• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

  • home
  • about adrianne
  • buy the books
    • DIY T-Shirt Crafts (2015)
    • DIY Stamped Metal Jewelry (2016)
    • Rock Painting for Beginners (2019)
  • videos
  • crafts
    • diy beauty projects
    • kids’ crafts
    • paper craft projects
    • polymer clay
    • sewing projects
  • jewelry
    • bracelet projects
    • earring projects
    • necklace projects
    • jewelry tools & supplies
  • metal stamping
    • beginners’ tutorial
    • video tutorial
    • project ideas
    • metal stamping supplies
  • recipes
    • cocktail recipes
    • appetizers
    • main and side dishes
    • sweets and treats
  • by season
    • birthdays
    • new year
    • valentine’s day
    • st. patrick’s day
    • easter and spring
    • mother’s day
    • patriotic
    • fall
    • halloween
    • christmas
    • thanksgiving
  • privacy

Happy Hour Projects logo

08/07/2015

DIY Leather Bangle Bracelets with Memory Wire

So last time I was shopping Goody Beads (which happens wayyy more often than I care to admit, haha) I spotted some gorgeous DIY leather bracelets in their inspiration area.  I had to make them!  They didn’t have any instructions, but they were pretty easy to make.  I decided to share them with you after a little trial and error on my end, especially because they’re sooo pretty, and they don’t require much in the way of tools and supplies.  That’s not always the case when it comes to jewelry – and would you be surprised if I told you, you can make these up in just 10 minutes?

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

I used the same technique for both bracelets, and as you can see, they look totally different!  You really have a lot of options for making your own style – you can opt for leather by itself, or add beads for a pretty mixed media look.  Memory wire requires no clasps, so just wrap them on or stack them!  I went for autumn colors since the end of summer is approaching, but you can use bright colors, pastels, black and white… you get the idea!

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

I will list the supplies I used for these two fabulous bangles below, along with affiliate links where you can find the supplies on Goody Beads.  If you decide to make a purchase, that’s a great way to support my jewelry addiction my free tutorials because I get a small commission when you use these links to do your shopping – all at no extra cost to you.  (This, of course, is how I afford to go shopping for whatever is new and hot to show you how to make it yourself… so it’s win-win!) ;)

  • Large bracelet memory wire (or small is fine, if you prefer)
  • Memory wire shears
  • Super New Glue

For the brown bangle:

  • 18 inches 5mm braided brown leather
  • 2 – 8mm gold plated pewter end caps

For the orange bangle:

  • 8 inches 5mm orange Cancun round leather
  • 30 – 5mm x 3mm pink Czech rondelle beads
  • 6 – 5mm gold nugget spacer beads
  • 15 – 6mm fire polish rose Czech round beads
  • 2 – 8mm antique brass finish pewter end caps
  • 5mm gold wire end caps

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

Now, before we get started I want to mention that if you’re looking for some other colors and textures, you can browse a whole collection and see more of what inspired me at Goody Beads.  Just note this:

You can only use braided or stitched 5mm leather cord for this project to work.  Stitched cord is more difficult to string, so I would not recommend attempting to string a length any longer than 10 or 12 inches.  The longer the length, the more difficult it will be to feed the wire through.  

I learned this by trial and error.  More errors than I would have expected, actually, for such a simple design.  But there you have it. :)

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

You can make these bracelets any length!  I’d recommend at least 10 inches so that you have one full wrap and a bit of overlap, but I love the 18-inch length (probably more like 16 inches if you’re using the small sized wire).  It gives you two wraps at that length, with enough overlap that it looks like three on one side.

Cut about 3 wraps off your coil of memory wire (and they make specialty shears for memory wire, because it’s hardened) and feed it through the center.  The braided leather has a small hole that’s quite easy to string, and the stitched leather (and cork – you can use cork cord, too) has a cord center but you can slip the wire between the core and the stitched casing.

