September Giveaway !!

Introducing 'Edwardian Flower' a cream wrist wrap.
I am thrilled to have one of my pieces as the 'September Giveaway' for Handmade Europe (the European Street Team of Etsy). The giveaway is not here but on that site and starts 5th September so head over then to blog .  .  .   http://handmade-europe.com/

I thought I would write a little about making this piece and hope that whoever wins it will like it and enjoy the history.


I wanted to make something simple yet dressy, historic yet fresh .  .  .                                                                    
I choose some lovely pale cream lace from the 1930’s for this little cuff. It is a sturdy lace but is still light and has a delicate pattern.
To compliment it I picked a beautiful handmade applique flower that was made c1910. A fantastic example of Edwardian craft and so very very Downton Abbey !
I like to think that whoever made both of these pieces would be pleased to know they will have a second life.

To add some texture and detail I added tiny seed beads in matt cream at the cuff edges in little flower circles. A shimmer bead in the centers.

Then more beads around the flower in spikes and circles both matt and shimmer.

Then to add a bit of whimsy it closes with a cream shimmer ribbon.

A romantic and delicate little wrist wear - with lace from two historic eras.

For a chance to win this for yourself just go to -  http://handmade-europe.com/ 

Looking forward to wrapping up and posting off to you !!

Truly Gifted Mallow !

Just a short note about a fun day yesterday in Mallow Co. Cork.
Queen of Cuffs is now on the shelves there !!

Set off on early train with hubby - crosswords and sandwiches on the way.
I  brought a selection of cuffs / wrist wraps / fabric pendants and fabric rings.
Heading for the lovely craft gallery shop ‘Truly Gifted’ which is situated in the Hibernian Way, just off main street Mallow. This lovely gem of a shop belongs to Majella and Bart and is a fun place to visit and a perfect one to find a unique gift.
The concept is that artists and crafts people rent space there and as no commission is charged -prices for buyers can be kept at very tempting levels !
Majella is also a glass artist and offers glass fusing workshops -  see their website for more info and a list of artists  http://trulygifted.ie/site/

I spent a very indulgent and totally compulsive time ‘arranging and re arranging’ my pieces on shelves!!

My only regret was that I forgot to bring my camera .  .  .  next time.

Bart kindly took a phone pic of my shelves for me. 

But no pics of the great bar that hubby found while I was shelf arranging - or the lovely place we had a well earned meal. Leaving all my creations displayed and shelved we headed for train and snoozed our way back to Dublin.

So if near Mallow - call in and have a look.

Next stock drop - more photos.

Knitting Therapy . . . and Lace Beads

Whenever I am flagging a little with my embroidery or fabric cuff inspiration I will often turn to knitting to revive me. It is so automatic, so comforting and it always seems to get me back on track.

I have knit all my life - my silly bad memory cannot recall exactly when I learnt, poetic perhaps that I cannot remember when I started - because it feels like I was born knowing how to knit !!

I prefer to be an intuitive knitter - I am a make it up as I go along type of gal.

I have no problem with patterns and have sold many in my day - but I love the buzz of  ‘add lib’ knitting. However, somewhere along the way - usually half way into a maverick piece - I begin to think . .  oh this is nice . .  and I start writing it down. I then end up with notes written on scraps of paper that I can never work out later.                                                                                                                                              

There is something so soothing and basic about knitting, the finger movement, the click of the needles, the roll of the ball. The fact that you can watch a TV programme  and not have to look down too often, that you can hold a conversation or plan a detailed shopping list is a bonus. It is portable and a very acceptable public craft.

It can therefore be both an easy social and a deeply solitary therapy.

It is part the tradition - part the ritual - part the rhythm that I love.

There is a whole knitting world out there that accepts you back even if you have been abscent for awhile. Once a knitter - always a knitter . .  the comfort in that !

If I need a quick fix I knit a little bracelet or lariat - those rewarding pieces that grow and mature quickly ! The finishing of these is not so fast as I feel compelled to add beads or buttons or embroidery. So this knit therapy of mine means I have an ongoing bag full of knitted pretties waiting patiently to be accessorised. That stage is saved for days I am creatively energetic !

Let me introduce you to one of my little therapy bracelets.                                                                                           

I started knitting this style one evening where I really wanted to be making something but was in that anxious state I call  ‘creative threading water’.  I had taken out a few things I was working on and could not decide on choice or colour/ trim/ bead etc.  I was doing a lot of looking and no doing ! With no clear direction and an indecisive mood, I still having itchy fingers, which meant I grabbed my knitting bag.

Here are two versions of the bracelet knit on same size needles - just different yarns. Based on cast on 3 stitches /cast off 3 stitches repeat it is a cosy little quick knit fix.

A few days earlier I had experimented with making beads from lace. I used 1930’s lace and twisted it around a knitting needle with a coating of fabric glue. The twists dried into very cute little lacy beads and were perfect to add that little extra to my knit bracelets.

