If you attended summer camp as a child like I did, you probably learned how to make what we called 'lanyards'. While we used to use plastic strings in all sorts of bright colors, the same technique can be used to make a much more adult version.
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I bought two different types of leather cord, one plain brown and one with a glossy gold finish at my local craft store. You will also need a metal key ring, a pair of scissors and some super glue. |
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| 1) Cut two very long pieces of leather, one in each color. I cut mine about 3 feet long and folded them in half so that I would have 4 strands. I then criscrossed the halfway points as shown above. |
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| 2) Next I took the bottom strands (gold in my case) and brought them to the opposite side of the brown leather strand, as shown above. |
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| 3) Next, I took one brown strand and brought it over first the gold strand and then tucked it under the second gold strand. |
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| 4) Lastly, I took the other brown strand and once again brought it over the first gold strand and tucked it under the second gold strand. This completes one layer. Pull it tightly to make everything even. |
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| 5) Now just repeat this process over and over again to start building the lanyard. |
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| Here's a view from the other side. |
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6) Once the strand is long enough, bend it in half to make the U shape. I then glued three of the strands down and cut off the excess leather. Taking a brown strand, I wrapped it around a few times and then tied it in a knot around a metal key ring. Knot it a few more times so it is nice and secure. Then I cut off the excess leather and super glued the end after tucking it into the knots. Voila! You're all done!
If you found any of these instructions confusing, I've linked a YouTube video here that explains how to start one slightly differently.
-Andrea |
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