A New "Tulle" for Crocheting Accessories -- Like this Colorful Flower Cuff

Whenever I find myself in JoAnn's or Hobby Lobby, I always look in the fabric salvage bin to see what remnants they have for sale. It's a great way to get amazing fabric pieces for rock-bottom prices.  I like to have them on hand to use for linings for bags, or other projects where I may need a smaller-size piece of fabric.  Over time, I've gathered remnants of tulle in a variety of colors.  I am partial to tulle -- maybe because of my unfulfilled desire to be take ballet lessons and wear a tutu as a child.  Anyway, I've collected this rainbow of tulle remnants and was trying to think of a use for them.  I thought about trying to create some kind of flower and experimented with a few things, but wasn't happy.

Then I cut come tulle into strips and tried crocheting with it.  Surprise! Surprise!  I really liked the effect.  I decided to come up with a design for a cuff utilizing tulle crochet.

I used a ribbon yarn (Lion Brand's Incredible) and crocheted two strips of proper length to fit around the wrist.  The ribbon yarn has some stretch to it when crocheted.  I used a row of single crochet and a row of double crochet to create each strip.

I then cut multiple long strips of brown and red tulle, about 1/2 inch wide. Holding the two ribbon crocheted pieces together with right sides facing, I took two strips of tulle (one of each color) and used it to slip stitch the ribbon crocheted pieces together along their long edges.  I made sure the single crocheted rows were on the outer edges; the slip stitched tulle joining the double-crocheted rows down the middle.

I used the tulle strips (using one brown and one red together) to crochet a ruffle along the long edges of the cuff.  I placed three single crochets in each stitch of the foundation chain on each side to get the ruffle effect.  I slip stitched along the short edges with the tulle strips to give them a more finished appearance.

I created the beaded flower motif as the focal element for the cuff by crocheting a flower using deep brown, red, and natural cooper 30-gauge wire.  I strung beads onto the wire before beginning to use as I crocheted the center, trying to feature shades that would highlight the colors in the ribbon yarn. I wove a thin strand of metallic braid in blue/green through the chain stitch of the petals to make them more visible against the ribbon.

Finally, I added snaps to close the cuff.  And the cuff was complete.

 I will be looking for new and interesting ways to use my tulle remnants in the future.