To close the bracelets I used a speckled button and picked up the colours of the buttons in the seed beads I added around the lace.

These are thin and simple knit bracelets - with a twist.

And the bracelet in white . . . 

Did I say I love knitting ??  I love knitting.

Wild Garden - a fiber wrist corsage . . .

I decided to try a little plaiting.
I had first intended making a simple sari silk plait bracelet - but as usual got carried away. I will make those simpler versions - but this is the one that just wanted to be a little wilder !!

(1) First I spent a bit of time plaiting sari silk - I just love braiding, a very relaxing and satisfying thing to do. Just cut three equal lengths, tie one end to a door handle and off you go.

Here is pre braided sari silk pic and then post braided pic.

(2) I choose a particularly yummy raspberry purple sari silk  .  .  .  .  but then I could not resist adding in a strand of knitting yarn - the colour mix was perfect. The knit yarn is 90% wool 10% acrylic and made the final plait thicker and more textured. 

(3) I picked three Czech glass bellflower beads, a lucite trumpet bead, some raspberry and purple shimmer seed beads and a deep purple ribbon for the base.

At this stage I brought all the elements downstairs and put on a movie.

I wonder does the choice of viewing influence how the piece turns out?

I prefer to work while watching something I have seen before - I like to keep my

attention on what I am making and just be able to look up from time to time!

( I was watching - Thelma and Louise, so maybe that is why it grew a little wild !! )

(4) I sewed the fiber mix along the ribbon - twirling into a circle at the centre.

I added extra twists of plaited sari silk for more texture.

I put in the Czech and lucite beads and attached them with the seed beads.

5) I felt it needed something else. I looked at buttons / charms / keys but they all looked too bright. It cried out for a dark colour to anchor it. 

I finally settled on a lovely piece of black Victorian lace c1880 for both the extra depth of colour and a little bit of history.

So here it is - a little silk, a little wool, a mix of beads, some new ribbon and some old lace . . . . . 

a very ‘wild garden’ (very Thelma and Louise) wrist corsage.

I got it covered . . .

I’m always on the look out for interesting buttons to use on my fabric cuffs.
Often it is difficult to find just the right look.
So I have started to make my own ‘new/old’ ones using antique and vintage lace.
I have recently added some to my etsy shop.

It got me excited about the whole ‘button’  idea - a small capsule dip of design - like a mini painting. I love that you can add a detailed designer button to a plain top or bag and make it unique.

I now want to experiment with embroidery on linen and also on antique lace and to have a section in queenofcuffs for them.


These first covered buttons are made onto a silver tone metal button base -  first a layer of modern cotton and then over that some beautiful pale cream antique 1910 lace.

More buttons this time with lovely pale pink antique c1920 open net lace. It is only a little bit pink and looks very stylish. They make a wonderful statement and are a nice big size.

Hope to be adding some embroidered buttons soon.

First of July - RABBIT !

public domain image from ReusableArt.com

Our family has a tradition (and superstition) which states that a person should say ‘rabbit’ out loud upon waking on the first day of the month, because doing so will ensure good luck for the duration of that month.
I thought when I was younger that it was just our family but later realised that this little quirk goes on in many parts of the world. In fact the folklore can be found in writing as early as 1909 with many famous and historical people admitting to taking part.
Some people repeat ‘rabbit rabbit’ others ‘white rabbit’ or a combination.
Whatever is said  - it is just a case of getting in there first and grabbing the luck !!
But be careful - it can become competitive.
As we grew up we have altered the rules to allow for the fact we are not all under the same roof.
Why not make your own rules - bring it up to date - do texts and e-mails count ?
So here, on this blog post ( live at one minute past midnight ) .  .  .  .
.  .  .  .   is my Rabbit  for July 2012 - note to my little sister - Got Ya ! )

Keeping it Simple . . .

.  .  .  I am trying to introduce some light simple wrist wraps into my etsy shop.

The urge to bead - embroider - and then bead some more, is very strong

and a hard habit to break. I find beading relaxing and fun but not everyone

likes that much detail in a fabric bracelet.

So with this in mind, I challenged myself to make some wrist wraps using

my favourite elements -  vintage and antique lace (but not a bead in sight)

-  to keep it simple.

I sourced a selection of lace approx one inch wide ( I enjoyed ever second of

that search) tracking some down in markets and some more on the web.

I choose lace from 1920's and 1930's to add a soft vintage look and because

it is so stylish, so very Downton Abbey. 

To add something decorative, I printed beautiful vintage images of butterflies
and bees onto cotton and sewed a light backing. 

I picked these images as they were very popular at the time a lot of the

lace would have been made. I also like some of the common associations;

Butterfly with long life / transformation / soul  / remembrance

Bee with luck / wisdom / diligence.

I was surprising how much I loved these simple pieces when they were made.

Some are tied with a small shell button - some with long ribbon.

So more of these are on the way soon for the shop.

Lesson learnt - sometimes keeping it simple is just as pretty and as much fun.