A tradition for the entire family, Renaissance festivals across the nation have become a beloved fall favorite. Journey back into time by visiting a local Renn Faire, where you’ll see professional and amateur fans alike dressed up in historical costumes.
At some festivals, you might even be able to watch some authentic jousting, just as action-packed as the sport shown in A Knight’s Tale. With giant turkey legs, handmade wares and an array of cider, ale and wine at your fingertips, it’s hard to deny that a trip to the Renaissance Festival is a must-go.
Partake in the best way possible by adding a pair of leather bracers to your next medieval-inspired costume. A YouTuber called Rocket Girl put together this awesome do it yourself tutorial to create your own pair of DIY Leather Bracers.
- Using a printable Spartan Vambrace Template, she stenciled out the shape onto her suede leather piece and carefully cut it out.
- Next, she took a piece of fabric and tried adding grommets as a way to get used to the process. You’ll need to create five grommets for this project.
- Start by laying the fabric flat and then pressing the grommet firmly down into the fabric. You’ll create a small indentation into the fabric, and then you can use this as a guide to create holes.
- After poking the holes all the way through, attach the grommets piece by piece, working carefully.
- Clasp them in place using the appropriate hand tool. Next, you’ll want to create your lace up design so you can wear them!
- Start by threading through a piece of cord through the first two holes. Slowly lace the cord through each grommet, crossing in the front.
- Once you lace it all the way, you should be all set to try them on. Place them on your wrist and adjust as you see fit. You can always adjust the length of the cord if you’d prefer a more snug fit.
Wear with a loose peasant blouse and simple pants for a look that’ll fit in perfectly at the Renaissance faire. If you want to get creative, make your own variation to this DIY. Add studs or spikes for a punk-inspired look. Or, layer different colors of fabric for a cool design, such as using black or gold tones instead of an all brown design.
You could even create signature designs on the exterior part of the bracer for a unique touch. Now all you’ll need is your archery set and a pair of thick leather boots to finish off your look. Revel in the festivities, in style, by sporting a pair of these ultra cool leather bracers. Huzzah!
Written by Jade Nicolette
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Practicing the grommet setting before touching the leather is honestly the best advice here, because messing that up on your final piece would be frustrating and hard to fix.
Adding studs or spikes for a punk twist is such a fun idea, especially if you’re not going for strict historical accuracy. It makes the bracers feel more customizable for different styles.
I’ve been to a few Renaissance festivals and always notice how much bracers elevate a simple outfit, so pairing them with a peasant blouse and boots is spot on.
The idea of creating signature designs on the exterior is great if you want your costume to stand out in a crowd of similar outfits at the faire.
Layering different fabric colors like black or gold instead of plain brown opens up so many design possibilities. It’s nice that the article encourages experimenting beyond the basic look.
I appreciate that the article ties the craft back to the full Renaissance festival experience, from jousting to turkey legs, because it makes the project feel like part of a bigger tradition.
The Spartan vambrace template mention was helpful since free patterns can be hard to find. I also appreciated the note about adjusting the cord length for a snug fit once everything is laced up.
Rocket Girl’s approach of breaking the process into small steps makes the project feel less overwhelming, especially for someone new to leatherworking tools like the grommet setter.
The tip about using suede leather specifically caught my attention since it’s easier to cut and work with than thicker hides. That makes this project feel more beginner-friendly.
The step-by-step on threading the cord through each grommet and crossing in front made it easy to visualize the final look. That lacing detail really sells the medieval vibe.
I liked how the tutorial suggests practicing grommets on scrap fabric first, because that step always intimidates me. Five grommets seems manageable, and the indentation trick sounds like it would keep everything aligned.