Scrollwork Ring Tutorial

A very simple ring that I designed for a jewelry making class, inspired by the ironwork gates of Victorian manors. This takes only a few minutes and supplies that can easily be found at a craft or hardware store.

1. Cut a length of wire (approx. 12 gauge) about 2 inches long. Exact length, of course, will vary depending on the size of your finger, so you may have to do some trial and error.

2. Use a pair of pliers to bend the ends of the wire into two spirals. To do this, curl the tip of the wire into a small hook, steady it with the pliers, and curl the wire around it. The two spirals should be pointed in opposite directions.

3. Curl the ring around a ring mandrel or other ring-sized cylindrical object that you find lying around the house. Gently pounding it into place with a wooden mallet will help it form a more geometric ring shape.

Skirt to Top Tutorial

I've had this skirt sitting around and collecting dust for a couple years, so I finally decided to do something with it. This was pieced together in a rather improvised fashion, with numerous mistakes, so please let me know if this tutorial makes no sense.

1. I started with an ankle-length velvet pencil skirt. It wasn’t exactly ugly, but it certainly wasn’t unique or steampunk. This needed to be fixed.

2. Cut the bottom third off the skirt. Hem the rough edges on the front, but keep the back as is for now.

3. Cut two strips of fabric, each about sixteen inches long, from the cut off bottom portion of the skirt. Hem all rough edges to make straps.

4.Sew the straps onto the waistband of the skirt. Trim the straps and the front of the waistband with lace.

5. Cut two pieces of fabric, each about 2x16 inches, and sew along the edges to make two long tubes. Sew these to the side of the top to make ties.

6. Take the remaining fabric and sew it to the back of the skirt, making pleats as you go. To make pleats, pinch the fabric, fold it over, and sew down the crease. 

No-Sew Floral Lace Fascinator Tutorial

1. To begin with, you’ll need a little bit of felt, a simple headband, about two yards (this may vary, depending on the size of your fascinator) of fairly wide lace, and some hot glue or textile glue.

2. Cut a circle from the felt. Mine is about two to three inches in diameter. Keep in mind that, due to the width of the lace, the finished product will be a few inches larger than the felt circle.

3. Pin the inner edge of the lace to the outer edge of the felt circle. It's okay if the lace warps from  being pinned to a round surface; this gives it a more realistic petal-like shape.

4. Remove the pins one by one, replacing each with a dab of glue. Allow the glue to dry.

5. Repeat this process a little bit at a time, gluing the lace in a tight spiral pattern. As you near the center, you may want to fold the lace in half to give a more rounded effect. Continue until you have made a rose shape.

6. Glue the fascinator to the headband. Cut another circle of felt, and then glue it on so that the headband is sandwiched between the two felt layers.

7. Wait for the glue to dry, and it’s done.