Leather Cord Wrap Bracelet (Tutorial)
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
This leather cord wrap bracelet is popular with guys and gals.
It’s a comfortable style, and it can be made adjustable by adding a piece of chain to one end of the bracelet.
You can add a small pendant or charm, or leave the leather wrap bracelet unadorned.
Supplies:
- Leather cord, 102 cm (40″) long.
I used 2mm wide cord, in a medium dark brown color. - 18 gauge round soft wire, for binding the loops at the ends of the leather.
I used Artistic Wire, in Antique Bronze color. - 3 fairly sturdy jump rings.
I used 9mm size. - Clasp of your choice.
I used a 15mm lobster clasp in Antiqued Brass color. - Wire cutter.
- Flat nose pliers.
- Chain nose pliers.
- Optional: Small pendant or charm to attach to one end of the bracelet.
I used a 25mm (1″) round pendant with a raised Viking compass design.
How to Make a
Leather Cord Wrap Bracelet
Start by cutting a piece of leather cord, 102 cm (40″) long:
Now we’ll need to cut some wire:
Cut two pieces of wire, each 127mm (5″) long:
Next we’ll make the loop on one end of the cord.
Fold over 19mm (0.75″) of the cord end:
Use your flat nose pliers to squeeze the fold in place:
String one jump ring onto the folded cord end:
Now we’ll use one of your wires to bind the leather loop.
Hold the leather loop shut.
The jump ring should still be inside the leather loop.
Lay one of your wires across the leather loop, with about 38mm (1.5″) of the wire pointing away from you, and about 89mm (3.5″) of the wire pointing toward you.
Use your chain nose pliers to hold the wire in place, across the leather loop:
Now we’ll wrap the long wire end around the bottom of the leather loop, with the wire wraps traveling away from the loop.
The secret to professional-looking wire wraps is to pull on on the wrapping wire, and keep tension on it as you wind (not push) the wire around the leather cord.
Your finished wire wraps should look something this:
Use your side cutter to trim off the excess wire ends.
With the flat side of your side cutter as close as you can get to your wire wraps, snip off one of the wire tails:
Then use your chain nose pliers to press down the cut wire end:
. . . so this wire end looks like this:
Then trim and finish the other end of the wire the same way, so that your finished wire wrapping looks like this:
Now move to the remaining end of the cord, and make a wire-wrapped leather loop on that end of the cord.
Make this second leather loop the same way you made the first one.
Your finished cord loops should look something like this:
Now it’s time to attach the clasp to one end of the cord.
If you’re new to using jump rings, see my quick tip, How to Open and Close a Jump Ring.
Use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist open the jump ring in one of your leather loop ends.
String the clasp onto the opened jump ring:
Then use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist the jump ring shut again.
And this end of the wrap bracelet is finished:
Now it’s time to attach the little pendant or charm to the other end of the bracelet:
Use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist open a jump ring.
String your pendant onto the jump ring, and then string the opened jump ring onto the closed jump ring at the end of the leather loop.
Then use your flat nose and chain nose pliers to twist the pendant’s jump ring shut again:
And your leather cord wrap bracelet is finished!
Your finished leather cord wrap bracelet may look something like this:
