Leather Plant Hanger

It seems I'm always in need of a place for my growing plant collection, & hanging them is a great option. This (my first, so apologies for the length!) tutorial is for a simple leather hanger using materials I already had on hand.

Gather your materials:

1) Scrap leather...This leather is scrap deer skin. It's easy to cut & manipulate (a friend of mine gave me this, but check out thrift & fabric stores for some).

2) Leather cutting scissors. These I've had & they are SHARP! I've also had success with rotary cutters & box cutters with new blades.

3) Grommet accessories.

4) Sharpie

5) Rope

6) Hammer (not pictured - ooops!)

Since I already had a plant, I used the 8" saucer + 3/4" for my circle.

When this was done, I folded the leather in half & marked where to put my grommets, keeping in mind to leave a border so the grommet was not to close to the edge. I did this for 4 grommets.

I just LOVE grommets! Once you get the hang of getting them right, they are SO useful!

For this project I used a kit previously purchased from Home Depot. The kits come with a hole punch, small mat or piece of wood, 1/2" grommets (2 pieces), setting tool & an anvil.

First, punch a hole in the leather using the tubular cutter where you marked the holes. It takes about 5 or 6 good taps to cut all the way through the leather.

Second - While a little tight, push the larger of the 2 piece grommets through the holes, remembering that leather will stretch!

Third - Position the grommet circle over the other side of the hole, & then the whole piece over the anvil. The setting tool will fit over & inside the grommet on top. Several quick & firm hits with your hammer will set the grommet.

NOTE: Be sure to use hard surfaces for this step, such as bricks or a block of wood! I used bricks.

Since I already had a plant hanger, I knew the approximate length of rope - in this case, it's Polypropylene - & cut a little bit longer.

Push the ends of the rope into the grommets. Knot the ends so they can't slip through. I had to double knot mine.

NOTE: The Polypropylene is synthetic, so I carefully burned the ends so they wouldn't fray. If you do this, dunk the ends in cold water....otherwise they will stay hot for quite awhile!

The time for this project was a little more than an hour, but keep in mind that I had all the tools at my disposal. Also, these can be easily modified - this one really needs to be longer! Enjoy!!