DIY: Bracelet de montre en cuir

I read an article recently about the demise of watches. It seems most folks these days don’t wear them, preferring instead to constantly pull their phones out of their pockets. Sure, it’s one less accessory to deal with, but I can’t imagine going a day without a watch on my wrist.

So, as a great excuse to buy a new watch, I figured I should do a little DIY for a leather strap. Timex has released the Weekender model, and it’s a simple, classic, timeless look with easily modified pass-through straps. They are really inexpensive and accessible, too, but if you don’t want to look like everyone else, why not personalize it? — Matt

              

See the full how-to after the jump!

This little project is really easy. You’ll use the strap that comes with the watch as a guide so you can fully cut and punch all the holes in your new strap to match the original. Now, unless you have some watch buckle hardware lying around, you’re going to have to cut that strap up. If you don’t want to cut it, Timex actually sells additional straps for about $7. Go buy the ugliest color you can think of, since you’ll only need the metal bits!

Materials
3–5 oz. weight leather

heavy waxed thread

Tools

leather punch #00

leather sewing needles

rotary knife

ruler

end punches or scissors

Instructions

1. Cut a long strip of leather for the strap. If you’re using the standard Weekender watch, it should be 13/16 inches wide and 11.25 inches long. Round the ends, or use an end punch to cut a clean end.

2. Once your strap is cut, you can lay the donor strap over it and mark where the buckle holes will be. Then lay them side by side and mark where the buckle hardware will go — one hole on each side to stitch. You can punch the holes with a #00 punch, or use an awl for the stitch holes and a larger punch for the buckle holes.

3. Once your hardware holes are marked, you can cut the hardware loose from the ugly strap and stitch them into the new leather piece. You can experiment with stitches and designs; I just used a simple boxed layout for mine. When you’re done stitching, tie the ends together underneath the fold of the leather and cut your ends.

Source: www.designsponge.com/2012/03/diy-project-leather-watchstrap.html