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

When you have the length you want, cut the wire as close to the ends of the leather as you can, and glue on end caps.  The caps I recommended have a hole in the bottom, which makes them really versatile!  You can use them in the middle of your design if you’re mixing beads, too, or you can just glue it on the end.  If you do glue it on the end, you have to be careful not to drip any out the bottom, so hold it sideways, and then twist it around the leather.

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

Now, I broke up the beaded sections and did a small section on one end of the leather, and a longer section on the other end.  You can see I capped off the leather so that it looked more finished, and then added a few beads.  I finished the beaded bangle off with a glue-on end cap, and to do that, add a tiny dot of glue directly to the end of the wire.  Then, glue the ball cap on.  It’s fine if you glue the ending bead to the end cap!  In fact, it will help strengthen your design if the two are glued together.

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

You can follow the pattern that I used, or dream up your own!  Mixing colors and finishes within the same family – offset with gold – was exactly what I envisioned, and I love it when a project turns out like that.  :)

DIY Leather Memory Wire Bracelets at www.happyhourprojects.com

Thanks for joining me today!  Hope you have a great weekend.  It’s my BIRTHDAY this weekend, so don’t be sad if you don’t see me early next week.  It’s always tough to find time to sit down to make and write when you have great friends around to wish you well, and I’m lucky to have that.  But I will see you next week with some great things to share!

Adrianne Surian

Filed Under: Bracelets, Fall, Fashion, Jewelry, Tutorials Tagged With: 10-minute project, accessories, beads, braided, DIY, easy, fashion, gold, jewelry, leather, wire

copyright policy and terms of use

I love it when you love my work! All tutorials and photos published at Happy Hour Projects are copyrighted. If you would like to feature my tutorial on your website or share it on your social media you may use one photo to feature, as long as you provide a link back to the original post.

If you feature a photo, it may not be accompanied by the project tutorial or recipe, whether in my own words as it originally appears or paraphrased by you. This also includes personal sharing on social media and Pinterest. Publishing multiple photos from a project, or including instructions with an accompanying photo are not permitted and you will be asked to remove them.

I love to share my projects, and my tutorials, recipes, and e-books are ALL free for your personal use. However, photos and ideas that are published to this site are my protected intellectual property. You may print them at home, but please do not copy or distribute them. I also allow all designs to be made and sold at fundraisers, craft fairs, etc. If you are selling a piece made from one or more of my free tutorials in your online shop, I require that you use your own, original photography, and include a link back to my website to credit me as the designer.

I hope you enjoy what you read here, and please be fair when you share!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mozzelle Dempster says

    02/13/2019 at 4:16 pm

    I just read this post, even though I have had it saved on a board for the longest time. I am impressed with your friendly delivery and knowledge of the project. I really appreciate the information that you have shared. THANKS

    Reply
    • Kay Knight says

      03/09/2019 at 10:39 pm

      Where can I purchase the leather and memory wire

      Reply
  2. kanchipuram sarees says

    09/18/2018 at 8:34 am

    wow i like it

    Reply
  3. kanchipuram sarees says

    09/18/2018 at 8:28 am

    wow nice post

    Reply
  4. golu dolls chennai says

    09/18/2018 at 8:27 am

    wow looking good

    Reply
  5. kanchipuram sarees says

    08/23/2018 at 6:17 am

    nice post

    Reply
  6. golu dolls chennai says

    08/23/2018 at 2:29 am

    looking good

    Reply
  7. Carol Stone says

    10/15/2017 at 4:04 pm

    I also would like to know how you feed the wire through the leather. I have both leather with a center and without a center. Thank you,

    Reply
  8. Trish says

    07/22/2017 at 7:18 pm

    This is impossible to do. !
    I wish i would have read the other posts before I bought everything.

