Beautiful leather jewelry-making ideas with the Cricut Explore Air 2! This arrow leather bracelet will quickly become one of your favorite pieces.
Have you ever wondered about making leather jewelry on your Cricut Explore Air 2? You totally can! Don't let it intimidate you anymore. I'm going to show you how, so keep reading!
To cut leather you will need the Deep Point Blade. If this is your first time with this blade I have a post with a video tutorial that will help you out. How to Install the Deep Point Blade in the Cricut Explore.
Supplies Used for your Arrow Leather Bracelet:
Some links may be too similar items when exact items couldn't be found online.
- Cricut Maker or Explore
- Bracelet Cut File
- Deep Point Blade
- StrongGrip Mat
- Transfer Tape
- Scrap Leather
- Marker
- Craft Knife
- Ruler
DIY Arrow Leather Bracelet Video Tutorial
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Arrow Leather Bracelet File in Cricut Design Space
This file was made to fit my wrists so you may need to make some alterations for it to fit your wrist.
Begin by using a tape measure and measuring the diameter of your wrist.
To edit the length of the design, select the padlock to unlock dimensions. Type the Width so it is 2 ¾ inches longer than your actual diameter. Do not change the Height.
Once the design is sized appropriately for your wrist, prep the leather to cut on your Cricut Explore Air 2.
Prepping the Leather to Cut your Bracelet
The most important trick to cutting leather on the Cricut Explore is to back the leather with transfer tape. Usually, transfer tape is used to move vinyl to keep it from stretching. But the leather, helps firm it up and keep the material from moving. It also saves your mat because you won't leave leather fiber residues when you remove it from the mat. It's a win-win!
For the arrow bracelet, I used a scrap of leather that is about 11 by 3 inches. Cut a piece of transfer tape that is just a bit larger so 11.5 x 3.5 inches.
I love that transfer tape has a grid printed on it! It makes it so easy to trim it to the perfect size!
Apply the strip of leather onto the strip of transfer tape with the back of the leather touching the sticky side of the transfer tape.
Then lay the leather and transfer tape to the top of the heavy grip mat.
Cut the Arrow Leather Bracelet
Turn the material setting knob to custom. When you select "Make It" in Cricut Design Space you will be prompted to select your material from a drop-down menu. There are a couple different options for the leather, select the one that is closest to the type and thickness you are using.
Also, make sure you have the Deep Point Blade inserted into your machine and selected as the blade you are using in Cricut Design Space.
Since this is a simple design it cuts out pretty quickly with just a couple passes with the deep point blade.
Once cut, remove from the mat and peel off the transfer sheet backing. Leather can stretch and tear so make sure you aren't too rough with it.
Turning the Leather Arrow into a Bracelet
Wrap the bracelet around your wrist to get an idea of where to want to cut the slit. Make a mental note of where the arrow hits on the tail.
On the backside of the leather mark two dots with a pen to mark where to cut the slit.
Use a craft knife and a ruler to cut the slit. It should be just barely wider than the middle part of the arrow.
The tricky part is putting the bracelet on by yourself. I may have used my teeth to help pull it through. Wrap the bracelet around your wrist and poke the arrow part through the top of the slit.
Doesn't it look fantastic?!
What handmade jewelry have you made before this?
Our Crafting Essentials:
- The Cricut Cutting Machine is easily our favorite crafting tool. We use it in so many of our tutorials!
- These MakerX Crafting Tools are perfect for keeping in the craft room and are always ready when needed!
- This Fiskars Paper Trimmer is easy to use and cuts nicely without frayed edges.
- These Scotch Precision Scissors cut like a dream, and you get multiple pairs in a pack!
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