YOJ #38 - The "O" Ring Cuff

Wanna see what I made completely out of leftovers?

Free Tutorial - Queen Victoria Cuff

 Queen Victoria Cuff
By Eva Marie Sherman

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 drama!

MATERIALS AND TOOLS
1 – 9” 3000 Series WireKnitZ®
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® 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 WireKnitZ® 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, WireKnitZ® 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 WireKnitZ® 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!

Hungary 2012

My Hungarian roots are not even one generation deep. My dad grew up in Satoralyaujhely and mom in Tallya, a rural area know mostly for it's vineyards. Her father owned a vineyard and crafted wines that I'm told were legendary. Just a few years ago the family homestead and vinyards were sold but we were able to visit.both.

My maternal grandfather Sebo Osvay married my grandmother Eva Enekes and they had 4 kids. Those 4 kids married and had 12 grand kids between them. These are pictures of my Hungarian aunts, uncles, cousins, spouses and some of their kids....

 

 

This trip was a lot about visiting family but also reliving memories for my mom, and making new ones for me. My grandfather always took my grandmother to Lilafured for their anniversary. Lilafured is a converted palace that became a luxury hotel with a wonderful restaurant and beautiful gardens. All 3 of my mom's siblings and their spouses joined us for lunch on what would have been their 78th anniversary. Bittersweet for all.

 

My mom and dad were married in Budapest and fled communist tyranny a few months after I was born and shortly after the student led revolution of October 1956. Although we visited my grandparents several times in my childhood, this is the first time I was able to visit with my mom as an adult.  It was a wonderful trip and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to visit my homeland. We spent our last 3 days in Budapest where my sister Liz was able to join us.

Annual Ohio Beaders Retreat (plus YOJ #36 & 37)

For the past 6 years I’ve been attending the annual Ohio Beaders retreat. We get away for a weekend of classes, food, laughs and of coarse catching up on what everyone’s been learning and creating through out the year. One of the highlights of the weekend is the gift exchange, where we create something for an assigned partner that we think they will like and that incorporates our favorite jewelry making technique. It seems everyone keeps out doing previous years efforts and I’m always amazed at the talent and skill found in our little group.

My new skill this year was fold forming so I made these cuffs for my dear friend Sherry. Hope you like them m’dear! :-)

And here's what sweet Diana made for me...

Bon Voyage!

I always get a tiny bit nervous flying overseas. One can't help thinking about terrorist attacks, mechanical failures, plane crashes, etc, but for me the worst thing about being 40,000 feet in the air is that everything is totally out of my control. I'm a take charge, make lists, and get it done type of person and being at the mercy of someone else's checklist leaves me more than a bit uneasy.

And not to be morbid or anything, but I've always hoped I would not die suddenly or violently. To me there's something comforting about having an illness claim my life. It gives me time to plan, wrap up loose ends, and say my farewells. Like I said, I like to be in control...

But in the very unlikely event that my plane goes down, there are a few things I would like you to know about me....

1. I'm a child of the King. Anyone who claims to be God and then proves it by raising Himself from the dead has me convinced. I recognize and admit my guilt before a just and Holy God and thank Him for the undeserved gift of salvation thru faith in His Son. I'm staking my eternal future on it. And you can bet that if my plane goes down, I'll be telling anyone who will listen that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

2. I'm still madly in love with the man I married almost 30 years ago. He's not perfect, I'm not perfect but we're perfect together. He's strong where I'm weak and as a team we're greater than the sum of our parts. Plus he lets me talk him into all manner of wild idea's... :-)

3. I'm eternally grateful to the 2 women who gave me the great privilege of raising their babies as my own. I am so far from a being perfect parent, that I frequently wonder why I was given this high honor. But one thing I did faithfully is pray for my 2 little gals.

And so my dear friends, I hope that I'm being needlessly worried, but like I said, I'm a planner and I like to be prepared....