Introducing new materials to your kumihimo is a great way to extend your skills and to make some really unique pieces. Leather was the subject of a recent challenge in the Kumihimo Challenge Group on Facebook, which was a great opportunity to dig out some leather and refresh my leather working skills. Some time ago I had picked up a pack of fabulous 1mm leather cord in a range of colours, so I knew I had what I needed to get going. I decided to use the Prumihimo disk because while I wanted to let the leather be the star of the show I also wanted to enhance the design with some beads. A simple row of beads on two sides of the braid seemed just right. I decided to use pellet beads because they are a great shape for use with the Prumihimo disk and because I had just the right colour available. I only wanted one colour of bead because I was planning to use 4 colours of leather and I did not want the whole effect to be too busy.
It was only once I started to braid that I remembered that the take up of leather is less than cord, so once I had made enough for the bracelet I still had plenty of leather. My advice in this situation is to braid to the end of the cords because you are bound to be able to find a use for the remaining braid. After finishing the bracelet with a simple glue-in barrel clasp I turned my attention to the excess braid. I decided to make it into a matching pendant by glueing both ends into an oval end cap and hang it simply on a length of leather. I was really pleased with both pieces and they went down well in the challenge. If you would like to see the other entries, which were really varied and displayed a huge range of talent, click on this link. If you have not already done so you might like to consider joining in with the challenges. It is not only fun, but it is also a huge learning experience. My advice is not to take the voting too seriously, as it is merely a tally of likes. The real challenge is to get something made on time, on topic and on the right page!
After making my pieces I was left with quite a bit of leather and I decided to make up a few kits. The aim of this particular kit is to provide a learning experience, so leather is provided to practise with and to get a feel for working with leather. Once that has been done the results are going to much more professional. The leather provided for practise can be reused by unravelling the braid. I have provided the leather in four toning colours for the bracelet and there is sufficient leather to make enough for the pendant. There is also a length of leather to hang the pendant from. The lovely brushed brass style magnetic clasp and the oval end cap are included. As with all of my recent kits, a link is provided to a page of images of the bracelet and necklace, so that the details can be zoomed in on if required.
If you are interested in purchasing one of these kits, please click here.
If they are sold out you can check out my shop for other kits. I tend to make up kits in strictly limited quantities and just have a few available at any time.
