Bohemian Leather :: 5 x 5 Test Group

I think Boho has got to be one of my favorite styles. It's comfortable to wear, and from a design standpoint there are very few rules. Leaving the artist to play. And boy did I have a lot of fun playing with the goodies Melinda Orr sent me! The leather is soft and easy to work with, and I used every last bit and piece of it! 

This first piece was a stamped pattern flat leather. I punched holes in it and then beaded on top of the pattern. I also learned how to create a button hole closure with a rivet that Melinda sent me. You can see the tutorial in this month's Bead Chat Magazine glossi (page 81-82) ... I can't even believe how big our little magazine is getting! I'm like a proud moma.

The next piece I decided to leave the beautiful pattern alone and add a beaded band. I recently saw something like this in one of the beading magazines, completely escaping me which one. But a simple enough concept!

I moved on to the thin leather cord which Melinda sent in 3 colors: blue, off white and natural. Might sound a little strange, but it is beautiful stuff! I tell you that this first one with the cross pendant, the second I finished my teenage daughter (also my model here) put it on and never took it off! 

She did the same with the next one I created with various wood beads. I had only just finished gluing all the cords into the end when she slipped it on! Popped out one side of the closure, so I had to reset everything. Guess who claimed this one as well?

Now this next one I tried a little something new. I'm calling it freeform chainmaille. I was pretty sure that there wasn't such a thing as chainmaille is a pretty organized sort of thing. But I decided to try. I used it to create a focal and pull the two leather bands together in the middle. Later I googled 'freeform chainmaille' and found that it is indeed a technique, who knew? There is even a book on it by Kalmbach. 

Ok, so at this point I have only a couple of scraps left on my bead table. And not wanting any of this gorgeous leather to go to waste ... I decide to create little leather loop earrings. The final two pieces include a Native American inspired beaded pair, and then a wood disc pair that I added a little flair to. If you haven't already clicked over to August Bead Chat Magazine issue ... then click here and check out what everyone else did with their leather from Orrtec.