New tools for the sewing box

With over 350 different haberdashery products in the shop, we have got some kind of aid of gadget for just about every sewing related conundrum you can think of.

The g&g team and I love playing around with all these different tools and working out the best ways to use them - that’s why we have regular meet ups to share our experiences.

In this post I’m going to give you the headline info about the loop turner, steam-a-seam, tripod tool, overlocker needle threader and the universal cover button tool.

First up is the Prym Loop Turner

• Put simply it turns tubes of fabric inside out
• You use it for making narrow and very narrow straps like on the Sewaholic Saltspring dress, or button loops
• It’s really easy to use and has a little hook on the end so once you feed the metal spoke through your tube of fabric, the hook grips onto the fabric and that’s how you pull it through.
• Getting it started off can be tricky on finer fabrics or fabrics that fray easily so you can try putting a small piece of interfacing on the fabric to stabilise it where the hook will have more grip.
• The finer the fabric the thinner the strap you’ll be able to make

Next in the ‘Steam-a-seam2’ double stick fusible tape

• It is a ¼” tape that bonds fabrics together permanently when ironed
• You can use it for attaching binding to quilts, or making your own fusible bias tape that can be used for appliqué projects. You could also use if for hemming too.
• There are instructions on the back of the packaging but it’s really easy to use – you finger press it to the edge of your binding, then peel off the paper (it’s a bit like grease proof paper) then it will have a temporary stickiness to it that helps you position the binding in place without pins - just finger press again. This temporary stickiness is the real unique aspect of this product!
• It works in a similar way to wonder tape but the difference is that with steam-a-seam you then permanently set it in place by ironing over it for 20 seconds, whereas the wonder tape just dries up and washes out.
• It’s so much quicker than pinning and hand sewing binding on. You could just leave the binding secured only by the ‘steam-a-seam’ or for extra security – just top stitch in place easily without having to mess about with pins.

This next one is great for the latest jeans making craze…..its the Prym Tripod Tool

• It is for inserting/applying non-sew fasteners and rivets to fabrics in hard to reach places that the vario pliers can’t get to
• It’s perfect for rivets on the pockets of jeans or when you are dealing with thick layers of fabric as the base of the tripod holds the tool steady to avoid slipping or bending of the rivets
• The tripod comes on its own and then you can choose your rivets or eyelets separately that come with their own special tool that inserts into the tripod

First you use the little cutter that comes with the rivets or eyelets to make a hole in the fabric (you need a hammer for this).

Then put the tool pieces into the tripod. They have little rubber rings that help to grip onto the rivets and stop them from moving around. Put the side of the rivet that has the spoke on the bottom of the tripod and put the fabric over it, right side facing up.

Place the top of the rivet into the top part of the tripod and place over the top. Then use your hammer again to bang on the white bit and secure the top and bottom parts together, sandwiching the fabric inbetween.

Who doesn’t have trouble threading their overlocker?! Up next is the Prym overlocker needle threader

• It’s like a normal needle threader but on a long spoke to get into awkward places
• Use it for threading the tricky upper and lower looper threads on your overlocker

The last sewing gadgetry in todays post is the Prym Universal Tool for Cover Buttons

• It’s a set of rubber rings that hold different sizes of button with their circle of fabric in place while you secure the back of the button
• On the back of the pack are a set of circles corresponding to the different sizes of buttons. You use this to cut out the necessary circle of fabric and then place it wrong side facing up into the grey soft rubber side of the tool
• Place the circle of fabric over the corresponding ring for your size of button.
• Then push the button into the ring. If you are using mental buttons there will be little metal spikes on the inside of the button that will help to catch the fabric. I just used plastic ones and it was fine with that. On thicker fabrics you might want to put a running stitch around the perimeter of the fabric and pull on it to get the fabric to bunch up.
• Put the back of the button on top and then place the hard plastic part of the tool on top and press down to click the button together and trap the fabric in-between – giving you a self covered button
• The tool holds the fabric and button steady - which is especially useful for smaller more fiddly buttons.
• It also makes it easier to apply pressure to click the front and back of the button together and help avoid catching a bit of your finger in there, which is really sore - trust me!

Get 10% off any of these products with code GADGET10, valid until Wednesday 28th September 2016 while stocks last.

I hope you’ve found that useful? If you have any questions, other tips or experiences with these things please do let me know in the comments!