Showing posts with label brass chain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brass chain. Show all posts

Saturday, February 11, 2012

February 1, 2012: Cuffed

Last summer I made a cuff out of an old belt and wove chain through the belt holes. I got tons of compliments on it. Basically... the story is that I made another one today :). I have developed an obsession of sorts, with old leather belts. I literally stalk thrift stores for vintage leather belts... but generally will settle for any leather belt that has the slightest sign of being worn before. Haha. I really need to get to making more of these. Super simple - cut the belt to the size that you need (easily measurable by wrapping it around your wrist and overlapping it about 1in to account for the snap). Then, take a piece of chain (could be purchased at a craft store, jewelry supply store, or even just taken from an old piece of jewelry that you don't wear anymore) and weave the chain in and out of the holes. Once you get to the last hole, go back through the holes the opposite way (so there are no gaps between chain sections). When you get back to the beginning, secure the two ends of the chain with a jump ring (preferably the same metal/color as your chain). Side note: if you want to make more cuffs out of the same belt and need to make more holes, get a leather hole-punch tool or set
When you are done, you will need to set a snap fastener. You can buy snaps at a craft store like A.C. Moore or Michaels and the snap set usually comes with tools for setting. Some people would recommend using a more professional tool for better setting but if you are only beginning and do not know how much snap setting is in your future, I would recommend just going with the tools that come in the kit for now. This guy does a pretty good job demonstrating how to use set snaps this way. If you decide to go big-time, this lady will let you know how! :) Have fun!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

January 23, 2012: Happy Braid-Day to Me!

Oh yes... on this day I turned 31 (YIKES!). Thank God I can honestly say that I have quite a bit to show for my 31 years of life so far :) More to come! For my birthday I went to NYC with my mom for the evening for dinner and... some serious jewelry supply shopping! Our favorite place to go is Metalliferous. Unfortunately it is not open on weekends so we decided this was the perfect day. We also visited another favorite - Beads World at Broadway and 38th. Finally, before boarding the train to head home... we went to get me a NEW CAMERA!! Which I plan to use to take quality pictures of myself. No, not real. I will be taking pictures of the things that I create as well as my nephews, memorable moments, family, friends, landscapes, etc! Cannot wait! Stay tuned.

So when I returned from the B-day extravaganza, I was quick to use some of my new clamp-ends and magnet clasps. These two wrap bracelets are made with copper-colored satin cord. One is done using the braid technique described in the January 22nd post. The other is a 4-part braid with a chain weaving in and out of the stitches. Both are closed with magnetic clasps that I have mentioned in other posts.