The type of bracelet I'm talking about are the leather wrap bracelets that essentially weave beads into the design. They are very cool looking and super comfortable to wear......a perfect yoga accessory! Here's an example of what I'm referring to.
I just love the look of these bracelets, but seriously, how much money does it really cost to make one of these to justify a price tag of $300???!!!! Well, I decided to find out.
I marched myself to the craft store, picked up some leather cord, hemp thread/cord, silk cord, beads and buttons. All of which maybe cost me about $20. I got to work trying to figure out how to marry the components together and make it look like all those fabulous bracelets I'd already seen. My first few attempts were pretty good, but I wasn't satisfied.....the weave wasn't tight enough! As I continued to toy with my latest crafting endeavor I realized the justification for the steep price tag.........these bracelets take FOREVER to make. A bracelet that wraps around twice, can take as long as 3 hours to make! I have made only two bracelets that wrap around 5 times and they took me about 2 days to complete. Next time I'll log exactly how many hours the really long ones take, but it takes a long time! And as we've all been told, time is money.
Here are some examples of my latest creations that you can purchase on Etsy.
Not bad, but I need to figure out how to use the silk cord I picked up instead of the hemp. It lays flatter and doesn't fuzz with wear. I'm sure there is a trick that makes the silk cord easier to use, but I'm not sure what it is yet. I'm sure I'll figure it out......I figured out how to make these bracelets all by myself, didn't I? Yes, I did! In time, the answer will come and maybe one of my fellow Etsian's will clue me in.Until next time......
Thanks for reading!
Kristen
