Painted Leather Cuffs (Plus a Paint-Free Bonus DIY!)

Yesterday, I posted a tutorial for a leather & chain cuff, and said I'd post more ideas.

Today I'm bringing you painted leather cuffs, in two styles--plus a bonus, paint-free style, for those who don't trust themselves with a paintbrush!

These can look a little daintier, and you can go wild with colour combinations--your only limit is the colours of leather/paint you can get your hands on!

As I mentioned yesterday, this is a good upcycling project for bags/garments no longer usable, and you can use faux leather too.

Version One

You'll need:
Leather scraps
Acrylic paint & paintbrush
Clasp*
Jump rings
Jewellery pliers
Hole punching tool
Rotary cutter, quilting ruler & cutting mat OR scissors, ruler and pen**

*I used a lobster clasp here, but toggle clasps are easier to fasten one-handed, so if you're shopping for new clasps, go for those!

**Alternatively, you could cut out the cuff using pinking shears, for a cool zig-zag edge!

1. Cut leather strip to the size you want the cuff:
Loose cuff: length to match your wrist measurement
Fit to wrist: wrist measurement minus clasp size

2. Mix up your acrylic paint with a couple of drops of water, and carefully paint on your design.

3. Once the paint is dry, punch a small hole either end of the cuff and attach the clasp, using jump rings.

And you're done! It's possible to make a batch of these in 30 minutes, because the process is really simple. They'd make good gifts for friendship groups!

Version Two

You'll need:
As listed above, plus:
Scrap of chain

1. Cut a small piece of leather. The one in the picture is approx 2 .75" x 0.75"

2. Paint on your design and leave it to dry

3. Punch a small hole either end of the leather, and attach a piece of chain to each end, using jump rings. (I used 2" for a loose fit, though 1.75" would have been better).

4. To finish, add a clasp to the loose chain ends.

Bonus:

You'll need:
Leather scrap
Flat spacer bars
Clasp
Jump rings
Eyelet kit
Jewellery pliers
Multipurpose glue (E6000 is good!)
Rotary cutter, quilting ruler & cutting mat OR scissors, ruler and pen

1. Cut a piece of leather, wrist measurement x desired cuff width.
Remember if you're going for a wider cuff, you'll need to measure the wider part of your wrist!

2. Glue on the spacer bars as decoration, wiping off excess glue asap.

3. Attach an eyelet either end of the cuff, and use jump rings to attach the clasp.


That's it for today! I have one more cuff DIY left to share (though more ideas that I haven't got around to making yet) which I'll post at the weekend!

I hope this post has inspired you!

Others:
Leather & Chain Cuff
Vintage-Style Leather Cuff