My latest prototype...

I wanted to do a Steampunk bracelet out of leather. I have a nice bag of heavy suede scraps that I got at a yard sale several years ago, but never having worked with leather and without the proper tools, I had to put on my thinking cap. I really wanted to put metal pieces on the band (which I cut out with Pinking Shears) but I didn't want to glue them and I don't have a rivet/eyelet tool heavy enough to work. So this is what I came up with.....

In the top picture what looks like rivets are actually two pieces of polymer clay pushed through the two holes that I was finally able to make. I tried to made the back look like a rivet and the front look like some kind of screw. The disc is polymer clay, embossed with a rubber stamp and antiqued with black and gold paint. The bolts are of polymer also. Here's the fun part... the studs are actually little drops of translucent liquid Sculpey (TLS) that were gently squeezed out directly onto the leather, baked and then painted with the gold paint. The chain is from an old necklace that I used the TLS to adhere it to the leather. I am keeping it closed with Velcro dots and so far it seems pretty sturdy.

Here is the finished piece. I had fun with it and will probably be coming up with more funky designs of this sort. The leather was actually tan and I colored it with an alcohol dye marker.
It held up to repeated baking in the oven without any scorching or smelling. Another learning experience for me.



Have a great weekend and stay safe and dry. Toodles.