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Leather and Lace Corset Bracelet Tutorial

by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved

You can make this leather and lace corset bracelet as saucy or sweet as you like.

You can use nearly any kind of ribbon or lace for the corset string.

And if you use a stretchy lace (like this neon green one above), you can tie the bow once, and then slip the corset bracelet on and off easily, thanks to the stretchy lacing.

Supplies:

You need only 3 things for this project –

1. Leather –
   1 piece of scrap leather or suede – the length should be half an inch (1.27 cm) shorter than your wrist measurement, and the width should be 3″ (7.62 cm).

   Example: if your wrist measurement is 7″, you’ll need a piece of leather that’s 6.5″ x 3″.

   You can cut your piece of leather from a secondhand-store purse, belt, or jacket. Or you can get scraps from a leather supplier. Also, many craft and fabric stores sell bags of leather scraps.

2. Lacing –A strip of lace, ribbon, satin cord, or other pretty string for your “corset string” – 36″ (91.44 cm) long.

   Although you don’t necessarily have to use anything elastic or stretchy for your corset string, a stretchy lace or cord does make a fantastic feature for this project. It will enable you to simply slide your pre-tied bracelet onto your wrist instead of having someone help you tie the bow after you’ve put the bracelet on.

   Other thoughts: I recommend choosing a lacing color that will contrast with your leather.

   Frothy, frilly laces add a fabulous 18th-century look to a corset bracelet.

   You can also create a lovely shabby-chic effect with raw-edged cotton eyelet lace.

3. Leather hole-punch tool –Most hardware / home improvement stores sell a $7 or $8 tool called “revolving punch pliers” or “rotary punch” that punches holes in leather.

   And most craft and fabric stores carry a variety of leather punching tools.

   In my town’s local craft store they’re priced from $7 to $15 – and if you print out your craft / fabric store’s weekly discount coupon from their website, you can often save 40% or more.

Leather and Lace Corset Bracelet Tutorial:

Measure and cut your piece of leather or suede 3″ (7.62 cm) wide and 0.5″ (1.27 cm) shorter than your wrist measurement:

Turn your leather over so the inside (the side that will be against your skin when you’re wearing the bracelet) is facing up.

On one end, measure and mark with a pencil where you will punch 5 evenly-spaced holes for your corset lacing (being careful not to mark your holes too close to the edge of the leather):

Use your leather hole-punching tool to punch holes on the 5 places you’ve just marked. (Tip: Practice marking and punching on a leftover scrap of leather first.)

Your leather should now look like this:

Now you’re going to use those holes you just punched as a “stencil” for marking the holes on the other end of your bracelet. Here’s how:

Fold your leather in half, and align the two ends:

Use your pencil to mark the location for your 5 corresponding punch holes that you’ll be putting in the other end of your leather:

Your leather should now look like this – with holes punched at one end, and pencil marks for the next set of holes at the other end:

Use your leather hole-punching tool to punch holes on the 5 places you’ve just marked. Your leather should now look like this:

Start lacing your strip of cord, lace, or ribbon through the holes in your leather. Lace up your corset bracelet the same way you would do with a shoestring in an athletic shoe:

After stringing your lacing through the holes, put on your bracelet, tighten your “corset strings” to a comfortable fit – and tie the ribbon ends in a bow!

I think it’s prettiest to wear the bow at the wrist end of the bracelet.

You can leave the ends long, or tie a second bow on top of the first bow. You can also cut the ends to a shorter, less dramatic length.

Jewelry Niches for
Leather and Lace Corset Bracelets:

People from all walks of life are likely to enjoy this bracelet style.

Here are a few customer niches that I think are especially well suited to corset bracelet designs:

• Brides & bridesmaids
• Steampunk
• Goth
• Vintage
• Biker Chicks
• Medieval / Renaissance
• Historical Re-enactors
• Rock & Roll
• Country Western / Bluegrass
• Teens
• Pirates
• Princesses