Modern technologies allow you to create leather patterns of any complexity with your own hands, resulting in real masterpieces from this noble material. The variety of options for crafts for which leather can be used is striking in its wide range.
Since ancient times, leather has been actively used in handicrafts, giving things practicality, durability, and insulating properties. Making small leather things with your own hands - hairpins, brooches, accessories, sewing wallets, business card holders, phone cases from leather is now at the peak of popularity largely due to the special properties of this material: strength, beautiful appearance, elasticity.
Choosing a skin for creativity
In order for handmade leather products to be beautiful and functional, you need to responsibly approach the choice of material for needlework. Leather can be natural or artificial. The appearance of crafts or products depends on how “rich” the source material looks.
Leather varies in thickness:
- thick leather looks good in graphic products - cases, belts, etc.;
- soft leather lends itself to drapery, molding, used for brooches, bracelets, accessories, appliqués on clothes, etc.
Suede, nubuck, velor, smooth or embossed leather - a wide choice of material textures will help to interestingly beat the design of the product.
The nuances of sewing leather
Leather is a specific material that does not forgive mistakes when sewing. For beginners who dream of creating small things, objects, leather accessories according to patterns, you need to consider the following rules for working with genuine leather:
- Use special tools for work: leather needles, awl, cutting knife, thimble.
- Choose strong linen threads.
- Check patterns, patterns, templates for accuracy before sewing: each puncture with a needle leaves a noticeable mark on the skin.
- Glue is applied to the previously degreased skin surface.
- Any operation, about which there is doubt, should be tested on unnecessary flaps.
Viewing photos of the stages of creating interesting leather items shown in our master classes will charge the novice craftswomen and leatherworking professionals with a positive creative mood. The leather patterns collected from us are distinguished by the originality and design of finished items. Available master classes will give you pleasure from the manufacturing process and directly resulting leather products.
In ancient times, leather craftsmanship was popular. And today nothing has changed: leather clothing and accessories are considered fashion trends. If you only knew how many designer leather things you can make! Let's look at how to make leather goods with your own hands. For beginner needlewomen, this information will be useful.
If you decide to learn how to make leather crafts with your own hands, then at first it is better to choose light models for beginners. Today there are a huge number of varieties of leather. Old jackets, bags and belts can be safely converted into a modern piece of clothing or a stylish accessory. The main thing is to be patient and master some skills.
So, before we study a few detailed master classes, I would like to pay special attention to the main aspects of working with leather:
- Absolutely any skin is suitable for work, even small pieces.
- To remove stubborn stains or dirt from the surface of the skin, it is better to use ordinary running water and a sponge.
- Any stain removers or detergents have a detrimental effect on the skin, making it rough and brittle.
- To soften the skin and make it more elastic, the front surface of the material can be treated with glycerin.
- To connect individual parts, you can use special rivets, clips, threads.
- If you need to make a seam, then it is better to use a sewing machine.
- Choose the right gauge needles to avoid making too large holes in the skin.
- If you want the product to be neat and stylish, use special tools, in particular, a punch, hole punch, tongs, stamps, a hammer and a vise.
- It is better to cut out individual parts from leather on a dense surface; a cutting board is ideal for this.
- You can decorate leather products with various accessories: sequins, beads, beads, rhinestones, metal clips, buttons, laces, etc.
- To make the edges of leather crafts look even, they can be processed with a cord or burned with fire.
Recently, hand-made crafts have been very much appreciated, so this handmade product will be a great gift or a designer decoration for your everyday style. From leather flaps, you can simulate a huge number of items, for example:
- casket;
- belt;
- hairpin;
- brooch;
- handbag;
- housekeeper;
- key rings;
- bracelet;
- necklace;
- earrings;
- panel;
- flower arrangements, etc.
Author's model of a designer bag
Many needlewomen who are just starting to master leather crafts are interested in what can be made from leather. The choice of product depends solely on your imagination and skills. Today we will learn how to make a bag. This clutch bag will be a great addition to your evening or everyday look.
Necessary materials:
- leather cut of the right size;
- scissors;
- stationery knife;
- clips;
- kapron threads;
- sewing machine;
- appropriate gauge needles.
Original accessory for every day
Recently, as already mentioned, leather accessories and jewelry have become very relevant and fashionable. Many of the fairer sex choose leather necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings to complete their look and emphasize their individuality. Today we will learn how to model handmade leather products. Let's make a bracelet with our own hands. Such decoration will be in harmony with almost any clothing.
