With the twelve days of Christmas well under way, it is definitely time to kick the holiday cheer into high gear. Nothing is more fun than kitschy, tacky, gaudy holiday stuff. Disgustingly cute decorations, Santa hats, delicious goodies, not to mention the insanely cheerful attitudes crop up exponentially as we near the end of a rough decade, with hope of better luck next year.
To accompany the tacky holiday sweater from a few weeks back is this tacky holiday cuff, made from green leather, eyelets, and bells.
Supplies needed (photo 1)
* leather, preferably a holiday color
* ruler
* pen or marker
* eyelets
* eyelet punch
* hammer
* awl
* scissors
* bells
* fastener, mine is a magnetic purse snap
First decide the size of the cuff. Measure the wrist and add 2.5” for length. Mark the pieces on the back side of the leather (photo 2). Mark pieces top and bottom. If edge stitching is desired, mark points for eyelets about 1/2” from each edge, spaced 3/4” apart (photo 3).
Next, attach one side of the fastener to an end of the top piece. Remember to stay within the 1 1/4” excess length allowed (photo 4).
Now, on the back side of the top piece, lay the other side of the snap within the ease at the other end, and arrange the eyelets into a pattern that screams “Happy Holidays,” and mark it (photo 5).
Using the awl and scissors, punch pattern holes large enough to fit eyelets snuggly. Use the hammer and the eyelet punch to set the eyelets in the leather. Attach the other fastener piece to the front of the bottom piece (photo 6).
Tie bells through eyelets using thin strip of leather. Lay the two pieces together, stitching the two layers together alongside the fastener on each end, beginning with the piece on the bottom layer. Before putting the final stitches in the visible end, wrap the cuff around the wrist and trim any excess leather from the bottom piece. The bottom piece will be slightly shorter than the top piece to accommodate the curve of the wrist (photo 7).
For more DIY time with Philip, click here.
