Superhero Wrist Cuffs

I made my [almost] 4 year old nephew some Superman and Batman wrist cuffs for Christmas! It's easy to make, after figuring everything out from the first prototype.

Materials:
* 1 paper towel tube

* Felt fabric in colors of your superhero(s)

* Plain white paper

* Superhero emblems - I Googled the images and traced right on the computer monitor, hah!

* Scissors

* Double stick fusible web - I used the Steam A Seam brand

* Pencil

* Ruler

* Duct tape

* Velcro squares - Do not use sticky back ones (lesson learned, with sticky and gluey sewing machine needle)

* Iron and ironing board

* Sewing machine and threads matching felt fabric colors

Instructions:
Don't throw away paper towel tubes!

Get a ruler and pencil, draw a line down the middle [the long side], and cut it in half.  The pencil mark is just a guide, so don't worry if you don't cut right on it.

Open the tube, and draw a line inside the tube [the short side] at the 2 inch mark, and cut out. This is for one cuff, so you'll need to cut a second to make a pair of cuffs.

Get duct tape and cut a small piece to tape and smooth the edges. Do it on both ends, and be sure to have enough to wrap over the top and down the inside/backside [where it curves in].

Now you need 3 longer strips of duct tape to wrap all the way around, to make it sturdier. I see it as a top, middle and bottom section.  I prefer to tape the top and bottom sections first, then the middle. Set aside for now.

Now you need two strips of about 2.5 inch x 7 inch of felt fabric for each cuff base. The length is just an estimate - you may want to measure the child's wrist prior.  You'll need 4 strips for a pair of cuffs. I chose black for batman, and blue for Superman.  This is where I messed up the first time, and forgot to take pictures when I did it correctly. You want to sew the velcro squares on first before sewing the two strips together.

See there is no velcro here, and you do not want this:

  

This is what you want to do: On one strip, sew the hook part of the velcro at the bottom, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch clearance. [See the pictures with the blue cuffs below]. On the second strip, sew on the loop part of the velcro at the top, and again leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch clearance. Sew the 4 sides of the velcro, in addition to an "X" shape across the middle to make it more secure.

Stack the two strips together. Make sure the top strip has the loop velcro (the fuzzy side) at the bottom -and when you flip the stack of strips around, the hook velcro (the prickly side) is on the top. Test it out first! Then sew the along the long sides. Now you have a felt "tube". Pretend that the velcro is there.

Get the duct taped paper towel tube strips, and you should be able to slide one into the felt "tube". Sew the two short sides together. Now you should have a finished plain cuff base. Set aside. See how the velcro hook is at the top here.

When you flip it over, the velcro loop is at the bottom. This way, the child's wrists won't get scratched when putting it on themselves. Again, learned it the hard way as I tested it on myself. Haha.

Find the superhero emblems online, and enlarge/reduce to no more than 2 inches wide. Trace on paper and cut out. You have to do this in layers. For example, for Batman, I cut out an oval, and a bat. For Superman, I cut out a "diamond" and a "S".

Get your package of double stick fusible web and follow its instructions.  For mine, I cut a piece of fusible web bigger than the shape I need.  I took the cut out oval and traced it on the side the instructions said to. Note: When you trace, you need to have any letters reversed. It does not matter for shapes such as ovals, triangles, bats, etc. But for example, the "S" for Superman will have to be reversed.

I took off the backing (at the bottom) and stuck it onto the yellow felt. This is where the "double stick" comes in so handy because it sticks to the fabric as you are cutting, so you get straighter and sharper cuts, and it doesn't go all over the place....the oval could turn into a triangle. ;) It'll make sense when you're doing this, hopefully. Repeat with the rest of the shapes.

Now it's time to iron, one layer at a time.  For the Batman cuff, iron on the yellow oval onto the black cuff base, then the black bat onto the yellow oval. Follow the fusible web instructions, as other brands could be different. I prefer to I used a thin wash cloth over the felt emblem when I iron. And do not move or wiggle the iron once it's placed on top (lesson learned!) Leave it alone for 15 to 20 seconds, and lift up to check.

Once you ironed the emblems onto the cuffs, velcro it together so it maintains its shape when it's cooled.

DONE! And you are officially the coolest mom/dad/relative/friend EVER. ;)

p.s. I hope I included all the steps. Comment below if you have any questions. And the next time around, I would use thicker/better quality felt fabric.  I just got the cheaper kind that comes in a package. It's just for more durability and sustainability...I will let you know how long they last with my nephew! Hehe.