Create Your Own Badge With Leather and Beads

John Bead Beaded and Leather Badges!

Earlier this year we shared some images of the “make and take” project John Bead presented at the winter trade shows. These leather and bead badges were very popular so we are sharing our step by step with you.

Color has meaning and we chose to focus on five unique palettes.

The leather badge was created utilizing tooling leather for the shaped background and leather sheets for the stripe.

We have attached the PDF created by our Marketing department so you can make your own.

Leather-Badges-template

Leather Badges template

It is helpful to have a leather punch so you can make holes for the pins to go through.

We also provided some leather crafting tools so that the leather edges received some detailing. This is the leather edge beveler.

Each badge featured one of these kilt pins. There are three open spots to hang an embellishment or charm on.

Beads we have an abundance of! We provided a selection of gorgeous Czech glass beads for our make and takes along with eye pins and jump rings. We think everyone really enjoyed creating their own bead charms/dangles. We also had some tiny metal spacers available for anyone wanting to add some metallic shimmer.

Although we had a color palette for inspiration we noticed quite quickly that some participants wanted to select their own colors. That worked out really well too!

We also gave our participants one more opportunity to embellish their pins since there was a little extra space available before setting the kilt pin onto the leather badge.

I think the extra beads made the top look extra special.

This is an easy make and take to set up. It is a great way to use up smaller beads and leftovers. We hope you enjoy making your own badges, with and without, a leather badge background. The kilt pins are perfect for all awareness campaigns.

IMG_8783 copy IMG_8739 copy

Fire Polished Beads

We have a wonderful assortment of 3mm Fire Polished beads in our catalog.

Take a look at the entire grouping online.

Fire Polished Beads

This necklace beautifully illustrates the multiple colours and reflective sheen in many of our fire polished beads.

The combination of colours includes matte and transparent.

This month we are focused on this special collection often called “snake skin.”

Snake Skin Fire Polished Beads

Perfect for this red carpet season! You don’t have to be nominated for an award to enjoy luxuries like this. These fire polished beads are an exceptional value for only the finest designs!

P.S. If you want to order that fabulous clasp we have it linked here.

The Midnight Leaves Soutache Statement Necklace

Midnight Leaves

This soutache statement necklace by Nancy Donaldson was commissioned to showcase our fabulous line of soutache cords. The necklace was displayed in our “New Innovations” booth at the Craft and Hobby show earlier this month.

In our It’s Soutache manual written by Fernando DaSilva (released in the fall of 2014) Soutache was described “as one of those materials that defines not only a look but also a whole technique. Recently, Soutache has become popular among many European designers excited by the endless possibilities this material provides to their creations. The technique requires a lot of precision and a certain finesse to handle and stitch trims together.” There are many applications for this fantastic trim and the main rule is that you must insert your needle in the centre of the soutache groove with every stitch. That can be challenging and requires practice.

When we released our Soutache manual, Nancy was given an early copy along with some of our cords to experiment. (she is a regular contributor of projects on this blog) We assumed that she might make a few of the projects in the book. We never imagined she would immerse herself into soutache, teaching herself new and unorthodox ways to use the cord. Our Creative Director Fernando DaSilva recognized her talent immediately and met with her to select a color palette and theme for this necklace.

Many recognized soutache jewellers pre-plan their designs with mathematical precision. Nancy is much more free with her designs. She creates individual pieces that are collaged together. She does not glue her sections into one single backing pad.

Her piece is also unique because some sections are left open. The sections that are padded showcase our fish leather in a way that sets Nancy apart from other soutache designers. Our fabulous tilapia leather created the perfect texture when paired with soutache trims and beads. Her finished necklace is not stiff. It conforms to curves on the body beautifully. She also created matching cuffs that sit perfectly on a wrist.

The cabochons used by her in this necklace are “JB Vintage Atelier.” Selected by Fernando just for this design they are incorporated in a way that is fresh and appealing. We are proud to showcase this new soutache designer’s masterpiece.

