| This is a tip I was shown by my tutor when attending a course at the London School of Fashion. To turn loops tiny enough to use on the back of a dress with tiny buttons such as a wedding dress use one of the old fashioned type of hair pins, the soft bendy type. Once the strip of fabric is folded and stitched, as narrow as you like, about half an inch from one end clip the folded edge to the stitching, then place one spoke only of the hair pin down the inside of your tube from the very beginning and the other spoke into the tube from the clip and then continue to run both spokes through your tube of fabric. By using this type of hair pin to turn your loops it enables you to bend the hair pin as flat as you like for the tiniest fabric loops without fear of the fraying. If anyone is unclear regarding this let me know and I will try to elaborate as I am unable to supply pictures. |
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This is a great way to turn those little tubes! I don't have one of those nifty tube-turner gadgets and this is my standard method. I think I read it in the Kwik-Sew Lingerie book... I've used both types of hair pins with success. Thanks for posting the tip!
11/7/03 3:56 PM
Wow, what a great idea. I only have some modern style bobbie-pins, which would still work for larger tubes, but I might have to pick up another type.
11/8/03 6:35 AM
To turn thin tubes like those made for button holes and spagetti straps, I follow the following routine: After sewing the seam, I leave the ends of the thread really long. I take a blunt round pointed needle like a bodkin for sewing up hand knitted sweaters and thread the long threads through the eye of the bodkin doubling them (for strength) then tying the threads together close to the "tube" that I want to turn. I then thread the bodkin through the tube. The only caution is to gently ease the start of the process to get the fabric rolling in on itself, after that it is a breeze and the tubes turn in seconds. As you are using a blunt needle there is little fear that you will pierce the tube. I have yet to have this method fail.
2/12/04 3:21 PM
This is a cool tip that I've never heard of before, thanks for sharing. Personally, I have made tube turners out of straws [even the skinny little straws you get in a bar], and using a piece of floral wire that I formed a pigtail on the end, then cut the end at an angle with wire cutters so it's sharp. The wire then slips into the straw just like 'store bought' tube turners.
3/2/04 5:31 AM
5/2/09 8:07 PM
This is brilliant! I used a bobby pin (not sure exactly what hair pin you meant but a bobby pin worked for me) and -- after 1 hour of struggling over this on my own -- I was able to do it in about 30 seconds using your method. Thank you, thank you! PS--I've just made a tutorial of your method on my blog (sorry, don't know how to do link): http://craftyendeavors.blogspot.com/2009/05/tutorial-how-to-make-button-loops-or.html
5/2/09 9:15 PM