DIY This Leather Blanket Strap in Less Than 30 Minutes
The weather is warming up, and you know what that means: It’s time to hit the great outdoors with your BFF this summer! You’ve spent all winter and spring bundled up waiting for this moment, so why not take some time to DIY a new outdoor accessory to celebrate? This Leather Blanket Strap is easy to make, and it’s the perfect way to let your beach/picnic/outdoor yoga mat know that the neglect is over ;) Pair it with some DIY outdoor games and you’ve got yourself an instant summer party.
No more fussing with a loose blanket any time you want to go outside — keep things tucked and tidy with this strap.
Add splashes of your favorite colors to really customize this.
Materials:
— (2) 1 x 20-inch strips of leather (we used natural veg tan leather)
— 1 x 12-inch strip of leather (we used a pearlized lavender pebble leather)
— E6000 glue
— (4) button snaps
— nail polish
— leather punch
— hammer
— ruler
— pen
Get your materials together and let’s get started!
Mark the holes for the button snaps. Make a mark at one inch and two and a half inches on both ends of both pieces of leather.
Your freshly marked leather should look like the example above.
Make sure you punch your holes wide enough for the button snaps that you purchase. The box should have this information.
To amp up our otherwise boring snaps, we added layered swatches of our favorite nail polishes. Make sure each layer dries completely before adding the next one.
Allow the snaps to dry completely before handling. Your snaps should come in two parts: an A and a B side. To assemble the A side, first place the snap paint-side down onto the stamping block. Layer the leather on next, making sure that the smooth side of the leather aligns with the painted side of the snap. Layer the last part of the snap on top of the leather.
Center the flaring tool on top of the exposed snap post and strike it a few times to flare the tube and keep the snap in place. Add another snap above the first, then repeat these steps with the remaining snaps on the second piece of leather.
To assemble the B side of the snap, first layer the post onto the stamping block, then layer the leather on top of the post. Make sure the smooth side of the leather is facing up, and then add the last part of the snap on top of the leather. Center the flaring tool on top of the exposed post again and strike it a few times to flare the tube and keep everything in place.
Your finished pieces should look like the examples above.
Center the last piece of leather along the other two straps.
Add a generous amount of E6000 glue onto the very edge of the piece of contrast leather, then wrap it around the veg tan leather.
Repeat these steps with the other side of the contrast leather.
Allow the glue to dry completely and you’re all finished!
Get ready to hit the beach in style.
Adding two snaps allows this blanket strap to fit around both thick and thin blankets. We tested it out on one of our heavy duty quilts :)
Now hit the beach/park/marina (or in our case, the front entry way to our building!) and HAVE SOME FUN IN THE SUN!