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!

Caged Bead Bracelet Tutorial from Eva Sherman

Today we're featuring Eva Sherman for our guest blog post! A talented jewelry artist, she started her hobby as a way to spend time with her daugters... and ended up opening her very own bead store in Ohio! And she's generously sharing a spectacular wire-wrapping technique that will jazz up any of your own jewelry creations. Take it away, Eva....

Looking for an easy wire wrapping technique that can be used to dress up almost any kind of bead? This caged bead wire wrap pattern works particularly well on larger round beads like the gorgeous ones used here. This design may also be adapted to create a necklace by increasing the number of beads.

Materials:

• (8-10) 10mm beads
• (12') 18 gauge copper wire
• (2") of 16 gauge copper wire
• (1) 4mm copper jump ring
• Wire cutters
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Hammer
• Steel block 

Instructions:

1. Cut 14” of 18 gauge copper wire. Using your round nose pliers, make a small wire wrapped loop at the center. String bead on vertical wire and make another small wire wrapped loop at the other end.



2. Holding the top loop with your chain nose pliers, begin to gently wrap the wire over the top of the bead in a spiral pattern. Make approximately 5 to 6 wraps. Be careful to apply even tension and pressure and you will form a bead cap. Repeat the spiral wire wrap at the opposite end of the bead.




3. Bend leftover wire towards the opposite pole with a gentle curve and loop it around the wire wrapped loop. Trim excess wire.



4. Create another loop at the other end of the bead in the same way. Repeat the previous steps through the first loop only with your second bead.



5. At the opposite end of the second bead, start the wire wrapped loop as shown.



6. Before closing the wire loop, slip the first bead on, then continue with making the wire wrapped loop and the bead cap. Repeat these steps until you have enough beads to go around your wrist, less 1/2 inch.



7. For the dangle bead begin by making a spiral as shown. It should be about the same size as the other bead caps.



8. Instead of a spiral wrap on the other end, create a loop: Bend leftover wire towards the opposite pole with a gentle curve and loop it around the wire wrapped loop. Spiral wrap back to bottom again. Trim excess wire. Connect the dangle bead to the last bead with the jump ring.

9. Make an “S” hook using the 16 gauge copper wire. Hammer it on the steel block to harden. Attach it to the last bead as shown. Hook the “S” hook in the jump ring to close. The dangle bead will keep the bracelet evenly weighted so it does not spin on wrist.

Please note that this tutorial was created by me and may be used for your personal use. I respectfully request that you not copy it, but feel free to direct others to this link. Thank you!




Eva Sherman will be teaching several workshops at Art & Soul Portland this September/October, so check them out!

Eye of the Storm - where you'll get to create "sheet metal" from wire and open up a whole new world of jewelry making possibilities!
Fold Forming 101 - a series of metal folding techniques which allow rapid development of three dimensional surfaces using simple equipment.
Rosette Cuff & Bangle - a workshop exploring a variety of basic metalsmithing techniques such as forging, texturing, wire working, and cold connecting.

Lots of interesting and unique classes from Eva for every level of jewelry makers.... from beginning to seasoned. Hope to see you there!