Skip to main content

Adding Pearl Snaps & Eyelets

Lesson 16 from: Simple Sewing Projects for Beginners

Susan Beal

Adding Pearl Snaps & Eyelets

Lesson 16 from: Simple Sewing Projects for Beginners

Susan Beal

buy this class

$00

$00
Sale Ends Soon!

starting under

$13/month*

Unlock this classplus 2200+ more >

Lesson Info

16. Adding Pearl Snaps & Eyelets

Lesson Info

Adding Pearl Snaps & Eyelets

So you'll notice that this back that I finished earlier has a snap that fastens the top and the one that we just completed sewing in the last segment is just doesn't have it snap yet so let's start by adding a snap, which is a very simple process but just a lot of nice detail this is the same kind of decorative pearl snapped that you can use on for example, a a western shirt it's just a very iconic classic look, you can use it on denham or other back like a different material and what we're going to do with this is create the same snap that you'd use for example on this respond from the bonus materials that j k I just mentioned the snap is the perfect example of how will put it through two layers of oil cloth for a very durable easy join and I've shown just even some more simply on scrap, which is what we're going to be practicing with how to do it this way. So take the scrap piece of oil cloth that you may have lying around after you've cut your bag or at the sewing studio stations an...

d what we'll do is double one piece of it so used just your fabric shears to trim a piece it's always great to practice these types of things before we're using our actual lunch tote itself so what I'd love to show you first is how to set this using a couple simple household materials and a full set of pearl stamps so the pro snaps come in four pieces for a complete set and all will need to get started is the front piece which is this pearl which I particularly loved my daughter's name is pearl you'll need the base of it which is this peace that looks a little bit like a doughnut or just a circle within a circle that's the back of the pearl snapped you'll need the opposite side of step which has a little taller central area and then that one it's back has this sharp five point area which so does the back of the pearl when you buy these snaps there's full instructions to the manufacturer on the packaging so this isn't the only chance you'll have to learn how to use them but I just want to show how I do it s so that we can add them to our oil cloth bag she began with let's set the bottom side it's a little easier a little just a good way to get usedto using it for this will need a pencil or pen anything like that just anything of the size of chopstick would work well but if you have something like that a fabric marking pen just something of about this size you'll just use it to guide this sharp five pointed section through so working from the back of your oilcloth and again using a double layer ah single layer just isn't quite certainly enough to use the snap with it's one of those things where it just may end up damaging the fabric and here's what you're using your pencil for u c a racer side to just gently press the center so that these five points go through the fabric neatly and clearly and then this section with the central area the that points up sits right on top of those one thing that works well with setting these snaps is using either something like a cutting matt or a piece of fabric underneath because you want to have a slightly cushion surface not saying soft like a pillow but because you'll be using a hammer malott you don't wanna have this just jones around on a hard surface and possibly just end up setting in correctly or in the case of the pearl snap cracking the pearl so once you have tester with your fingertip and make sure that this is sitting correctly on top of the five pointy things it's almost like a crown you'll set high which ones on top of the of the point let me show you again so the back of this one is a small point five points pointing upward the back is the one that's like a circle ok and that is the base and we're adding this piece which is a tiny like almost like a baby's pacifier pointing up through the middle you're going to balance that on top of the five points just really it'll just it should sit nicely and you sure pencil to press the fabric down over the points because if it starts to the fabric starts to rise up a bit, it can just bumped the snap out of alignment and just to let you know, snap setting as I mean, you know, sometimes it just goes so smoothly I've made a western jacket for my husband the year that I learned how to sew and I set twelve snaps up and down the placket and ten of them went perfectly to them I probably spent four times is long on it's the other ten, it just happens so it's not worth ruining your fabric over you can just take the broken snap out start again, so no worries there, so we've pressed our stone, so the five points are pointing up a line the snap over it and then take a wooden thread spools you can also use a plastic one there are wooden one is a nice one and I'm actually just for this purpose go through and I folded my fabric to do my double layer I'm going to go ahead and snip it apart because it's kind of just a little more easier to show it doesn't have the fold unfolding itself they'll just kind of stay together more aligned so now that this is ready to go, we'll just set this one that looks a little bit like a baby's pacifier down take your wooden threats full and place it right on top this one's kind of nice because it almost sits right on top of that upper place take your a rubber mallet is ideal if you have one instead of like a big heavy hardware store hammer but a rubber mounts easier and then just give it a few really gentle but good taps let's see if it's set yep that one looks great if it's off alignment, you'll see that some of the points may not be heading facing up it's not going to be a huge deal, but that one isn't worth reusing if it's been, I just wouldn't bother. I'd start again because honestly there's nothing more frustrating than like you know your third try of ah piece that's kind of work hard under out of alignment, so now we'll set the pearl stamp yeah go for a great ahead that's perfect cause is perfect that's going on actually below us at the same time so it doesn't actually we don't have a rubber mallet what you can do is we use a regular hammer and put a paperback book on top of it that works just a swell perfects yeah, the reverend that's nice because it's just it's got all the weight and you know, just the same kind of easy kind of making a nice quick motion but it's not quite as hard the medal is a little less forgiving the paperback book ideas perfect. So now we'll set the other side of the snap the pearl side and for this one you'll put the pearl through first and then using your pencil he'll press these sharp points through so they're all pointing upwards just as you did the other time. No, this is the trickiest part of the stop setting to me because I am so visual but the two sides of this one that