What Nancy Used To Create Her Necklace

Dazzle-it Soutache Cords

75000900-11 Wine Soutache Cord

75000900-46 Acai Soutache Cord

75000900-45 Alloy Soutache Cord

Fish Leather

751-35101-02 Light Grey Suede Fish Leather

751-35101-03 Plum Suede Fish Leather

751-35101-01 Black Suede Fish Leather

Pearls

27758101096 313 Swarovski 6mm Lavender Pearl

27758101245 001 Swarovski 12mm Light Grey Pearl

27758101160 328 Swarovski 8mm Blackberry Pearl

Beads

45s 1960206004700 Preciosa Siam 6mm

45s 1960204004700 Preciosa Siam 4mm

27004139 Czech Fire Polished Garnet 6mm

27004137 Czech Fire Polish Garnet 4mm

27290000-41 Ori Crystal Donut Amethyst 4x6mm

680-02069 Czech Square Metallic Mix 3.4mm

45s1960203003600 Preciosa Round Jet 3mm

45s1960204003307 Preciosa Round Jet 4mm

45s6930205003600 Preciosa Round Jet 5mm

JB Vintage Atelier

Black Cabochons

Chain

Czech Rhinestone Cup Chain

Fire Polished Blue Beauty

This necklace by Fernando DaSilva beautifully showcases a bead we call “fire polished metallic matte” which also goes occasionally by the name “Czech Snake bead.” (A quick google search confirmed this.)

The regular Czech fire polished beads in this necklace are eye catching however the metallic bead really catches the eye.

This turquoise metallic matte bead is available in 6mm and 8mm strands.

These are a few other colours in this collection.

The “Metal Effect” bicones appear in this category of our catalog. They also add a special touch to jewelry projects.

The Vitoria-Regia Necklace by Fernando

Fernando has created many pieces of jewelry which are displayed in the John Bead showroom. Some of these designs appear in our catalogues and may have been published. For those of you who can’t visit in person we have been showcasing his design work here on the John Bead blog.

Instructions:

1. Cut a piece of chain 10 1.2″, find the center of the chain.

2. Unravel one of the #8 silk strands and pull it until the bend marks are removed.

3. Tie a knot at the end and string on one of the peacock blue azuro dagger beads. String the green silk through the center link of the piece of chain, then string on another of the same dagger bead.

4. Carefully tie a knot using the knotter tool. Tie the knot tightly so that the beads push together with the chain in-between the beads. Cut the silk leaving approximately 1/4″ of silk.

5. Repeat steps 3-4 to add 4 more beads onto the same link of chain. Each link will have 6 dagger beads. Continue until you have 15 of the blue dagger beads attached through the chain section.

6. Use blue silk to continue attaching a second group of green azuro dagger beads on similar fashion the first section was attached to the chain. String beads as in steps 3-4, as you work your way out from the center now alternating blue and green beads.

Use one strand of each color of beads on each side of necklace.

7. Repeat the pattern on the other side of the necklace to create center beaded section.

8. Create safety eye pins made with German style wire by forming a loop at the end of a 3″ piece of wire and wrap the end back around the wire. Feed one Tierra Cast spacer bead, blue crystal bead and another spacer bead onto the wire and form another loop and wrap the wire back around itself three times forming almost a second wired cap against the blue crystal bead. Trim excess wire and set it aside. Repeat this step using the other five crystal beads left.

12. Open a jump ring, attach to one end of beaded section followed by one TC flat oval connector and then close it gently. Open a second jump ring, thread to the opposite hole of same connector and attach one blue crystal link created on step 8, and then close it gently. Repeat steps until you have four TC connectors attached to crystal links.

13. Open a 4mm jump ring and attach to previous piece. Add a second 4mm jump ring attach to previous piece and then to a circle side of toggle. Close it gently.

14. Repeat steps to finish the other half of necklace in the same manner.

Materials: