AnielskaAniela: A Blog for Sewing Lovers and DIY Enthusiasts: Easy earring tutorial

3/13/2025

How to Make Leather Earrings: Easy DIY Tutorial

Creating your own DIY leather earrings is a fun and rewarding craft project. Whether you’re looking to make great gifts for friends or want to design different styles to match your wardrobe, this guide will take you through the whole process step by step. Plus, with the right materials and tools, you can make stylish earrings for a fraction of the price of store-bought ones!

Materials You’ll Need

Before you start, gather these essential materials:

Leather or Faux Leather – You can find leather pieces at a local craft store, fabric stores, or even repurpose old items from thrift stores or garage sales.
Cutting Machine – A Cricut Maker or Cricut Machine will make cutting easier, but sharp scissors work too.
Earring Findings – You’ll need ear hooks, oval jump rings, and optionally, an earring post.
Leather Punch – A leather hole punch or leather punch for making holes.
Jewelry Pliers – Needle-nose pliers and a pair of pliers for assembly.
Cutting Blades – A fine-point blade for thin leather and a deep cut blade for thick leather.
Templates & SVG Files – You can download free SVG files, free cut files, or a free pattern online to help with your designs.

Leather Earrings Free Pattern

FREE PATTERN

Step-by-Step Guide to Making Leather Earrings

1. Choose and Prepare Your Leather

Select genuine leather or faux leather depending on your preference.
If you’re using leather scraps, ensure they are large enough for your design.
Use a sharp needle to mark the back of the leather where you'll cut.

2. Cut the Leather Shapes

Cutting by Hand:

Print a free pattern and trace it onto the back of the leather or using a ruler cut out two rectangles 7 cm | 2.75 in long and 1.5 cm | 0.59 in wide
Use rotary knife to carefully cut along the lines, ensuring straight lines and clean cuts.

Cut both strips in the same way

3. Divide into three parts

make a cut in the middle and divide the strip in the middle into three parts without cutting all the way through

4.Assemble the Earrings

on one side put a drop of glue and turn the strip as shown in the picture and glue both ends together

Make both earrings in the same way and leave to dry

4. Punch Holes for Earring Hooks

Use a leather hole punch to create a hole at the top of the earring.
Make sure the hole is not too close to the edge to prevent tearing.

Now prepare your earring hooks

Use one jump ring and hook, twist the little eye at the bottom of the hook one quarter turn, this way when I add the jump ring to earrings are going to dangle so that they are facing out instead of side ways. Do this for both earring hooks.

How to make earring wires here.

5. Customize Your Earrings

Try different sizes and different styles for variety.
Layer leather shapes for a stylish look.
Add a drop of your favorite essential oil to the back of the earring for a scented accessory.

Tips for Beginners

Start with a simple shape, like teardrop leather earrings, before trying intricate designs.
If it’s your first time, practice with small pieces before working on your final design.
Use video tutorials for additional guidance.

Where to Buy Supplies

Hobby Lobby and local craft stores have a variety of materials.
Online retailers like Amazon Associate stores provide supplies at a great price.
Check thrift stores and garage sales for leather items to upcycle.

Final Step: Enjoy Your Handmade Earrings!

Now that you’ve completed the whole process, you have your own pair of earrings! Making own leather earrings is a fun craft project, and you can create endless styles at no additional cost.