Make a Victorian Lace Bracelet Cuff Using a Dress Shirt

Add a little romance to your fashion accessories with a Victorian lace bracelet cuff. I have noticed these cuffs popping up all over the place, but I wanted a quick and easy tutorial that started with a pre-made base. Nothing seemed to fit the criteria until I noticed a dress shirt hanging in my husband's closet. Yep, I pilfered it. The shirt cuffs were the perfect width and the built-in buttonhole meant I wouldn't have to make one for my bracelet. The shirt also had the added benefit of two cuffs, which meant I could make a bracelet cuff for me and one for a friend.

My husband really didn't mind giving up his shirt for my creative endeavor, but I decided dress shirts would definitely be on my yard sale list for making more. I used small bits of lace and ribbon I had saved from previous crafting projects, so this inexpensive project cost me no money to make.

Things You Will Need:
Dress shirt with cuffs
Scissors
Assorted ribbon and lace scraps
Ruler
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Hand-sewing needle and thread
Seam ripper

Step 1
Unbutton the cuff of one shirt sleeve. Cut off the sleeve right above the edge of the cuff.

Step 2
Wrap the cuff around your wrist and overlap the ends. Adjust until the cuff fits comfortably. Cut off the button end of the cuff, allowing an inch to overlap. Cut off the button and set it aside for later.

Step 3
Lay the cuff flat on your work table. Cut a piece of ribbon approximately the same width as your cuff and 1 inch longer. My ribbon was 2 1/2 inches wide. This is the background to the cuff. Center the ribbon on top of the cuff and pin the long edges. Top stitch the long edges as close to the edge as possible. Do not stitch the ends. If you like the color, design and texture of the cuff's fabric, you can omit the background ribbon.

Step 4
A quick clarification on my directions. The front of the cuff is the side facing up and the bottom is against your wrist. The top edge of the cuff is the edge near the hand and the bottom edge is the edge on the forearm. Cut a piece of gathered lace 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch longer than the length of the cuff. Lay the cuff with the buttonhole on the right side. Center the gathered edge of the lace on the top edge of the cuff. Overlap the edge a 1/4 inch and pin. Top stitch the lace to the top edge of the cuff.

Step 5
Cut two pieces of 1 1/2-inch-wide gathered lace 1 inch longer than the cuff's length. Center one over the top stitching on the top edge and one over the bottom edge of the cuff. Pin the lace to the cuff. Top stitch each lace length to the cuff.

Step 6
Cut a piece of 5/8-inch-wide flat lace 1 inch longer than the length of the cuff. Center the lace down the middle of the cuff and pin. Top stitch each long edge of the lace.

Step 7
Fold over one short edge to the back a 1/4-inch and press. Fold over another 1/4 inch press and pin to the cuff's base. Hand-sew the pinned edge. Repeat on the other short edge. Do not fold or pin the short edges of the lace that extend from the top and bottom edges of the cuff.

Step 8
Turn the cuff over with the back facing up. Sew a tight zigzag line on each long edge and the ends of the buttonhole. You could sew a new buttonhole over the existing hole, but I didn't think I could get it to line up perfectly. Insert the point of a seam ripper into the buttonhole and through the layers of lace and ribbon. Reopen the buttonhole with the seam ripper.

Step 9
Wrap the cuff around your wrist and overlap the ends. Mark the placement of the button and hand-sew it in place.

Step 10
Hand-sew beads and charms to the cuff if desired.

The widths and types of lace that I used are only guidelines. Choose lace that will create the look you want.