    Reply
  9. Cathleen says

    06/17/2017 at 1:03 pm

    It sure would be nice of you to get back to us on how to get the memory wire through the leather. I have spent a small fortune on leather that was bought for this project that I can not get the wire through. May I also add, getting the wire poked in my thumb and fingers.
    So please get back to us on how to do this.
    Thank you,
    Cathleen

    Reply
  10. Eileen Tacoma says

    03/30/2017 at 6:08 am

    I ordered several colors of this braided and smooth 5 mm leather cord from Goody beads to make this project
    But there were no holes in any of the leather
    I could not put the memorary wire through it
    I was so bummed

    Reply
  11. Eileen Tacoma says

    03/30/2017 at 6:06 am

    Hi I saw this project on Goody and thought it would be great for a class I was teaching
    Ordered several colors of 5. Mm braided and smooth round leather
    However I found that there was NO WHOLE to put in the memory wire !
    I was so disappointed !

    Reply
    • Jennifer taylor says

      01/13/2023 at 9:22 pm

      You have to pull the cotton center out of them with pliers to allow for the memory wire to go thru.

      Reply
  12. Tasha B. says

    01/13/2017 at 1:54 am

    Thank you so much for this post which I stumbled upon on Pinterest. For a long time now, I have been trying to understand how to approach this style of bracelet but could find no tutorial. I even went to one of my local bead and findings store to see if he had a special leather but found nothing. This diy is perfect! I will go back to the stores and see what I can find, if of the kinds of leather you mentioned. Thanks so much!!

    Reply
  13. Whitney says

    08/09/2016 at 9:33 am

    Looks like I’m a year late, but LOVE the idea of working with leather! I just set up an account at Goody Beads.

    Reply
  14. Dena says

    07/25/2016 at 7:39 am

    I love these bracelets but cannot get memory wire to fit my wrist, which is slightly over 5.5 inches. I tried the small oval,. Any suggestions? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Limda says

      09/17/2016 at 7:29 am

      How on earth do you get the wire through the leather cord?….is the cord supposed to be hollow because mine is not…I really love your project but am feeling quite frustrated

      Reply
  15. DeAnne says

    06/07/2016 at 5:14 pm

    What kind of braided leather did you use? I could not make the memory wire go through the 5mm braided leather cord that I tried to use with either method you describe.

    Reply
  16. Michelle says

    05/19/2016 at 1:09 pm

    LOVE these 2 bracelets. I’ve always enjoyed working with and wearing memory wire jewelry since I have bad arthritis in my hands and wrists making it difficult to operate almost all kinds of clasps. Love this unusual way of using leather cording and memory wire together. Wrap bracelets made easy to wear. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  17. Kathy says

    03/29/2016 at 2:12 pm

    I really wish this was as easy as you say. I cannot get the memory wire more than an inch into the leather. It just stops and no matter what I do it won’t move. I am using everything according to your instructions. Any help?

    Reply
  18. Chaya says

    02/16/2016 at 10:48 pm

    I have tried to string braided leather as you have pictured onto memory wire without any luck. You mention a hole and I have yet to find it!!! Please help in anyway you can. I love this concept and wish to make my own!

    Reply
  19. Pam says

    12/08/2015 at 3:08 pm

    Why 8mm end cap if leather is 5mm?

    Reply
    • Adrianne Surian says

      12/10/2015 at 8:39 am

      They are 8mm long. 5mm is the inner diameter. :)

      Reply
  20. Jenn says

    10/01/2015 at 8:46 pm

    Beautiful. I don’t have the patients to make my own, so I reply on the talents of people like you. This bracelet looks stunning.

    Reply
  21. Amanda McMahon says

    10/01/2015 at 8:29 pm

    Happy birthday! Great tutorial for these leather bracelets.

    Reply
  22. Detroit Duchess says

    10/01/2015 at 1:09 pm

    So cute! I love that they can fit any sized wrist as I have a hard time with bangles.

    Reply
  23. Nicole @Little Blog on the Homestead says

    10/01/2015 at 8:45 am

    How cute!! This looks like something even I could manage to do ;-) and definitely something I’m going try!

    Reply
  24. Ron says

    10/01/2015 at 4:20 am

    Awesomely lovely bracelets. Love this. Thanks for sharing this post.

    Reply
  25. Rachel @ of Learning and Nesting says

    09/30/2015 at 11:41 pm

    Gorgeous! You’re making me really want some new bracelets!

