to cut these pieces.  However, I have a larger, 60mm rotary cutter reserved for heavier fabrics.

Leather & faux leather can be grip onto a ruler, so it’s better to turn it with the back facing up.  This leaves the grippy side on the mat & keeps it from wanting to move with the ruler.

I cut two 1″ x 1 1/2″ pieces of the faux ostrich skin & two 1″ x 1″ pieces of the faux alligator skin.  This will be layered on top of the center piece  I like the contrast of the different tones & textures!

I just eyeballed the placement.  The only thing I didn’t want was 3 layers stacked because it would be tougher to sew through.

I’m using jean topstitch thread in red clay.  I set my machine to the longest stitch & stitched around the edges of the center piece.  Start & stop on a side that will be covered by the next piece.

As you can see, any holes punched by the needle are there to stay!  Go slow to avoid mistakes.  Lucky for me this will be covered by the next piece too!  ; )

I used a glue stick to help hold things in place while I sewed.  You still need to do one piece at a time to help keep things in place.  Here’s the center piece all stitched down ~>

When the center was finished, I added 1/2″ strips to each side to make a strap.  My wrist is 7″ around, which is what the overall bracelet measures.

I like my bracelets looser, so once I add the clasp it will be just right!

Findings & Finishing

I picked findings in a copper tone for the clasps.  A set of small, jewelers pliers is useful when working with jewelry findings.

Make sure to open chain loops & jump rings to the side.  This doesn’t put as much stress on the loop.

I attached the jump ring & chain with a double looped piece of jean thread.  Insert each stitch close to the entry point to make the loops more secure.

And here’s the finished bracelet!

This is how it looks on an arm – well – my arm!

Here’s the back…

It does have a masculine feel & my son even liked it.  I think it could go either way!

Different Version

How about one more?  I made this bracelet out of mauve naugahyde I have hanging out in my stash for some strange reason.  I cut the naugahyde to 1 3/4″ x 7″ & marked a 1/2″ stopping point at each end on the back.  Then I marked 1/2″ from the top & bottom & 1/4″ spacing in the middle.

To keep my rotary cutter from going too far, I aligned my ruler with the 1/2″ markings on each end.  Then I used scissors to get closer to the marking.

Once I had the slits cut, I wove small pieces of contrasting leather between the slits.  I top-stitched around the edges using a dark red denim thread.

These findings were sewn on by hand as well & I rounded the corners slightly with some scissors.

I really like how these turned out!  I’ve got some other ideas swirling in my head, so you may see more of these in the future!

I managed to only used items from my stash for the 3rd month in a row!  Yay me!  : D

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If you’d like to join in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge, you can request to join our Facebook group here!

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