looks a bit like a donut are pretty similar looking. So sometimes I forget which one actually, you know, aligns better with the pearl snap because they're both just circles within circles. So what I do is I have a successfully made one in front of me as just a little reference so here's the one I have and so the one that looks a little bit more the inside circles a tiny bit narrower you can see that it almost is like an octagon and then the side where the circle the inner circle is more like a continuous circle that's the one that I place over the process them so again just line that up the pearls on the bottom, the two layers of oil cloth or they're in between and then we've got our octagonal one facing up place sure wouldn't spoor or regular third school over and then give it a few taps so great so that one set nicely feels secure there's the telltale marks efforts has gone off track is that one or more of the little pokey parts will be either sticking out on the exterior of the circle it'll be off its alignment or when you look at it from the side it won't be perfectly evenly set. Those little grabbers won't have gone into their exact rate little spots, so if that happens is they said just discard the snap said and start again so now you can see now that we've had a chance to practice we've got a nicely working snap maybe I'll find some home for some of their craft projects soon I'll do the same thing with my lunch toad and finished swing up and then we'll have a chance to set an island which is even easier and makes a nice finishing touch on a change purse way to go so as they're all doing their practice ones I will go ahead and show you at the same time how to set your stamp on your finished product project when I like to do is just eyeing at use a straight pen and set it so that my bag is perfectly neatly aligned and this is exactly where the snap is going to go all the way through if you're doing this on a fabric that's like a dinner or something it's nice you can use a fabric marker or something to market in place, but with oil cloth, which of course is shiny and doesn't quite have that same mark ability we'll do it this way, so your whole set of pearl snaps usually come in like groups of like twelve or so, which is actually really nice because then you got extras if you're doing a project like this and one of them doesn't go right, so once again I'm going to choose the back of my bag. I decided that this one with the solid apple's just the way the print bell would be the back of mine and I'm going to take for my ill called the pacifier half with this now the non pearl snap, I will go ahead and put that one on first on the back side of our lunch took again. I'll just guide it's easier on a flat surface, but I'm holding up, so set it down I'll just use with the side of the way I will just using my same pen marker that's my orientation, I'll press this one right through and use the pencil to continue aligning at rate sure is a lot easier to see on the small piece of fabric that we just practiced on, so as you can see this thiss five point in sharp part is on here, and then I'm holding it in place in press placing this one on top of it. I'll go ahead and using my left hand, I'll just put my wooden spool on top of it and then said the first them so that one's us all done ready to go, I'll check my alignment with my straight pen, make sure you don't need to move my friend stop a little still looks good and for my friends, stop, I'll put the pearl, of course, facing outward it's going to be right in the middle just like this, so no set this window on just try to move the other side like the handles just out of the way so they don't get in the middle of your snap setting and I'm going to look at both sides find the one that looks a bit more like an octagon with a narrower center face that one up. Place it right on, put the threats, pull down just the same way and good fares the snap, so now you have a more secure closure for your lunch bag, you could also stitch a small square so in velcro with us, it would work just a cz. Well, it might be a little the one thing that's nice about this. Is that it's easy to clean, just like the oilcloth it's just going to be a wipe clean thing. And so the snap is kind of ah, more streamlined approach, but velcro or the eyelet that were about so apply would be a great option, too if you want to run a ribbon through the island. So the last thing that will make that goes with this little hot lunch bag is a little change purse. I really like this one it's very simple to make a perfect scrap project, and I really like to make one that contrast my bag. So I thought it's two twin up in this same orange and white gingham again. So for this show, just need a scrap, which is eight by four inches. Remove these other pieces out of the way and again, this is like a lot of the projects. You can really kind of do it to your preference. So it's not as big of a deal if you'd like a smaller one or if you'd like to recreate this is a larger peace that is totally up to you. I just like this general size because it feels like sort of it an easy one to slip a few quarters or a dollar bill into for a lunch, lunch, money or milk money? One thing that's great with this particular one is that with the island it's pretty secure, you can get the money and announce, but if you turn it upside down, it's not going to fall, we tested it with coins in a dollar with my daughter at home, so you don't have to add a separate snap the island itself, it is enough of a little bit of a seal on one side to keep it secure. So to make this one it's very quick and simple, I am I love scrap projects because they're so efficient with a how much material you end up using. All you'll do is using your pencil and a quote ruler measuring tape on the wrong side of this, you will mark the three inch mark upward, and that is as easy as finding this straight line at the bottom, aligning it and drawing across then much like our oil class lunch tote, where we drew the same thing again, we're going to fund now use that line is our gauge at three inches and using that as a straight line tried a second time, so now you'll see this is a two inch section, a three inch section in a second three inch section, so the last thing won't do before we start sewing, and this is a very quick projects compared with a structural bag with sides and handles and all kinds of bells and whistles. This one comes together very quickly you'll freehand draw a curve, so all you're looking for here is a neat little curb. It does not have to be exactly like mine. You could do an envelope that was more of a diagonal it's completely up to you. I like the curve myself, so I basically and another thing that's, nice as you can do is many little freehand sketches is you like this doesn't have to be perfect the first time because you're essentially going to be the underside. People aren't going to see it, and you have every opportunity to kind of change it a bit, so now I'll just find my fabric shears should think are on the side here there, and I'm just