Necessary materials:
- pieces of leather of various colors;
- rivets;
- fastener or adhesive tape;
- decor items;
- nail;
- lighter.
Step by step description of the creative process:
DIY leather goods: ideas
More experienced craftsmen make complex designs, while those who are just starting out or have been doing this for a short time can make beautiful things that are simpler in structure.
Here are just a small part of the interesting and simple products that you can make from leather, even if you do not have much experience:
Leather handicrafts: leather necklace
You will need:
Revolving hole punch
Scissors
1. Using scissors, cut a piece of leather into several triangles of different shapes.
2. Use glue to stick all the triangles together as you like and wait for the glue to dry.
3. Hole punch with make holes in the workpiece. Insert the chain into these holes.
* If some leather parts are bent, put the item under a heavy book for a few hours.
4. With pliers, you can bend one ring in the chain and connect the ends.
Leather master class: keychain and key vase
You will need:
small piece of skin
6 rivets
Key ring
Stationery knife
Scissors.
Making a vase
1. Prepare a small leather rectangle - in this example, it measures 22 cm x 30 cm.
2. Pinch one corner, make a hole in it and insert the rivet. The hole can be made with a hole punch or a sharp object (knife, nail).
3. Repeat step 2 for the remaining three corners.
Making a keychain
1. Prepare a small leather rectangle, and cut out a small part from it as shown in the image below. You will get a rectangle with a "tail".
2. Bend the ponytail and secure it with a rivet to make a small loop.
* For those who are not familiar with how to work with rivets, there is a video:
How to put a rivet (video)
3. Using a pencil and a ruler, mark the lines along which you will cut the fringe.
4. Start cutting lines with a utility knife or scissors.
* In this example, a rivet is attached to the center of the product, but it is much easier to use leather glue or superglue to then twist and secure the parts.
5. Twist your leather piece around the loop and secure it with glue.
6. You can thread the chain through the loop, and use the keychain not only for a bunch of keys, but also for decorating a handbag.
A similar keychain that is attached with glue and decorates the handbag:
What can be made from leather: hair bow
You will need:
Scrunchy
Scissors
Ruler
Thin wire.
1. Using a ruler, cut a strip of leather. The length of the strip is about 40 cm, and the width is about 4 cm.
2. Make the ends of the strip sharp by cutting them a little with scissors.
3. Lay the strip over the hair tie and secure the pieces together using thin wire. The hair band should be in the middle of the strip.
4. Put the blank on the ponytail and tie a double knot from the ends of the leather strip (see image).
How to make leather earrings
You will need:
Leather (large pieces)
Carnation pins (with a hat on which a leather blank will be glued)
Superglue or leather glue
Scissors.
1. Cut out small pieces of different geometric shapes from leather.
2. Glue each piece to the stud hat.
3. Wait for the glue to dry.
Leather belt. Option 1.
You will need:
Leather strip
Button (or rivet, hairpin, carnation)
Paints, brush and olive oil (optional)
Scissors
Stationery knife or carved knife.
* In this example, the leather strip has been dyed blue. It is not necessary to do this, you can leave the natural color.
* If you decide to dye your leather, then apply several layers each time the previous layer dries. After that, apply olive oil for smoothing.
1. Wrap the leather strip around your waist and mark with a pencil where the two ends of the strip intersect. You can make the belt a little longer.
2. Make a hole in the marked area to insert the rivet.
3. Use a utility knife to make a small incision (5-6 mm). This will allow the rivet to go through.
4. It remains to fix the ends of the leather blank and the belt is ready.
* If desired, you can round the ends of the belt with scissors.
How to sew a leather belt with your own hands. Option 2.
You will need:
Hammer
Knife (can be clerical)
2 rivets
D-ring
1. Cut off a long piece of leather. Its width is equal to the width of the D-ring.
2. Mark the place where the rivets will be and make 4 holes in it.
3. Now slide the belt through the D-ring and drive in the rivets with a hammer.
DIY leather bracelet
If you have leather scraps lying around or have a leather bag that you are not going to wear, then you can easily make a beautiful bracelet with your own hands.
All you need to do is measure your wrist and cut out a rectangular piece of the right size.
Also cut out circles from the leather to decorate the bracelet.
In addition, you will need:
Fastener or Velcro
Decorative elements.
