Queen Victoria Cuff Tutorial with Eva Sherman...

Today we're sharing a fun and easy tutorial  — for this absolutely gorgeous cuff — by our very talented Art & Soul instructor, Eva Sherman. She originally began beading to spend time with her daughters, but soon became hopelessly addicted. In 2005 she traded in her architectural career for the opportunity to open Grand River Beads in Cleveland, OH. This cuff is just one of the many pieces of jewelry Eva loves designing with wire and metals with an organic, unstructured style.

Take it away Eva...

 Queen Victoria Cuff
By Eva Marie Sherman

 

Knit metal wire mesh from WireKnitZ® makes a beautiful canvas for vintage-themed creations — and you'll feel as elegant as the Queen in this dramatic cuff! Create the cuff, finish it with hand-stitched grosgrain ribbon, and add a vintage pin for a dramatic personal touch!

MATERIALS AND TOOLS
1 – 9” 3000 Series WireKnitZ® – metal mesh
Fireline® 4 lb. braided beading thread
2 – 6” x .5” Grosgrain Ribbon
1 – 30” x 1.5” Grosgrain Ribbon
3 – Sew-On Snaps
1 – Vintage Pin
Scissors
Tape Measure
Fabri-Tac™
Sewing Needle

STEP 1
Fold ribbon in half and make a seam 2” away from the fold

 
STEP 2
Open ribbon and make three folds on each side. Pin and then stitch in place.

 
STEP 3
Open WireKnitZ® metal mesh tube and gently massage folded edges until smooth. At one end, gently pull outward with fingers until the end begins to roll outward and then roll three times to measure about ¼” wide. Press the roll down with fingers all the way around, burying the cut end. Repeat at opposite end.

 
STEP 4
Stretch each end to get a slight bell shape. Stitch rolled ends in place, if desired, though it is not necessary.

 
STEP 5
Make a cut down the length of the tube. Fold the 1/2” grosgrain ribbon in half lengthwise and pin in place along the cut edge of the tube. Tip: Before pinning to WireKnitZ®; create a soft crease in the grosgrain ribbon by gently ironing with a light weight towel to protect the ribbon.

STEP 6
Measure your wrist and size WireKnitZ® 1” larger than your wrist size. Depending upon wrist size, it may be made larger by stretching width at ribbon edges, or made smaller by stretching length at rolled edges. To stretch, grasp opposing edges and gently pull, moving fingers along edges. Keep moving fingers around and pulling as it begins to adjust in size. When the sheet is the correct size, stop stretching. A bit of trial and error may be required.

 
STEP 7
Line up the center of the tri-folded 1.5” grosgrain with the center of the WireKnitZ®, approx. ¾” from the top roll and pin centers together. Pin rest of ribbon in place, folding edges of ribbon under twice. Tip: Use Fabri-Tac to secure ends of ribbon.

STEP 8
Stitch grosgrain ribbon in place. Secure vintage pin at center of tri-folded ribbon.

STEP 9
Stitch sew-on snaps in place as shown.

Enjoy the complements!
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Thanks so much Eva, for sharing this easy tutorial and providing us with such great inspiration! We're so happy to have you teaching 8 jewelry classes (yes 8!) at our Portland event and another 6 workshops at our Virginia event in 2014!

Can We Peak Your Pinterest?

We're so excited to let you know about a new feature we've added to our website class listings... a Pin It button for project photos! Now you can pin all your favorite classes to Pinterest for your own boards... and you can help us spread the love... all at the same time!

Here's how it works... when you're on the workshop description page, like the one above, simply click on a photo...

The photo will pop up as a larger image... and in the bottom left-hand corner, you'll see the Pin It button...

Click on the button to add it to your collection of pinboard interests...

And a dialog box will come up that looks like this. Underneath the photo you can add any pertinent information such as... the instructor's name, the class name, the retreat name, location and dates... and any other pertinent info like what type of workshop it is... journaling, art doll, jewelry making, painting, etc. Then just pick the Pinterest board you want to add it to (like, Classes I Want To Take!) and voila! You've got a visual reminder of all the classes you like.

If you are not yet familiar with Pinterest... you should definitely check it out and then join! With a name derived from a "pinboard" of "interests" this site lives up to and exceeds the idea of a vision board. It's the one place in this world of social media that is pure inspiration. And it's so much bigger than that cork board over your desk. You can Pin up an unlimited amount of wishes and dreams of all shapes and sizes! If you consider yourself someone who loves mixed media art and attending retreats to increase your creative skills and learn new techniques... Pinterest can be one of the most valuable tools in your art box!

Happy Pinning!!

Art & Soul Radio... Tune in for Kim Klassen: Where Textures & Photos Connect, August 13th

Artist Kim Klassen joins me from Manitoba, Canada. Kim started out as a folk art painter and doing local craft classes and then exploded onto the scene with her unique style of painting. She spent several years as a full-time artist designing artwork for print and licensing companies. And then… one day Kim opened the Photoshop program on her computer and picked up her camera. The rest is herstory - a story Kim will share with us all today.

So please join us for an inspirational chat...


Art & Soul Radio featuring Kim Klassen
with Lesley Riley
Monday, August 13th
7:00pm EST
blogtalkradio.com/art-and-soul-radio




And don't forget, Art & Soul Radio's interviews are also available on demand, to listen to at your leisure. Check out what other mixed-media artists are doing and how they're living their lives with passion any time!