How to Make Beautiful Leather Earrings

Last Updated on October 4, 2023 by Katherine

Okay, I have a confession to make. I’m not using real leather for my earrings. However, these methods will work on genuine leather if you happen to have some that you want to use for making earrings (for example, you can upcycle an old jacket that you no longer want).

You also do not need a Cricut machine, but if you happen to have one, it may help you with making the leather cuts. Particularly with more complex designs, a device that’ll cut your leather sheets for you is a godsend.

Things You Will Need:

• Leather Sheet (I ordered a whole stack from Amazon)
• Jewelry Tools (Pliers and a piercing tool if you have it)
• A utility knife
• Cutting board
• Split rings
• Earring Hooks (I chose French hooks that I had lying around in my supplies)
• Pencil (for marking your design)
• Stencil (You can draw your own or find many templates online – like at Caught By Design!)

Preparing your Leather Sheets

I recommend using a stencil, I just drew my own on a plain sheet of paper, but you can find designs all over the internet or in your crafting stash if you have them. Once you have your stencil, draw your lines along the back of your leather piece with a pencil (You can also use soap or sewing chalk). I chose light colored sheets, so I was able to do this with a pencil.

Once you have your designs stenciled in, take your scissors (I recommend fabric ones or some excellent quality shears) and cut out your shapes.

Then you will want to pierce a hole where you want your split rings or earring hooks to go. I have a piercer in my bead kit, but you can use a bigger sewing needle, go carefully, so you don’t ruin your fabric or your fingers!

Design #1 – Chevrons

I love this design because it’s versatile. You can add as many chevrons to each earring as you like, I decided to stick with five. I drew my own chevron stencil and picked which colors I was going to use.

Once you’ve cut out enough chevrons for your design (in my case ten, five per ear), you take a piercing tool to pierce a hole into the top of every chevron and into the bottom of all of them except the bottom piece.

You connect your chevrons with a split ring, finishing up with attaching the earring hook at the top.

Design #2 –  Leather Leaves

Joanna Gaines inspired these, most of the DIY projects on Pinterest use a Cricut machine, but I made mine without them. You just cut a leaf shape. Attach a split ring and an earring hook, and you’re good to go.

For extra flair, I folded the top, so the front was curved inward. You can even add a small string of pearls to that jump ring or even a leather tassel. Crafters Choice!

Design #3 – Extra Leafy

Building on the above design, you can add extra leaves. For this one, I took three different sized teardrops and cut two of each size in different colors. Pierce a hole in the top and attach a split ring and earring hook.

Design #4 – Silhouette

This one is a little more advanced, but if you feel up to it, draw or find a stencil that includes a cut out of your design. I tried to do this with scissors, but it is very tricky, and my results weren’t perfect.

This style will be perfect if you have access to a Cricut cutter though!

Design #5 – Tassels

Cut your desired shape (I choose just a long rectangle with a bit of a “top”), then cut along the bottom to create a tassle look. Attach a split ring and an earring hook.

For extra panache, you can glue beads on or even hook some beaded tassels onto the split ring.

Leather Earrings are Versatile

There are numerous possibilities for leather earrings. I love how you can adapt these earrings to suit your unique fashion sense. You can leave them plain for casual wear or dress them up with sparkly beads to make them pop.

They also are easy to make, it took me about an hour from start to finish to do all five earrings So if you’re looking for an easy craft that you can wear, these are perfect for you! If you liked this post, feel free to tell me about it down below! I’d love to hear from you. Also, please share this content with your network; sharing is caring!

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Next week is about how to make a terrarium, to be sure to check that out. Until then, stay crafty my friends!