Start with ribbon or fabric cut to length of wrist plus enough left to wrap your wrist snuggly. You want the fabric to overlap some. Apply fray check to the cut ribbon ends or all around the cut ends of the fabric. I do not reccommend wire edged ribbon or stretchy knit fabrics for the project. There may be alternatives to fray check such as clear nail polish or diluted elmers glue ,however I have not tried them. If you do, remember to check for color fastness of the ribbon or fabric you are using. Now is a great time to glue a cabachon onto your ribbon. Allow to dry for at least six hours if you have a cab.
Fray check dries well in about 2 hours.
While you are waiting for the fray check to dry, measure the suede to fit the ribbon or fabric. The suede should fit to the edge of the fabric or ribbon and not overlap the ribbon edge. Sew one piece of the velcro to one end of the suede, the other piece will be sewn on the ribbon at the opposite end on the front of the ribbon. In other words the ribbon will have one piece of velcro and the suede side will have one piece of the velcro. Clear as mud right?? When the cuff is finished it will wrap around the wrist and the velcros should meet to close. Do not glue the velcro, it will get alot of use!! You do not need to use velcro, other clasps are suitable but velcro wraps the wrist nicely and insures a great fit.
You are now ready to start the beaded edging. Tie a knot at the end of your thread and pass through the ribbon or fabric from the wrong side to the right side. You begin 1/8 inch from the edge near a corner. There are several types of beaded edges. You can use this technique or one of your own. With the right side of the ribbon facing you and the thread coming from the back to the front pick up a bead and pass through the ribbon from the back next to your original entrance. See diagram below.
At this point the bead is perpendicular to the ribbon. Pull tight and pass through the bottom of the bead to lock it into place at the edge of the ribbon. The thread should be coming out of the top of the bead, pick up a bead and pass through the ribbon from the back at a bead width away from last bead placed, pull tight and pass up through this bead.
Do this beaded edge all around the cuff. Please note that the thread is tighter and the beads are closer than the diagrams. Don't worry if your thread shows on the fabric or ribbon, the picot edging will cover the thread. At the corners place the bead directly over the point of ribbon , do not pull the thread too tight as it will cause the edging to pucker. Don't place the beads too close together as they will ruffle. Eye your spacing and it will come out even. The beads may sag slightly at the edge but will pull up with the next round which is the picots. The thread is coming out of the top of the last bead you placed. The bead holes are perpendicular to the ribbon. Pick up three beads, pass down through the next bead, pull thread to fit the beads into a triangle or picot, pick up three beads go up through next bead. You may have to play a bit with the beads and thread to help form the picot. I use 15s for the picot step as they fit nicely and give a lacy effect. See the diagram.
This is what it starts to look like
Once the picot embellishment is done you can see how well it covers the threads from edging row. Finish off by passing thread through a couple of beads to hide it and tie to threads at back of ribbon. Dot with nail polish for security. You are now ready to embellish your cuff however you like, such as beading around a cabachon or bead embroidery. Do what you like, I have even followed the theme of the ribbon and embellished with glass flowers and leaves. Don't worry about your threads showing on the back of ribbon as the suede will cover this. Just make sure there are no large knots or long threads. When the embellishment is finished sew the remainding piece of velcro to the front side end of the ribbon. Take time to get good placement and hide your stitches as best you can. Glue the suede to the ribbon using a good glue that dries clear and is flexible. Spread the glue with cardboard as you want a thin even layer. The glue may seep through the ribbon if you have thick globs of glue. If it is a thin, even layer it will adhere nicely without seepage. Once the glue has dried you can take a needle and thread to tack down any areas that didn't stick well, being careful to hide your thread. You can go back with a paintbrush and glue down areas as well, especially at the edges where you didnt want glue seepage. I would love to see your finished cuff. I would like to post pictures in the gallery for this tutorial. If you have any questions or need help you can email me, [email protected]. I am always willing to help!!