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Famous for their original and quirky designs, Tatty Devine has become a cult jewellery brand of this generation so much so that their creative brains have launched ‘How To Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine’. Tatty’s talented co-founders Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden bring their expertise and top tips to the page on how to create your own stunning jewellery. The book includes basic practical techniques and information about the tools and materials you’ll need to start creating. Fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions for each make, plus hints and tips about where to find further inspiration.

Especially for Christmas, they have shared an excerpt from their book so you can create a truly original gift or your very own accessory. For those of you not feeling as crafty, drop by their boutique at 44 Monmouth Street boutique to be inspired by the range of quirky handcrafted jewellery and accessories, including their signature bright acrylic designs, alongside pieces created in textiles, wood, leather and veneer

How To Make A Tape Measure Rosette With Tatty Devine

We’ve always loved tape measures. In our sewing kits are old vintage tape measures, in shades of baby blue and pale yellow, which once belonged to our grannies and our mums. Every time we see one in a charity shop we have to buy it to add to our collections, even if we know we’re never going to use them to actually measure anything. They’re perfect for making a fluttering curtain for a doorway, but with a bit of folding and pinning they can also be transformed into pretty star-shaped rosettes, which will get people talking. Rosie was even given a free steak by the local butcher when she wore her rosette into his shop, so impressed was he with her dapper brooch.

You’ll need:
1 tape measure
2 split pin paper fasteners
Hand-held hole punch (if you don’t have a hole punch you can use the prong of the kilt pin to poke the holes)
Pair of sharp scissors
1 kilt pin or safety pin
1 pair of flat nose pliers

Optional extras:
Small piece of felt
Blob of contact adhesive
Embroidery thread and a needle

Step by step imagery:
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Smooth the tape measure out, and go to work on the inches side. You’ll be using both metric and imperial measurements in this make, so pay attention!

Start by punching 2 mm size holes at 3-inch intervals along the middle of the tape measure, starting at number 3, and stopping at number 33. Now make three more holes at numbers 35, 37 and 39. As you’re working, give the hole punch a little twist as you squeeze down, so that the little circle of plastic will pop out the back as you press.

Grab hold of one of the split pin paper fasteners, and poke it through the tape measure at number 3. The pinhead goes on the centimetres side.

Now for some loops. Give the tape measure a little twist and then pop the newly made loop on to the paper fastener at hole number 6. Oh, and make sure that the inches side of the tape measure is ALWAYS facing upwards; this is the side where the paper fastener prongs are sticking out.

Keep twisting and popping the loops on to the paper fastener at every hole, at those 3-inch intervals, and always heading and twisting in the same direction.

When you’ve made five loops, do a little preening, and even them out into a nice star shape.

If it is not a nice star shape you have probably not twisted the same way every time. Undo and start over.

And off you go again. Make another five loops in the same way. The points of this star should fall between the points of your first star. A bit more preening wouldn’t go amiss.

Hurray, you’ve arrived at number 33 on the inches side of the tape measure. Now for the smaller inner loops. Make three smaller loops, and pop them, one after the other, on the pin fastener. This time you’re not heading for the stars, a triangle is the shape you’re after. This is going to be the centre of the rosette. Snip off the excess tape measure with a pair of sharp scissors, at 39¼ inches. Cut at a jaunty angle, because it looks pretty. Don’t throw it away: you’re going to need it in a sec.

Take hold of the second of the split pin fasteners, and push it through the centre of the rosette. This will make the first fastener pop out, and (ta-da!) the prongs will now be at the back.

Cut 6 inches from the excess snipped-off bit of the tape measure. Make sure you use the end with the metal bit, and fold it in half. Give it a little twist, so that the two strands sit apart, and at an angle. This is the tail of the rosette. Drape the strands over the bar of the kilt pin that doesn’t open, otherwise when you come to pin it to the neck of your snazzy jumper you won’t be able to!

Grab the hole punch again, and punch a hole through both strands of the tail, close to the kilt pin. Then pop the folded tail, with the kilt pin, on to the reverse of your rosette.

Squash the prongs of the split pin fastener down firmly with the pliers, so that everything is held securely in place. You’re mostly done, but for a prettier finish you could:

Glue a piece of felt over the back of the pin fastener, with contact adhesive. This will stop it snagging your jumper. If you’re feeling really fancy, sew your name on to the felt before you glue; it’ll look just like a lovely label. Or you could even embroider a message on to the felt if you’re giving the rosette as a gift.

Some tape measures have ditched their imperial side and gone entirely metric. If you’re working with centimetres, here’s where you punch the holes: start at 8 cm, then punch every 8 cm, but STOP at 88 cm, and punch three extra holes at 93, 98 and 103. Cut the tape measure at 104 cm – the tail should be about 20 cm long.

With a bit of practice you could make a rosette in ten minutes. And you don’t just have to use tape measures. What about ribbon rosettes? You’ll need to pencil the measurements on to the ribbon, and then get looping. Bear in mind if you’re using tiny ribbons, the holes should be closer together, and further apart if you’re working with a massive ribbon.

And if you want the rosette to be mega-large, use ribbon that’s much longer than 39 inches and keep making loops until the rosette is as big and fat as an ornamental cabbage, but not so big that you can’t close the pin fastener. Thinner ribbon will give you the best result. Try these measurements for a brilliant effect on about 2.5 metres of 20mm ribbon: 6 holes every 10 cm, 5 every 9 cm, 5 every 8 cm and 5 every 7 cm and 5 every 5 cm and 3 at 3 cm.

Top Tatty Tip
You could continue the centimetres and inches theme and make yourself a tape measure belt to match your tape measure rosette. Get an old white belt and a black permanent marker, and draw on the inches by hand. It doesn’t have to be accurate; in fact the further apart your inches are, the narrower your waist will appear when you do the belt up.