    Reply
  26. Bree says

    09/30/2015 at 9:24 pm

    I don’t have a creative bone in my body, but this post makes me want to try making these bracelets. They’re so cute.

    Reply
  27. Rose Cooper says

    09/12/2015 at 9:27 am

    Great tutorial. Real slick way to advertise your work also. I’m gong to have to try this. I’ve never worked with 5mm leather before. Thanks for sharing. ~Ms. Rose

    Reply
  28. Pearl says

    08/30/2015 at 11:27 am

    Brilliant idea to use up scraps of thick leather! (Will share on my blog). When you mentioned stitched leather cord, you mean the ones with the cotton core?

    Reply
  29. Lynne says

    08/17/2015 at 11:44 pm

    thanks again Adrianne for these absolutely wonderful projects. One question what i s the best glue to use and how do you prevent it seeping out of the fittings. I want to ensure its adheres strongly. II noted use a tiny dop of glue

    Reply
  30. truebluemeandyou says

    08/08/2015 at 1:46 am

    Hi Adrianne! Love this “new to me” use of leather with memory wire. I like how it gives the memory wire a certain edge and texture – not just stringing beads on it (although I like that look too). I’m posting this on truebluemeandyou.tumblr.com.

    Reply
  31. Laila says

    08/07/2015 at 6:35 pm

    Thanks so much! You are so talented. How do you think of all your projects! I also look forward to all your projects!

    Reply
    • Adrianne says

      08/07/2015 at 7:43 pm

      Oh, I totally can’t take credit for this one! I saw the idea on the Goody Beads site, it just didn’t have a tutorial attached, just photos, and a collection of supplies you could potentially combine.. So I figured it out for myself, and shared my tips for anyone else who saw it (or didn’t see it!) and needed a little more info about how to make it. Goody Beads has a designer on staff who has fantastic ideas.

      As far as the ideas that ARE my own, it usually starts with one thing – some beads, or a charm, or a nature motif – that I fall in love with, and then design a whole piece around. This bracelet was a perfect example: http://happyhourprojects.com/beaded-button-clasp-bracelet/ All I wanted to do was figure out a way to use that darn button, and I ended up with a really pretty bracelet by the end!

      Reply
  32. Diane says

    08/07/2015 at 5:55 pm

    Love this ! I’m going to try it for sure, really like how the leather makes the memory wire look. Thanks for making it clear for me

    Diane

    Reply
  33. Virginia Edwards says

    08/07/2015 at 4:19 pm

    Oh, I’m so excited that you posted this particular blog entry! I absolutely love Goody Beads too. But I have been a little afraid as of yet to work with leather in my creations. I’m just very unfamiliar with it. But this tutorial looks like a great starting point. I will definitely be trying it out soon. Thanks so much for your awesome blog. I look forward to it every day! : ) And Happy Birthday!

    Love,
    Virginia

    Reply
    • Adrianne says

      08/07/2015 at 7:47 pm

      Thanks! I struggle with great ways to use beads sometimes, so I know what you mean about not branching out sometimes.

      Eat some cake this weekend! If anyone asks, just tell them I told you to. ;)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Memory Wire Inspiration + Flash Sale! | Nunn Design says:
    05/19/2016 at 7:01 am

    […] from Happy Hour Projects has this simple “one-hour” project. I wouldn’t of thought of adding leather on like […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello, and welcome! I'm Adrianne, an artist, author, designer, and blogger in mid Michigan. I work from home, chase my two kids, and this once-city-girl is learning how to care for chickens and adjusting to life out in the country. I have a compulsion for daily creativity... sometimes it's jewelry-making, paper crafting, metal stamping, mixing and baking, or giving new life to recycled items. But with 2 young kids, time is short! My goal here at Happy Hour Projects is to share projects and tips that you can do in an hour or less. The ideas you find here are designed to add a little creativity in your day, no matter how much (or how little) time you have!

BUY MY BOOKS!

Copyright © 2023 Happy Hour Projects on the Brunch Pro Theme