DIY Leather Fringe Bib Necklace with Deerskin Leather Lace
Try out this fun DIY bib necklace with deerskin lace fringe and Black Gold Amazonite large-hole gemstone beads from our Deerskin Lace March 2018 Trend.
Exceptionally strong, yet soft and supple, Deerskin Lace is expertly cut from only the finest North American deer hides. Great for all your jewelry and beading projects or for garment lacing. Deerskin Lace is the softest leather lace around.
Take a 7″ leather and make a lark’s head knot on the bottom bar of the bib necklace. Repeat 2 more times.
Make a lark’s head knot with the 10″ leather, 7 times.
Make a lark’s head knot with the 7″ leather, 3 times.
Slide a gemstone to the middle strand of your leather fringes and make a knot. Repeat outwards, staggering your knots so that your fringes get shorter and shorter. Make sure your knots are where you’d want them to be and then cut off excess leather.
Tie one end of the chain with the side hole of your bib connector with a 3″ piece of leather, twice. Repeat to other side.
Optional, you can cut chain in half to add a clasp. Or cut chain shorter for a shorter length.
Simple Starter Guide to Bead Stitching Tools
Want to get started on Bead Stitching? Here’s a simple starter guide to bead stitching with Stringing Tools, Stringing Materials and simple DIY tutorials ideas.
Needles
Needles are a must for getting started. They come in many shapes and sizes, depending on the size of your beads and its hole size. Since many of the beads you will use have small holes, needles for bead stitching are thin and can be used for all small beads. Shop needles in Stringing Tools.
String Thread
Beading Threads: You’ll need strings/thread to create your bead stitching designs.
For intricate patterns, using waxed beading thread like Fireline beading threads are a great material. They don’t stretch and keeps your pattern tight and secured with each stitching.
For loose stitching like fringe tassels, use some cotton beading threads They are also a less expensive option that can be used on for fringes but also for all your bead stitching projects.
If you don’t know where to get started, you can simply get the Seed Beader Beginner Kit. You’ll get the basic tools and stringing materials to get your project started. Kit includes beading needles and beading thread, along with some simple tools such as beading mats, thread clipper, bead scoop and bead stoppers. All you need are seed beads and some creativity to get you rolling! Check out the GoodyBeads blog for inspirational designs and tutorials. You will receive 1 of each of the following: A006767, A006587, TL00337, A006980, A021663, and A006770.
Easy Beading Projects
Get started on some simple bead stitching projects using seed beads:
DIY Midnight Silver Memory Wire Bracelet with Swarovski Fine Rocks Tube
Feel glamorous in the DIY Midnight Silver Memory Wire Bracelet handmade and designed with Swarovski Fine Rocks Tube, Swarovski® crystals and metal beads on Memory Wire.
Make a simple loop at one end using a memory wire finishing pliers and add the following bead sequence: A. Square bead, fire polish, tube, fire polish, square beads, bicone, square bead, fire polish, tube, fire polish, square bead, end cap, 4 inches of leather, end cap, rondelle, disc, fine rocks, disc, rondelle, end cap, 4 inches of leather and end cap. B. 3 fire polish, square bead, bicone and square bead. Repeat 4 times and finish with 3 more fire polish beads.
Trim excess memory wire with Memory Wire Cutters leaving about a half an inch and make a simple loop. Tighten each side till beads no longer have extra space to move.
Men’s Jewelry, Everything you need to know
Hello everyone, John here. I wanted to take some time and do a write up on men’s jewelry from a guys perspective. It’s something people are asking us about a fair amount. So here’s what I think about the world of guys and wearing jewelry!
Men’s Jewelry, what’s the deal?
Men’s clothing options are generally limited, especially if you’re dressing up you’re mostly confined to a suit, where the only opportunity for some personal style is with the accessories and details. This is where men’s jewelry gives a unique space for a guy to add some personal flair to their outfits. Jewelry can go a long way to get a look that stands out in the crowd of suits. Not as many men wear jewelry compared to women so when they do, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
What do men prefer in their jewelry?
Typically, men will gravitate toward simpler designs. Bands of leather, chains or a metallic cuff. The personalization comes with small details of items, colors or life events that are meaningful to them, or simply colors they like that go with lots of their wardrobe.