going to trim this away a little generously, so I'm not cutting it really tightly to my line just more just to the side of it. So now I have just the simplest possible curve pretty symmetrical I'll double check it before I start sewing, but just having made this real simple little curve, this is going to be the flap of your change purse, so the next thing we'll do is make a quick fold and it's a finger press polls remember, just as we talked about earlier, we never use the iron with oilcloth just not worth it. On addition to destroying the oilcloth, it's, also a cloth is treated with he know plastic and or just the way it's made has buy necessities, some chemicals so you don't want to be breathing that end heated up with an iron. Even if you use a very low one, I would just stay away from it entirely unusual fingers. So now we're folding this up just at that three inch mark and pending the sides, and as I mentioned earlier, you can also tape instead whichever you prefer. But we've essentially just made the super simple little guy truman tiny, but here, just because of the way my pattern fell very go so as soon as everything's ready with us, we've still got our nonstick foot on our sewing machine from our larger oilcloth project and using a three eighths inch seam allowance, we're just going to start at one side of this backstage to hold the seem so up and then follow the curve the same way, and so back down, back searching to hold the scene it's very quick and simple that'll just skim along inside the curve of the top and we'll have a finished bag within a minute. So along the curve, just as we've done with our other applicant projects with curves just go a little slower if it if you're making a pretty direct definite curve on a small a small with like thus and if you need to pivot your photo bed, just make sure your needles all the way down as we discussed okay, great so now ultramar threats and I just want to share really clearly how this lex it's um this stitch line it goes up it's it's almost like once again a rainbow and here it's the same, so we've got kind of a generous room of extra oilcloth here, so I'm going to take pinking shears and turn this away for decorative ads just like the one that you like j k o on the orange bag I like it too pinking shears are a nice touch, so pinking shears couldn't be easier to use their just like scissors, but one thing I do is I start at this one edge and cut forward turn to keep my pinking shears level when I get to about the first place where all need to pick up my shares and start again, I try to align the last uh, saw tooth like pinking shears really neatly and just set my shears there so that I don't get sort of a weird in between size or a debit or go off my pattern and then continue cutting forward and you'll notice a big difference between cutting a single layer of oil cloth and cutting a double layer of oil class so when you get to your single layer don't go too fast because it's so much easier to cut through then the double thickness that you may have your shares jump a little bit is do you need to treat the edges of the are the ages in danger fraying at any point? Well cloth rhys woven in such a specific easy way that it really doesn't fray as much you might see it straight thread here there but if you care for it with you know just just careful general washing and keeping it really you know, away from heat and any kind of you know sharp things that should wear pretty well something this a bit slower than normal just you can really see but so now I've made this one and what's nice about it if you use a pattern like this she'll just see that the uh it aligns itself because it's all one continuous piece if you added a separate flap it might be a little off for just a little different than the first one so now we have a fun project to finish this up with it's adding an islet and you can really add it on the other side it's totally up to you I think let's put it right here um for these islets you can find them at craft stores or order than they're just putting a few out so that you can just see what they look like from all angles and other tiny it's a little harder to see but they almost clicked little rivets they're just they've got a hole right through the center and they're just very easy to use it's kind of like a very uncomplicated one piece snap that just creates ah neat clean just wayto string a ribbon or in this case a ball chain through so all we're going to do to at her eyelid is choose the spot that you want the sun and it's I'm just gonna put it here and you'll use a tool like this snap center to put the island through the first thing you'll do is adjusted so this which also kind of looks like a baby's pacifier is this part moves she'll wanna have it on the on the setting where the pacifier shows and then you'll choose your place that you want the island and this just essentially makes a tiny neat hole and all layers of the oilcloth he'll just use this squeeze it and it presses right through so now you have this little hole the course funding oilcloth will be on the back just make sure it's all off sometimes little uh threads of it and jay care, this is what I meant by oilcloth threads. It does have some thread woven through, but hopefully even contribute away or just care for it carefully. You normally won't see that. So then, well, put this through, and I'm it's just to show you the order again, I've put thie island right on this pacifier looking piece ring side down and the back side up, and then I put my little change purse on it too, so that it's all oriented, and you'll see when you look at a finished one, exactly how at lance and then using that he just press this and you'll have a little on the back that just you, you just got brush or pull away from the oilcloth itself, but now you have a need you don't just press up one last time you have a neat little revenge or island and it's perfect use with this little ball chain or I thought you could use a carabiner or any kind of ribbon or any other kind of material you prefer or your child likes, but I really like this little ball chain. I just found it at the hardware store and it has one little connector what's nice about this is it's very secure, but it's also very lightweight, so now we've got that all ready to go with, but it's called grand island, I look, yeah, you could also call it there's, a very similar does it. You only do one shows they're not double sided. Exactly. Ok, it's, just a one piece set, and you'll put the heavier circle the nice, shiny side at the front, and that the narrower two goes at the back and compresses to grab all layers of your oilcloth. And this is another one, like the snap that you could put through all layers of oilcloth, but may not be quite as ideal for a single heir of oilcloth, it's, just it's, just a. It works better with a decent sized, heavier layer of fabric or base. She joined tio.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Susan Beal Back to School Craft Ideas and Projects.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

