The Frame You Make

Any picture frame with a backing board becomes a ring frame. Cut the rolls to the inside width of the opening, lay them edge to edge on the backing, and close it up. The rings sit in the gaps between rolls. A small frame takes five to eight rolls depending on the diameter, so a thrift-store frame and a pack of 8 makes the kind of ring holder that sells for forty dollars, in an afternoon.

The Repair

Ring rolls are the part of a frame that wears out first. After a year of rings pushed in and pulled out, the foam goes flat, the gap stops gripping, and the rings lean. The frame itself is fine. Pull the old rolls out, measure one, and press the new ones in at the same thickness. No glue in a frame with a fitted well; a line of hot glue at each end for an open tray.

The Rebuild

An old tray in the wrong color becomes a tray in the right one. Strip the rolls, put in a set in the suede that matches the rest of the counter, and the tray goes back to work. Four thicknesses mean the row can be rebuilt fuller or slimmer than it was: a tray that held six rings at 12 mm holds eight at 10 mm.

Which Thickness

To match an existing frame, measure one old roll across the end. To size a new one, divide the inside height of the opening by the roll thickness, and round down to a whole number of rolls.

Handmade
Each roll is wrapped and seamed by hand, so the seam line sits slightly differently from roll to roll. Face the seams down when you fit them.

Color
Suede is dyed in batches and screens render color differently. If the rolls need to match a Whispering Woods tray you already own, tell us the order and we will cut from the same lot where we can.

Not included
Frames, trays and jewelry shown in the photographs are for scale and styling only.

How do I know which thickness my frame takes?

Measure one of the old rolls across its end. Most ready-made ring frames and trays use 10 mm. If the old rolls are too crushed to measure, count them and divide the inside height of the opening by that number.

How do I cut them to length?

Sharp scissors or a craft knife, one clean cut. Cut each roll 1 to 2 mm longer than the inside width of the frame so it presses in and holds by friction. Measure the frame, not the old roll, which may have shrunk.

Do I need glue?

Not in a frame with a fitted well or a backing board that closes over the rolls; the rolls hold each other in place. For an open tray or a shallow box, a small dab of hot glue or fabric glue at each end of each roll is enough.

How many rolls does a frame take?

Divide the inside height of the opening by the roll thickness and round down. A 6 cm opening takes six rolls at 10 mm, five at 12 mm, or four at 14 mm. The rings sit in the gaps, so one fewer ring row than rolls.

8 rolls or 24 — which pack?

8 rolls covers one small frame or ring tray: the frames in our photographs take five, six, eight and eight, which leaves a spare or two for a cut that goes wrong. 24 rolls covers three frames of that size, or one frame plus a wider tray, or a shop rebuilding a row of trays in the same color. If you are doing one frame, buy 8; if you are doing more than one, or want the next repair on hand, buy 24.

Will the color match my Whispering Woods tray?

Close, and often exact. The rolls are cut from the same suede stock as our display pieces. Suede is dyed in batches, so if the match matters, tell us which tray and when you bought it and we will pick the nearest lot.

Do they come in other lengths?

No. Every roll is 17 cm / 6.69 in, which covers most ring frames, trays and drawer inserts and packs flat for shipping. For a wider opening, lay two rolls end to end in the same row; the join disappears under the first ring.