As far as colorways and material earth tones, leather and chain are the biggest winners here. Matte, natural colors and a minimal amount of bling and shine. Men will typically prefer subtle jewelry that accents what their wearing, but is far from being the feature of their outfit.
A watch has been a long-standing staple for men’s jewelry. If a guy wears a watch there is no reason to not also have a bracelet on that wrist, but lean toward something small that matches the watch and doesn’t take away from it being the party piece in too big of a way.
Stacking bracelets is common for women and also works great for men’s styles! Stacking 2-3 thinner or generally smaller bracelets is a popular look. The styles of these bracelets can either be a perfect match or just styles and colors that complement each other well.
Paracord is another material that is pretty popular in men’s designs. Designs incorporating it are especially great for a guy who frequents a tent, canoe or other adventure style activities, since the paracord itself could end up being very useful for some practical purposes in a bind.
Overall, make it look like you aren’t trying. Effortless appearance in style is what makes it work best. Just like everyone who wears jewelry, wear something that brings you confidence.
Design, what to look for
Some of this we covered in the section above, but there are a few things that you should keep in mind when designing jewelry for men. When you’re planning your design consider making something durable. Men tend to be less careful with their jewelry than women and will also frequently wear them while doing projects, yardwork or other things around the house that could potentially break something fragile. If you decide on using some type of glass bead, consider trying to protect it a bit with leather on both sides, like the projects in this blog about wrap bracelets bracelet kit we have on our site.
Don’t forget to consider designs you’ve used for yourself or friends in the past. Many of those designs work great for Men’s jewelry but, with a few small changes to the materials and/or color way. I personally think almost all of the designs done by Diakonos Designs could be worn by men or women.
Always keep in mind that everyone’s taste is different, and, these are a general rule of thumb. Some guys will like lots of color and shine, it just depends on their personal taste. Plus, 2021 men’s jewelry trends are saying a dash of bright color will be a popular look in this coming year, so be bold. If you know the person you’re making your jewelry for make what you think they’ll like. But, if you’re designing for men in general these are a good set of ideas to start from. Make sure you don’t forget, rules are made to be broken, let your creativity go wild and make something you love! At the end of the day, enjoying what you’ve made is far more important than following trends.
My Design
Metal Bracelet Cuff
This one is pretty easy. Just a simple cuff, all you have to do is put it on. It adds a nice metallic flair while still being understated.
Chain Bracelet
Overall these designs are pretty easy to put together. I’m going for an understated simple look that has just enough flair to be noticed but not be the feature of my look. First you want to get the right length of chain. I am using a matte black paperclip chain. If you’re able to measure for the person you’re making it for that’s the best option. But, if you’re not able to do that the average man’s wrist size is around 8 inches. That’s a good size to go with if you’re not making it for a specific person.
Anyway, on to the assembly of the chain bracelet. All you need to do is cut your length of chain to the appropriate length, then using pliers open the matte black jump rings and put them on the ends of the chain. Keeping the jump rings open add the magnetic clasp into the jump ring then close the jump ring. It’s as simple as that!
Leather with GemstoneBracelet
I’m looking for this piece to be a small touch of color from the flashing blues of the large hole labradorite, which will contrast well with the black and silver we have in the rest of the design. Then, a nice finish with a TierraCast button.
To make this final piece of our stack you will start by cutting a length of .5mm black round leather. Cut it to twice the length of your chain from the previous bracelet, but you’ll be doubling up the leather. Also, leave an inch or two extra for your knot to finish it. First, tie the button in the middle of your length of leather. I used a simple overhand knot. I then added another knot about an inch further up to provide a stop for the gemstones. Next slide on your large hole labradorite beads. I’m going to be using 7 stones simply because I prefer not feeling the beads wrapping around my wrist and 7 will keep it on top. Of course you can change this and add more beads if you’d like! Once the beads are on you just tie your knot like you did on the other side to hold the beads together. Finally, add a knot to close the leather at the end and give a place for your button to hold it all together, then trim any leftover leather!
Then put all of these pieces on one wrist and you’re ready to go!
Criss Cross Thread Beadable Cuff
We like to think outside the box with this Criss Cross Thread Cuff. With using a beadable cuff, we aren’t adding beads to it but colored thread in a criss cross pattern.
What you’ll need for projects:
Gold Beadable Cuff – Z001860
TOHO One-G Nylon Thread OR Size AA White Superlon Beading Thread Item used in example – Z017742