Amanda Siska
 

Susan's projects were the best introduction to sewing I could have hoped for! I wasn't able to watch every project, but the ones I saw were simple, VERY clearly explained, and perfect for a beginning seamstress like myself. I'd never used binding tape before, or elastic, but now I'm confident about making my own binding tape and adding elastic waistbands to pretty much anything. I was immediately inspired to make a few skirts for myself after watching the simple children's skirt in this course, and I'm planning to make cloth napkins and an oilcloth lunch sack as well. I wish I'd gotten to see the applique portion, so I think I'll have to purchase the course in order to see that part. I'm positive that it will be just what I need to learn the process! I see that the previous reviewer was disappointed by the lack of diversity of crafts for this course, but I find that the name "Simple Sewing Projects for Beginners" was completely accurate for what it was. Perhaps it was categorized in a craft category, which would still seem applicable. I think it was advertised as having back to school projects to make for your kids, which is an even more detailed description of the course, since it includes clothing for boys and girls, as well as a lunch tote, cloth napkin, cape, and maybe more things I missed. Overall, this was my first Creative Live experience, and I was blown away by how informative and fun it was to watch!

user-c76ced
 

What a great class! Susan does a fabulous job explaining each project and is great at giving you a heads up on what issues you might face with each project. I've now made two applique projects with another in the works. I've also made two of the girls skirts. Susan gave me the confidence to try and I am really happy with the results. Hope to try the binding tape soon. Thanks for offering this video.

user-c468fb
 

Fun projects to make for your little one. Susan explains things so clearly. Very nice that she also offers patterns and written instructions for free

Student Work

RELATED ARTICLES

RELATED ARTICLES