Just finished making this pink pearl and crystal leather wrap bracelet and I love wearing it!
Click on any of the pics to see them bigger.
I pretty much followed the directions for the “Leather and Luxe” bracelet in the January issue of Bead Style Magazine, substituting beads that I had on hand. The button was one from my grandmother’s button jar.
I also used 1 mm leather cord that I had on hand, rather than 1.5 mm. Worked just fine. 🙂
The pink pearls are ones I dyed a while back. You can learn how easy it is to do in this Custom Dyed Pearls video.
I did order the pink silk cord from ArtBeads.com, but think I’ll try other cords/threads for a future bracelet. Any suggestions for materials?
Keep in mind that the 2 meter card of silk cord was just enough to make a double wrap bracelet. If you want to make a bracelet with more wraps, you’ll need more cord.
Although the directions in the magazine were great, I learned a few other tips from watching this video. The most helpful thing I found was to tape both ends down to your table. This makes managing the wraps much easier.
The process was repetitive but relaxing. Once you get the pattern down it’s very simple. Next, I think I’ll make a triple wrap bracelet with all mixed metal beads. Let me know if you give this a try!
To figure how much leather cord you need, take your wrist measurement and double it. Multiply that by the number of wraps you want and add 12 inches.
So, for the triple wrap bracelet I’m going to make:
7 inch wrist x 2= 14 inches
14 inches x 3 wraps= 42 inches
42 + 12 = 54 inches leather cord
Happy creating!
Another winner! The gradations of pink look so pretty with the black. Did you not make a video of this one?
I didn’t make a video because I was following someone else’s instructions. I got the directions mostly from the magazine article (from the library) and from the online video. There are loads of videos out there for this style bracelet.
I have never been a pink lovin’ girl, but lately I find I like it more and more. I like your bracelet better than the one on the Bead Style website. I’ve been wanting to make one for myself for ages and have watched several videos and read different instructions on blogs, websites etc. But I have yet to get materials and give it a go. Most of the ones I’ve seen use either waxed linen (more rustic perhaps?) or beading thread. Does the silk thread add to the “luxe” factor?
I stopped wearing pink for years, but now, suddenly it’s back. Dunno why, but I’m liking it. 🙂
I’m not sure about the luxe factor with the silk. I thought of trying embroidery floss, which I have plenty of, but was concerned that the cotton would fray too easily. I have a couple spools of Tire silk thread, and started the bracelet with two strands of that, but decided to order the recommended product, just to see how thick it is. If I can’t find the silk cord locally, I may use some silk thread I have for hand quilting for the next bracelet.
Did they use waxed linen for the sides of the bracelet (where mine is black)? Or was it for going through the beads?
Hi Sandy, there was a free tutorial on the Making Bracelets blog and if I remember correctly, she used the waxed linen instead of leather cording and nymo thread for the stitching.
I just saw that Bead World is selling wrap bracelets kits in fun colours.
I went and took a look at their kits. Waxed linen would be great with earthy colors for a great boho look.
That being said, I think nicer components (leather, better quality beads, and the silk cord) add up to a nicer looking result. Just my opinion, theirs do seem popular enough, for sure!