Creative articles about sewing

Make your own leather bracelet

(The text for “Make your own leather bracelet” is a translation of the original post on our Dutch blog. You can find the original at the link below.)
https://blog.bernina.com/nl/2020/01/leren-armbanden-maken-op-een-bernina-naaimachine/ 

Would you like to work with difficult materials such as leather? BERNINA sewing machines have no problem sewing through leather and can also process several layers of denim with ease. Why not find out for yourself by visiting your local BERNINA dealer and trying out our sewing machines in person?

We decided to use vegetable-tanned leather. It is a high-quality leather tanned using natural minerals such as those found in bark. This leather has the advantage that it becomes more supple and beautiful (in terms of the color, feel and appearance) the more it is worn. It is a leather that lives up to its promises. It is better for the environment and for us.

Material für Lederarmband

You will need

  • Leather strap 23.5 cm x 3.5 cm
  • Sewing thread for the bobbin and embroidery thread for the upper thread for the decorative stitches
  • BERNINA sewing machine
  • Leather needles 130/705H
  • All types of notions, such as ribbons, small strings of beads, bias tape, decorative ribbon with tassels or pompoms, etc.
  • Roller foot #51
  • Zigzag foot with non-stick sole #52
  • Bulky overlock foot #12C
  • Punch pliers
  • Snap fasteners (1 female, 2 male)
  • Scissors

Dimensions of the leather bracelet
Massangaben Lederarmband

Snap fasteners

We attached the snap fasteners onto the strap before sewing the decorative stitches, but this can also be done afterwards. Make sure that the individual parts of the snap fasteners are on top of each other. We placed the female snap 1 cm to the left of the edge and the male snaps 1.5 cm to the right of the edge and 1 cm further in (see diagram). This allows you to adjust the bracelet as you like to make it tighter or looser.

Decorative stitches

BERNINA sewing machines come with a large number of built in decorative stitches. You can sew these onto your leather bracelet in different color combinations. Melange threads add an extra wow factor. Another great idea for your leather bracelet is to combine decorative stitches with lettering, and this can be programmed directly using the BERNINA sewing machine’s Combi Mode.

Notions

You can achieve a nice effect by sewing ribbons and straps onto the leather bracelet using decorative stitches or by threading beads onto ribbons and then sewing them on.

If you want to decorate the leather bracelet with tassels or pompoms, make sure you place the ribbon straight on the leather bracelet to avoid any crooked seams. It is important to position the needle all the way to the right. Also make sure the foot is always fully on the leather, as otherwise the seams may become uneven or distorted.

Strickwarenfuß # 12C

Zigzag foot with non-stick sole #52 and Roller foot #51 are both suitable for sewing on leather. To sew beads or thick thread onto the leather bracelet, we used Bulky overlock foot #12C. The built-in slot allows the string of beads or thick thread to simply slide through and it is then attached with a zigzag stitch. This creates a great 3D effect.

These are just a few examples of possible ideas, but you can let your imagination run wild. The sky’s the limit when you’re making your own leather bracelet!
Varianten von Lederarmbändern

 

Free sewing instructions: Make your own leather bracelet

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