It all started with a piece of scrap leather. Super soft, white, and beautiful. My mission was to make as many things with this 1 piece of leather as I could. This is what I came up with:

To do this yourself:

1. Elbow pads:
- Wear your sweater on, mark where the center of your elbow is (don’t guess and sew it crooked like I did the first time around)
- Cut leather into desired size
- Stitch your patches on. I used about 4 strands of thread for a thick stitch.

2. Earrings:
- Draw outline of leaves onto leather
- Cut the leaves out
- Cut slits into leaves
- Attach to your desired earring chain

3. Magic Braid Bracelet:
- I found this pretty tricky. I couldn’t follow any of the written tutorials, but this video was straight forward and easy to follow. I braided all the way until the very end without backwards braiding (that part was a bit confusing).
- There’s a download for a printable template here.

4. Bow Bracelet:
- I followed this tutorial and it was super easy.

5. Shredded Bracelet:
- Make a paper template first.
- Measure your wrist. Cut a rectangle with rounded corners about an inch or 2 longer than your wrist, depending on how you want it to fit.
- Leaving 1 inch on each end, cut strips down the length of the bracelet with a knife and ruler.

Adding Buttons to Bracelets:
- Most leather bracelets typically close with metal snaps but I didn’t have any so I improvised with buttons. I actually prefer the look of buttons now. It’s an opportunity to add color and character.
- Hand sew button in desired location.
- Cut a small slit on opposite side of bracelet for button hole. I kept my slits pretty small and stretched the leather over it for a snug fit.

I actually have lots of leather left to do a few more small projects or one large project – still on the fence. Stay tuned for more leather creations.