Adjustable Sliding Leather Bracelet (Tutorial)
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
This adjustable sliding bracelet is comfortable, versatile, and easy to make.
No clasps are needed for this style.
Colored leather can make these bracelets quite fabulous.
And you can embellish the cord ends with beads, charms, small pendants, or whatever you like.
Or to make a less fancy bracelet, just tie the knots on the cord ends and skip the embellishments, like this:
Here’s How This Simple Bracelet Works:
Slide the bead to tighten the leather loop, so the knotted cord ends won’t pull out of the loop:
Then slide the cords through the leather loop to make the bracelet larger to put it on or take it off; and smaller to wear it:
Supplies:
- Soft leather cord, 610mm (24″) long.
For one bracelet here, I’ve used deerskin lacing, 4mm wide, in a teal color.
For the other bracelet here, I’ve used round leather cord, 2mm wide, in a brown color.
This project works best with a soft leather cord. Here’s a tip for how to soften and straighten leather cord. - A bead with a hole large enough to accommodate 2 strands of your cord.
For the teal deerskin lacing, I’m using an antiqued copper bead that’s 5mm x 25mm size, with a 4mm hole.
For the brown round leather cord, I’m using a brass barrel bead that’s 5mm x 7mm size, with a 4mm hole. - Embellishments for your cord ends – beads, charms, etc.
- 2 sturdy jump rings – for attaching your embellishments to the knotted cord ends.
I’m using heavy gauge 10mm size jump rings in antiqued copper. - Scissors or other cutter for your cord.
- Flat nose and chain nose pliers – for opening and closing your jump rings.
- A piece of scrap wire – 21 gauge round, about 102mm (4″) long.
How to Make an
Easy Adjustable Sliding Leather Bracelet
Cut your cord to about 610mm (24″) long:
And get your large-hole bead ready:
Now we’re going to turn the 21 gauge round piece of scrap wire into a nifty little tool.
Use the tips of your flat nose pliers to bend the scrap wire approximately in half:
We’ll use that little scrap-wire tool in just a moment.
Now fold your cord in half:
We need to thread the large-hole bead onto the folded cord end.
Now your little scrap-wire tool is going to serve a as a needle to pull the folded cord through the bead.
First thread the fold in the cord into the scrap-wire needle:
Then slide the bead onto the needle:
. . . and slide the bead onto the folded cord:
Remove the scrap-wire needle, and see how the folded cord end has turned into a loop:
Now thread both of the cord ends through the loop:
You could finish off the bracelet here, simply by tying a knot on each cord end:
Or you can add embellishments to the cord ends.
How to Add Embellishments to the Cord Ends:
For your embellishments, you may want to stack beads, etc. on head pins and finish them off with a wire wrapped loop, as in my How to Make Wrapped Loop Earrings (Tutorial), or my How to Make a Wrapped Wire Loop (Video Tutorial).
And if you’re new to using jump rings, see my quick tip, How to Open and Close a Jump Ring.
Here I’m using two orphan earrings for the cord ends:
Use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist open your 2 jump rings:
Use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist the jump rings shut again:
Now thread the jump ring of one dangle onto one of the cord ends:
And tie a simple knot in the cord end, catching the jump ring in the knot:
Then tighten the knot firmly around the jump ring.
(If you have trouble tightening the knot with your fingers, grasp the cord end with your flat nose pliers.)
Thread the other dangle onto the remaining cord end, in the same way you did the first one.
Now your cord ends should look something like this:
Here are some other things I used for embellishing the cord ends.
Mismatched coin elements – one is a bead on a headpin, and the other is a flat metal pendant:
Matching chunky bubble-glass beads on my handmade headpins:
Go through your stash and find interesting goodies to attach to your bracelet cord ends! 🙂
Your finished Adjustable Sliding Leather Bracelet may look something like this: