Feather Cuff DIY

After resolving only to craft using items already in my stash (and gaining some great suggestions!) I came up with this feather cuff, which used a bunch of leftover bits and pieces.

 

 

It would also make a cute Native American Indian-inspired headdress for a toy! ;)

This is a teen-friendly craft, though could also be suited to children (with an adult to help with the press studs!) if the chain is omitted.

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a tutorial, so here’s how to make a feather cuff!

Please bear in mind that I just used what I had--this would look just as neat with different colours! This was very much a trial-and-error craft for me, so along the way you’ll see notes about where I messed things up!

 

You’ll need:

Fabric(s) for cuff base*

Feathers

Trim 1 - approx 10-15mm wide

Trim 2 - approx 10-15mm wide

Chain

Press stud kit (you may need a small hammer in addition to this)

Multipurpose or fabric glue

Needle & thread to match trim

Fray stopper (optional)**

Scissors

Wire cutters (for chain)

Ruler

Pencil for marking

* I used two fabrics: Leather-look PVC for the top, and denim for the lining (because PVC makes the skin sweat!)

** Only use fray stopper if you’re using fabric that frays, or just used glue. I don’t have any fray stopper, so I went for the glue :)

1. Cut out the cuff base from your fabric(s):
Measure your wrist and add 4-5cm to that measurement as overlap. This is the length of your cuff.
To work out the width of the cuff, add together the widths of trim 1 + trim 2, then add approximately 2.5 cm.

So if trim 1 was 1.5cm, and trim 2 was 1cm wide,
1.5 + 2 + 2.5 = 6

The fabric I cut was 18.5cm x 6 cm (I messed up and didn’t account for a big enough overlap)

2. If needed, put some fray stopper or glue around the edge of your cuff lining and set aside to dry.

3. Spread glue along the bottom section of the top piece of fabric (right side up) and stick on a length of trim 1. Do the same directly next to this piece for trim 2.

For the top piece of fabric, I used leather-look PVC: it doesn’t fray, matched the feathers, and won’t look bad showing through the feathers or gaps in the trim!

4. Glue the rest of the piece of fabric and stick on the feathers.

I used pretty raggedy feathers! They were the last of a pack I bought from Hobbycraft a few years ago for a different project. Ideally I’d have used nicer feathers, and more feathers than shown here.

5. Apply glue sparingly to a piece of trim 1 the length of the cuff, and stick this over the ends of the feathers, above trim 2.

I really do emphasise the sparingly here! I put on a little too much glue and when I pressed the trim down it squished out onto some of the trim. Argh!

If you’re as messy as me you’ll want to wash your hands at this point!

6. Use wire cutters to cut two pieces of chain the same length as the cuff.

7. Sew the chain onto the outer edge of the cuff, and to the edge of the trim that covers the feathers.

8. If you’re using a separate base/lining fabric for your cuff, spread glue across it and stick it to the decorated fabric. Use a small amount of glue or fray stopper on the ends of the trims, if needed.

9. Apply press studs according to the instructions on the packet. Make sure the cuff fits your wrist comfortably and that the press studs are tightly fixed!

In this picture you can see where I used too much glue on the trim over the feathers; it seeped out onto the trim underneath. Luckily this is at the end of the bracelet!

10. That’s it--you're done!

Obviously this little project allows for a lot of variation--why not make a lace-up cuff instead of press studs, make it wider or narrower, or use some lace in place of feathers?

Here’s how I like to style mine up:

I paired it with a remade skirt and headband, plus an old tunic top and some necklaces :)

Will be linking up to the fabulous link parties listed below!