Photo instructions for making a bracelet:
Mini wallet (purse) made of genuine leather
You will need:
2 pieces of leather in different shades
Stationery knife
Ruler
Place for cutting (old table or special cover for a regular table)
* Cut the leather blank in a way that does not spoil or damage the coating on which you do it.
Thread and needle (or sewing machine)
1. Cut two rectangles of different colors from different pieces of leather. In this example, they measure 10 cm x 8 cm.
2. Take the rectangle that will be in front of the wallet and make 3 cuts on it (in this example, their length is 6 cm). The first incision should be made 1 cm from the top and each subsequent incision is at a distance of 0.5 cm from the previous one.
3. Using a sewing machine, join the two pieces of leather, making a stitch around the perimeter, except for the top.
Handmade leather: jewelry pouch
You will need:
Hole punch (eye pliers)
Eyelets
thin tape
Scissors
small bowl
Amulet or bead
1. Put the bowl on a piece of leather and circle it.
2. Cut off the drawn circle.
3. With a hole punch, make holes around the perimeter as shown in the image. In this example, the holes are spaced approximately 2.5 cm apart.
Who does not know how to install eyelets with special tongs, watch the video:
How to install eyelets
4. Start installing eyelets in all holes made.
5. Pass a thin piece of tape through each hole.
6. Z pull the tape and dadd a bead or amulet to it, and then tie the ribbon into a knot or bow.
7. You can cut off excess pieces of tape.
DIY leather handbag
Leather is a very plastic material from which you can create a lot of beautiful things. Many people have old leather jackets, bags, trousers, etc. at home that are worn out and out of fashion. And it seems you won’t wear it, and it’s a pity to throw it away. From such things, amazing jewelry made of leather with your own hands can come out.
Weaving stripes
For beginners, the simplest options are suitable, which will allow you to adapt to the material itself and tools.
For example, here is a bracelet. For him you will need:
- a piece of leather, preferably clean, without scuffs;
- skin glue;
- scissors, better tailors;
- a thread;
- needle;
- awl, sharp needle. Maybe even a hole punch.
We measure the circumference of the wrist. We cut a strip of leather of the appropriate length and a width of 2.5-3 cm.
For convenience, we fold it in half and cut the workpiece into three parts along, not reaching the edges of a centimeter two.
We skip one end alternately between the first and second strips, and the second, and third. Thus, braiding a pigtail.
Then we round the ends of the bracelet and make a hole on each. We pass a thin strip of leather through them. The bracelet is ready, you can tie it on a bow, or you can cut out a mount from the same leather, as shown in the photo below.
But such a simple boho necklace will decorate a laconic look.
Heat treatment
The following master class will demonstrate how, by frying the skin in a pan, you can make a beautiful flower that will look good as a brooch, pendant, ring and earrings.
Required material and tools:
- skin cuts;
- PVA glue;
- hot glue gun;
- acrylic paints;
- scissors;
- tweezers;
- paper for creating patterns;
- pen or pencil.
We draw flowers of different sizes on paper and cut out the number of blanks from the skin, as indicated in the photo. You will also need leaves and strips folded in half, cut into fringes.
Putting the pan on medium heat, put the blanks on them face up. After a while, they will begin to rise, become more rounded, then we press the middle with the tip of a knife. After the parts begin to shrink, remove them from the pan.
On the blanks of the leaves with a hot knife, we denote the veins.
We form the desired flowers.
Then, if desired, we paint the resulting parts, preferably with a sponge, since the brush will leave stains. It will be more interesting if you use gold paint as the main background, interspersed with bronze, and tint the leaf a little green.
If we want to make a bracelet, then we take a ready-made base for it, from a store, made from improvised materials, for example, a scotch tape reel, a strip of thick cardboard. It will need to be covered with leather, glued to the glue.
Then we collect all the details together, either with a thread and a needle, or with glue.
And this is how the set of bracelet, ring and earrings looks like:
Also, by heat treatment, but without a frying pan, you can create just such a magnificent chrysanthemum.
As a heating tool, a blunt knitting needle, the non-sharp side of the knife and a candle are suitable.
We cut out the details, as in the photo. Moreover, the upper strip should be like this, at first thin and without teeth. Its width is about 3 cm, and its length is about 30 cm. The triangles should turn out to be three sizes, slightly smaller than each other.
Round off the ends of the teeth. You can also make them triangular.
The skin can be toned in the desired color. Walk on the leaves also in green.
Now let's start heating. We take a heated knitting needle and draw along each clove, pulling it. Thus, we get a partially folded tube. We make veins on the leaves.
