November 8, 2015

Leather Bracelet with Micro Screws & Nuts Tutorial

Isn't it great to find a project that takes minutes to make but creates a big visual punch? Pair up my bracelet cuff with leather straps for a super simple project that is fun to wear and stack with other bracelet designs. Micro screws and nuts make this a no-fail project with very minimal tools and no riveting experience needed!
Supplies
Bracelet cuff
8” 19 gauge steel wire
2 15mm brass jump rings
10” leather strap ½” wide
18mm x 20mm copper E hook clasp
4 micro 1” screw and nut sets



Metal punch
Wire cutters
Scissors
Bench block
Ball peen hammer
Find leather, E hook clasp, jump rings, micro screw and nuts at Lima Beads
Bracelet cuffs from Humblebeads.etsy.com
Use 4" of steel wire to create a wrapped bail on the bracelet cuff. Repeat on the other side. 

1. Attach the 15mm jump ring to each end of the bracelet cuff.  Cut the leather strap in half. String one leather strap through the 15mm jump ring and fold the end of the leather strap over at 1/2” from the end. Punch a hole through the overlapped leather pieces ¼” from the jump ring. Make sure the punch goes through both pieces of leather. 

Tip: Always punch the hole from the top of the leather strap.

2. Thread the bolt through the leather straps with the finished end facing up on top of the leather straps.

3. Thread on the nut on the bolt on the back of the leather.

4. Use chain nose pliers to tighten the nut securely.

5. Trim off the end of the bolt wire cutters flush to the nut.  

6. Place the bracelet with the nut side up on top of the bench block, lightly tap the cut off end of the bolt with the ball peen hammer to flatten the end slightly.  

7. Measure the straps to fit your wrist with 1/2” extra leather on each side, trim leather to shorten if needed. Thread the closed end of the  E hook clasp through the end of one of the straps, fold the strap over and punch a hole a 1/4” from the clasp. Repeat step 4. & 5. to secure the leather loop.

8. Repeat step 7 on the other side of the leather strap, making a loop with the 1/2” of leather without inserting the clasp.



Order more leather, screws and clasps than you think you'll need because these bracelets are addictive and you'll want to whip up a pile of them!!!! 

November 7, 2015

Autumn Flowers Inspiration

The Art Bead Scene's challenge this month is a silk screen print by Marguerite Zorach.  With a background in printmaking this piece really called to me as labor of love from the artist. With the muted colors and modern design elements I knew right away that I would want to make beads inspired by the art. I printed this out and went to the studio to dig in and see what I could create. 

I pulled out some bead molds that reminded me the leaves, flowers and ferns in the painting and created them in autumn hues.

I mixed up some colors in polymer that matched the color palette I created for the ABS. (It will be on the blog tomorrow.) And pulled out some canes that fit the leafy theme for a very limited edition of these Autumn Floral disk beads. Love these! May have to keep a set for myself.


 Feathers in the navy blue and jade pulled from the print.


And I love the ferns stuck in the floral arrangement so I wanted to pull out these fern charms in the navy and copper hues.

I had this mold in the beadmaking stash from something I made years ago that never fit what I wanted for the project at the time. But when I was digging in those molds this week I instantly saw it updated in the new colors and knew it would be perfect. These are my favorite from this week's beadmaking adventures.  I love how they feel like a mid-century pattern. I'd love a skirt or scarf made with this design.

And looking at the inspiration print I couldn't help but think of my Bonbon beads. So I mixed up my favorite colors from the print and got to work on a new batch. Perfectly autumn, don't you think?

So that's what I created for this month's ABS challenge. I'm also a sponsor for this month's round and have donated a $50 Humblebeads.com gift certificate. I hope you'll play along this month!

New beads can be found in my Etsy shop.