Let's make some super easy, super cool, super nice, hot pink wrist cuffs!
Of course, you don't have to make yours hot pink...
These should cost you about $15 for a pair... less if you make several.
For those of you who aren't great seamsters, here's a nice primer that covers pretty much all of the sewing techniques that are needed to complete this project: Make Your Own Gear Sewing Primer.
The first step is to cut out and stage all of the parts you'll need to build the cuffs. There are several components, and it will make things a lot easier if everything is nicely grouped. Here, I have grouped all of the parts for making the body of the cuff.
Here are all of the parts for the strap.
With the "good" sides facing each other, sew the two pieces of ultrasuede together. Sew a 1/4" seam on three sides.
Leave one of the small ends open.
Here's a little tip: When you turn the cuff right-side-out, you're probably going to have bunched up, sloppy corners.
If you trim the corners first...
You'll end up with nice, sharp corners.
Ok. With the sleeve still inside-out (like in step 3,) turn about two inches right-side-out.
Stack the batting and interfacing together with the interfacing between two pieces of the batting.
Insert the interfacing/batting stack into the sleeve and start pulling the sleeve down around the batting.
It helps to reach in and grab the end of the sleeve holding the batting in place...
while you pull the rest of the sleeve down around it.
You can use a dowel or chopstick to move the batting around and get everything nice and neat inside the sleeve.
Next you're going to want to close the remaining end.
I like to use fabric adhesive to hold things in place while I top stitch.
Fold the edges under and apply a little bead of fabric adhesive. Press the ends together.
Start sewing a top stitch around the outside of the sleeve.
Stay about 3/16" from the edge.
Since this shows, try to be as neat as possible.
Here is what the finished sleeve should look like.
Now, let's add the strap...
Fold the webbing through the two 1" D-Rings. Make sure the webbing overlaps by about 5 inches.
Sew on the D-Rings and the webbing centering it on the sleeve about two inches from the top.
This is how it should look...
A little farther away...
Place the 1.5" D-Ring under the webbing, about 2 1/2 inches down from the other two D-Rings.
Sew above and below the D-Ring to lock it into place.
You'll also want to sew a "box" between the large and small D-Rings to add some additional strength to the connection between the webbing and the sleeve.
Next sew one half (the rough half) of the velcro to the webbing and the sleeve.
Sew the other half of the Velcro to the end of the webbing.
And you're done!
Here are a couple of pictures of the completed cuffs...