Flower assembly. On the circle of the base, first we glue large petals, then medium and small ones, filling everything towards the center. Then we twist the strip with teeth, on some turns you can glue it. And we fix the resulting core in the center.
Attach the leaves to the back. And if you want to make a brooch, then the appropriate mount.
Skin coloring
Such skin can be additionally dyed and cut into a fringe, after which the following ethnic earrings can be created.
Again, it is better to use acrylic paints for painting, they dry quickly.
Another version of these earrings:
Additional decor
By adding beads, rhinestones, studs, waxed laces, etc., you can create the following decorations.
You can even cut out the inscriptions on the front side of the strip.
The skin itself can become a kind of bead. Cut out two rectangles of different sizes, for example 5 and 4 cm. Assemble it into an accordion by stringing it on a thread. In this case, it is necessary to fix the knots on both sides.
Alternate the leather element with beads of different sizes and materials.
Install a mount at the ends and you get either a necklace or a bracelet.
In this article, only a few techniques and decoration options are given. However, they will also allow you to create a variety of jewelry that will give some ethnicity to any image. Jewelry looks noble and expensive. Undoubtedly, they will become a wonderful addition not only to your collection, but also as a gift will delight loved ones and friends.
Video on the topic of the article
Leather is an affordable and pliable material to work with. Even a child can create handmade leather products. Old bags, scraps from boots, gloves or belts will fit into the job. To create a large product, it is recommended to buy a single piece of leather in a specialized store.
Action algorithm
To make any souvenir products at home, you need to prepare material for a future leather product. An old bag or other item is torn at the seams, and each piece is wiped clean with a soft brush and soap. Then the pieces should be rinsed in a solution of water with vinegar and salt. The cleaned material must be well dried.
Clean and dry skin is to be dyed. Most often, oil-based paints, markers or nail polish are used for this. Genuine leather products of light colors can take on almost any shade.
Stencil preparation procedure: in order to start working on crafts from this material, it is advisable to cut the stencil out of cardboard in advance. The prepared template is applied to the skin from the wrong side. After that, the outlined part is cut out. By constantly using a stencil in your work, you can learn how to make leather products with complex and numerous elements.
After all the structural elements are cut out, you should start processing the edges. For this action, a paraffin or wax candle is perfect. It is worth holding the craft for a few seconds over its fire.
In order to glue all the available parts, it is recommended to use Moment glue. If there are additional materials in the form of cardboard, paper or pieces of fabric, it is advisable to purchase PVA glue. A good tip before gluing is to treat the future leather product with acetone with your own hands.
How to decorate a craft? At this final stage, the craftswoman resorts to the help of her imagination and can use any decorative elements: sequins, beads or sparkles.
What to do with spots on the skin
If spots have formed on the necessary piece of skin, you can try to remove them with improvised means. Leather products are often subject to household grease, which can be easily washed off with gasoline or thinner.
If you find stains from a ballpoint pen, you should resort to a mixture of alcohol and acetic acid. If these ingredients are not at hand, wet salt is poured onto the craft and wiped with a sponge for washing dishes.
Cleaned leather products are ironed with an iron, which should be warm, after laying a layer of fabric.
How to make a bracelet yourself
The first step is to think over a sketch of your masterpiece. To do this, you need to draw it on thick paper. Fashion trends can be a hint.
Do not forget about the comfortable clasp. Basically, female representatives prefer to resort to buttons for the convenience of removing jewelry. After drawing a sketch on cardboard, you need to accurately measure all the dimensional components, be sure to leave an allowance for the fastener.
The next step is to transfer the image to the skin. To do this, the layout is cut out, applied to a flap of skin and circled with soap. Almost finished crafts are cut with scissors. The most difficult thing for a leather product with your own hands is the installation of a button. To do this, you need a special device that, by pressing, cuts the clasp into the skin. A simple solution would be to sew in a regular fastener yourself, but with tracking the accuracy of the running seam.
At the final stage, the craft is decorated to the taste of each hostess. It can be rhinestones or beads.
Making a rose out of leather
Future petals are drawn on the prepared skin flap, there should be at least ten of them, small and large, and carefully cut out. Then all the details are fired over a candle flame in such a way that they are slightly wrapped.
The first small petal is filled with glue and folded into a tube - it will become the middle of the flower. Each subsequent one is glued to the middle. An important note will be the exposure of one line to get exactly the rose. At the end, the product can be sprinkled with glitter hairspray.