Okay, I have enough privileges to embed photos, so here goes!
Steampunk Cuff from old t-shirt
You will need:
1 t-shirt
4-20 dome studs, depending on your preference (can also use buttons if you don't mind more sewing)
screwdriver
tailor's chalk
needle and thread
scissors
2-5 safety pins
Cut one or both sleeves off the t-shirt, depending on whether you want one or two cuffs. Save the rest of the t-shirt for another use (or wear as a muscle tee!)
Trim the sleeve if you want a shorter cuff (the one in my photo is a short scrap - it is just for demo purposes - you'll probably want your cuff to be longer). Slip the sleeve over your wrist so that the underarm seam is aligned with your thumb and the hemmed side is closer to your shoulder (raw side near your hand, lined up where you want the cuff to rest).Using the tailor's chalk, trace the outline of your hand and wrist.
This is not your cut line! Trace another line about 3/4" away from that line.
The second line is your cut line, so cut it, then fold the fabric underneath so that it is lined up with the first line:
Another view of the fold in case it's not clear.
Now use your tailor's chalk to mark the spots where you want the studs (or buttons) to go. It's up to you how many you'd like to use, but I think that four is the minimum to secure the fold.
Now attach the studs - just push the little prongs through both layers of fabric and use a screwdriver to fold the little prongs down.
Your cuff-in-progress will now look like this:
After you attach all the studs, drape the cuff over your wrist like so. At this point, a friend is really helpful, but I managed to do it by myself, although I couldn't really get a good picture of what happens. Pinch the fabric around your wrist, making sure to line up the underarm seam with your thumb and the studs should then lie on the edge of the outside of your hand.
Use your tailor's chalk to mark the cut line, leave a nice big seam allowance, because you can always trim it again later.
And cut the cut line.
You will be left with something like this, perhaps less angular since I was working with an angular scrap from a tee that I had shortened the sleeves.
Here it is again from the right side (I only put two studs since I was just mocking this up for the tutorial - just imagine that there are two or three more studs between them).
Try the cuff on. You can see it coming together at this point.
Use two or more safety pins to pin the top of the cuff to the button. The top should overlap the botton, wrapping around your wrist like a bandage.
Now all you have to do is sew the two sides together. I used tiny running stitches. Be careful not to sew the folded edge down if you want your cuff to be styled like a spat. Instead sew maybe 1/3" in, rather than right at the edge, so the fold remains visible.
Optional: if you want your cuff to be more like a glovelet, cut a small slit near the underarm seam (not on the seam itself, or your cuff will fall apart!). Poke your thumb through that.
Now try on your new cuff and go about your business!
Make a pair of them!
Here I am sporting my t-shirt cuffs and a t-shirt, velvet jeans, and leg warmers that I modded to look more steampunk. Cheap and fast steampunk attire for hot weather events!
No-sew version: This isn't necessarily faster, but if you want to do a no-sew version, don't cut the fabric at all. Just use the chalk lines as a guide to fold the fabric and attach the studs as above. Then, instead of pinching the fabric and cutting it near your pinky finger, pinch it and cut it underneath your wrist. You will probably need to cut a little from both sides so the cut line is at the center of your wrist. Then use an awl to poke holes in both sides of the cut, about 1/2" apart and close to the cut edges. Use a piece of spare t-shirt to cut a long lace, as narrow as possible. You can also use a thin ribbon or piece of cord. Thread the lace through the holes as if you were lacing a sneaker. Sorry if I haven't explained that very well, but here's a close-up of the no-sew version:
