How to Make Leather Earrings {+ 3 Free Templates}
Have you been seeing all those cute leather earrings everyone’s obsessing over?
You know, the ones made famous by a certain HGTV star (cough…Joanna Gaines…cough).
Were you thinking “I bet I could make those”? You’re absolutely right, you totally can!
And you can make them WITHOUT a Cricut Maker!
DIY leather earrings are really simple to make with the right tools and a little know-how.
Plus a free printable template never hurts!
Now don’t get me wrong, I love using my Cricut Maker to cut leather. It makes cutting earrings a breeze, especially if you’re making more than one pair at a time.
But you can totally do it without one, so if you aren’t on the Cricut train, don’t let that stop you!
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make three different types of trendy leather earrings from start to finish without a Cricut.
I’m offering a free printable template with the three different earring shapes in two sizes each as an added bonus!
You’ll find the link to download the file in the supply section below.
Before we start, I wanted to answer some commonly asked questions about DIY leather earrings.
(This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read the disclaimer here. Thank you for your support!)
Can you make these earrings using the Cricut Maker?
Absolutely!
I wrote a post (click here to open it in another window) previously all about cutting leather with the Cricut Maker, and there’s a link to the free SVG version of these earrings in that article that you can upload to Design Space.
In this post, I’m linking to a PDF printable template for subscribers, so everyone can make some awesome leather earrings, Cricut Maker or not.
What are some other machines for cutting leather?
One popular (albeit pricey, but for good reason) option is the Glowforge.
The Glowforge is a 3D laser printer that can cut leather and wood (plus tons of other materials) and engrave on just about anything. One of these bad boys is on my wish list.
Another reliable (and more affordable) option for cutting large amounts of leather earrings is a manual die cutting machine.
Many different die shapes are available online and you can even get custom designs made.
You can cut faux leather and other materials with one of these as well. They use steel plates and force to press the dies down through the material, sort of like a heavy-duty cookie cutter.
In addition to cutting, this machine can also emboss designs on leather.
If you plan on making and selling leather earrings, keychains, or even wallets and other leather accessories, one of these machines would be a great investment in your business.
How big are these leather earrings?
I made two sizes for each shape.
The Folded Petal style comes in 2.5” and 3”, the Bar style comes in 2” and 2.5”, and the Teardrop comes in 2” and 2.5”.
Here’s me wearing the three I made for this tutorial for reference.
Where can I get leather for making earrings?
For this tutorial, I used leather I bought at Abe Leather, Frogjelly Leather and from The Leather Guy.
You can also find a limited selection of leather for crafting at local craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michaels.
You can find a whole post talking about where to buy leather for jewelry and crafts here.
Where can I get the earring hooks, jump rings, jewelry making pliers, leather hole punch to make these leather earrings?
You can find all the tools needed for this project on Amazon or your local craft store.
In the supply list below you’ll find affiliate links that will lead you to all the necessary equipment.
Ok, now let’s get down to business!
Supplies You’ll Need
- Scrap leather pieces
- Exacto or other craft knife
- Self-healing mat
- Leather hole punch
- Earring hooks
- Jump rings
- Gum Tragacanth
- Small scissors
- Pen (if your leather is dark, try a white gel pen)
- Leather Earring Templates PDF
How to Make DIY Leather Earrings: Tutorial
Gather Your Supplies
Print out your leather earring template.
You can either get the free one I made or draw them by hand. Cut out the shapes you need from the template.
Choose the piece of leather you want to use and lay it face up on your self-healing mat.
Let’s start with the Teardrop-shaped earring. I’m going to use the pretty patterned leather in the middle for this one.
DIY Teardrop Leather Earrings
Cut Out The Leather Earring Shapes
Put the cut out earring template on the leather and carefully outline the template with a pen.
Make two of each shape so you end up with a pair instead of just one!
Very carefully, cut the leather with the Exacto knife. Don’t try to cut all the way through in one cut. You’ll get much better results if you make several passes with your knife and concentrate on cutting nice and straight.
If your leather is thicker it’ll take more passes.
Tip: If you’re using thin leather and it’s stretchy, apply painters tape or contact paper to the back of the leather before cutting it. This will keep it from stretching all over the place and make it easier to cut.
Punch the Holes
Once you have both of your shapes cut, lay the template back on top and mark the spot for the hole.
Grab your leather hole punch and set it on the smallest size punch setting.
Punch a hole in the spot you marked.
You may notice that the sides and back of your earring shape are hairy looking at this point. We can fix this!
Burnishing the Leather
Grab your bottle of Gum Tragacanth.
Get a small amount on a cotton swab (or your finger) and spread it onto the back and edges of the leather. Try to avoid getting it on the front side.
To smooth it down further, use the edge of a bone folder or a wooden spoon to rub back and forth briskly against the sides and back of the earring.
This is called burnishing and the more you keep at it, the smoother it will get.
You can get really into this and make it super smooth but for this tutorial, I’m just concerned with getting rid of the hairiness.
Add the Hardware
Once you’re happy with the way it looks, it’s time to add the hardware.
For this pair, I used a jump ring and ear hook. I used a 6 mm jump ring in this example.
If the loop on the ear wire is facing the wrong direction like mine was, carefully use your pliers to twist it around.
Open your jump ring with the jewelry pliers. Make sure to twist it open and not pull it apart so it doesn’t become misshapen.
Thread one end through the hole in the earring. Thread the ear hook onto the jump ring also.
Carefully close the jump ring with the pliers.
Repeat the process for the other earring.
Ta-da!
Pat yourself on the back, you just made a pair of DIY leather earrings!
DIY Leather Bar Earrings
The procedure is the same for the Bar-shaped earring, but let’s quickly run through it once more so you can see how it looks with a different type of leather.
I’m using a thicker oil-tanned leather this time.
Alright, now you have two pairs!
DIY Pinched Petal Leather Earrings
Let’s move onto a slightly more complicated one, the Pinched Petal.
All the steps are the same, except your going to punch two holes instead of one and attaching the ear hook is a bit different.
Cut the earring shapes out of your leather. I recommend a thinner leather for these because it’s tricky to fold the thicker stuff.
Mark and punch your holes, and now we’re ready to assemble them.
To attach the hardware, pinch the earring together and line up the holes.
Open the jump ring and thread it through both holes.
Thread the earring hoop onto the jump ring and then close it up with the pliers.
Finished!
You just made three different pairs of trendy DIY leather earrings!
Besides upgrading your outfit, these earrings make awesome gifts.
They’re also a great item to make and sell.
If you’re planning on cranking several of these at once, I seriously recommend looking into a Cricut Maker. It can cut several pairs at once very accurately while you work on something else!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!
Let me know down below in the comments if you have any questions or comments.
Related Posts
- Top 6 Places to Buy Leather for Jewelry and Crafts
- How to Cut Leather with the Cricut Maker | Tutorial, Video, & Free Earring SVG File
- Is the Cricut Maker the Best Cricut to Buy?
What are the different style of earring hooks called?
Thank you!
Hi im wondering are we allowed to sell the earrings that we make with your templates?
It’s totally fine if you sell the items you make, just don’t sell the template itself and make a mention that you got the template from Marchingnorth.com. Thanks and I hope you sell a bunch!!