Braided Bracelet

[anne newkold]

Hope these are better pictures. One is the first braclet I made and then the barette. The other picture is the necklace I did in Rene's class and YES the stone is Leather too. the purple one is one that Clay made for me putting a concho in the middle.

[anne newkold]

Here are my instructions, Sorry no pictures yet as it is a bad essential tremor day and getting clear pictures is just not happening.

Anne Newkold Braided Bracelet

Tool and Material list:

Strap Cutter used to make to cut a strip ½” wide

3/4 or 4/5 oz Leather

Round end punch

Edge Beveler

Slicker

Rotary punch

3/32 lace

Lacing Needle

Scalpel

Barge Cement

Carnauba Cream

Soft Brush (like a shoe shine brush)

Cut leather strip to ½” wide. Cut to length of the distance around your wrist.

Using ½” round end punch to round both ends.

Using smallest hole on your rotary Punch; punch you will make 2 holes in one end and 3 in the other approx. 5/16” apart.

Use your Edger to bevel all the way around top and bottom side. Slick both end just past the inside holes.

Put lace from the top side down through one of the inside holes and use Barge cement to glue down lace to backside of strap.

Wrap lace tightly around strap. Keeping it pushed tightly together also. When you get to the end make sure to end with lace on the bottom. Bring it up through the closest hole.

Now you will begin the braid. Go 3 rounds up and 3 back. Next go 3 rounds up and 2 back, bringing the needle to the center creating a V. Next and remaining go to the next free wrap up and two back with needle always coming out in the center. Always pull lace snug but do not buckle the wraps.Continue this until you get to the other end where you will make the last loop of 3 up tuck the end under 3 or 4 of the wrap and cut it off. Tuck any raw edge under.

Coat with Carnauba cream and massage in until all of it is absorbed. As you are rubbing it in start shaping into the shape of a bracelet.

For the fastener, I use a bead and a strip of the same lace. Cut a hole in the center of the lace near the end. Like making a Bleed knot. Feed the rest back through the hole to make a tab. Run the lace tail through the bead. Cut a slot close to the bead. Feed the lace through the very end hole where you have two holes at the end of the bracelet. Put the tail end through the slot below the bead. This forms your closure. At the end of the strip, cut to a point to ease going through the other side of the bracelet. Close to that end cut a slot in the middle of the lace to form an opening which will fit over the bead on the opposite side.

Straps can be cut to any length or width you want as you have seen in other posts on this subject. I thought about making a belt that was 3 rows wide two out side row > and middle row< until I figured just how much lace that would be. You can use any width of lace making the width of the bracelet appropriate to look good. I have seen them done with 1 mm round lace that was 2 row\\ // to each.I will try to get pictures soon and add them to this when my hands are calmer.

Anne

Edited June 16, 2008 by anne newkold