Installing those cute Magnetic Clasps

Jun14

Aren’t those little magnetic clasps wonderful for totes, purses and other handmade projects.  However, they never seem to come with directions on how to put them in place.

I have used them many times for various projects and find they work just great and I love using them.  If you have never used them before, they come as a set with one thin pronged piece, one thicker pronged piece and two thin circles which are actually your back supports or washers.

One set of a magnetic clasp

You first need to determine exactly where you want the clasp to be placed.  If you are following a pattern, there is probably a placement mark for you to use.  However, if you are designing your own project,  I have found that installing the center of the clasp  1  1/4″ from the bottom unfinished edge leaves room enough for a 1/2″ seam allowance using your regular presser foot on your sewing machine and keeps the clasp close to the finished edge.

Also, using the thinner clasp on the front of your bag/project and the larger, thicker clasp on the back portion makes the opening and closing motion work smoothly.

Now with all that said, I mark the center of the front piece  1  1/4″ from the bottom and place the thin round circle at that point.  Take a sharp pencil and make a small dot in the center and draw two small lines inside the rectangle cutouts.  These are placement markings and will be covered up after you have installed the clasp.

How I make my registration markings

 

My markings for pellon and clasp placement

Next, I take a pin and insert it on the front of my material pinning it from line to line.  Flip my fabric over and draw a pencil line along the pinned area.  This is only for a marking reference for me to make sure that I iron on my supporting pellon in the proper place.

I do like to use two layers of a medium weight, fusible pellon to give extra support behind the clasp because that clasp takes a lot of abuse from opening and closing.  I cut out my pellon roughly in 1″ squares.  Basically, I eyeball my cut size but I want it big enough to support the clasp and washer.  It is a great way to use up some very small scraps that would otherwise be tossed!!

After making all my pencil marks as stated above, I now will iron the pellon onto the wrong side of my fabric.  Iron one piece of pellon on top of the other piece according to your fusible directions.

Now here’s a great use for that seam ripper other than removing stitches.  I stick the seam ripper through the fabric and pellon and slide it down very carefully following my pencil lines, which are only about 1/8″ long.  Do that again on the other pencil line.  Take the thin clasp with the prongs and push the prongs through the openings you just made.  Turn it over and place the back support circle onto the prongs and fold over those prongs.  Finding the proper tool to do this job was somewhat challenging but I keep a small, wooden 6″ ruler in my sewing accessory box and it is the perfect tool to push those prongs over without hurting your thumbs!!  Just place the ruler against one prong and push down and then place it against the other prong and push down.  Then I put the ruler over both closed prongs and give it one more push.  Viola,  you have the front clasp done.

Slice along the two vertical pencil lines to make opening for prongs

Now you need to do the same thing for the back using the thick clasp with prongs.  The trick is getting them lined up perfectly.  If you take your front piece that already has the clasp installed and lay it on top of the back that it will be attaching to and press firmly, you will have a small indentation from the front clasp and that will be your registration point.  Within that indented circle, place a small pencil dot and center your thin circle back support over your dot and make your markings again.  Proceed installing the back clasp just like you did for the front clasp.

Completed thinner front clasp

 

The thicker back closure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you have yourself a lovely little magnetic clasp closure that is great for many different projects.  Be creative and dream up some clever uses for them.

HAPPY CREATING!! 

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Finishing Touches to your Applique

Jun8

Now that you have your applique design attached to your garment or home decor project, you can further enhance your look with decorative stitching.

One way that I really like to finish the look to my design is a very narrow zigzag stitch or satin stitch.  I adjust my sewing machine to have a short stitch length (2.5 on my machine, Pfaff 7570) and a very narrow (.30) stitch width.  I don’t like to see any spaces between my stitches when I do the satin stitch.  I want my stitches touching each other but not stitching on top of each other.  You probably will want to do a sample swatch to determine what stitching looks best for your applique.

Of course, if the satin stitch isn’t your cup of tea, just a simple zigzag along the outer edges looks great too.  A blanket stitch is another nice finish you can do on your applique or if your machine has some built-in decorative stitches now would be a great chance to use some of them.

Another hint to help keep your applique design looking great is to maybe use some tear away stabilizer underneath.  The stabilizer works wonderful especially if you are stitching your design onto a fabric that has a loose weave to it.   It will help keep everything from becoming distorted or stretched out of shape.  You can easily find stabilizer at your local fabric store.

Using appliques is really a fun way to personalize your items.  Also, is a really nice touch to make your handmade gift truly unique!!

  • TIP:  Keeping a small spiral bound notebook readily available stored within your sewing basket is a great way to write down important details like your stitch width and length that you use for appliquing.  As often as I think I will remember that info, it just doesn’t happen for me.  This way I don’t have to experiment and saves much time!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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How to use Fusible Adhesive for Appliques

Jun5

Getting your applique design ready to be placed on your garment is fun and exciting because you are almost completed with your project and can start visually seeing your creation.

I personally like to us a pellon paper-backed product called Wonder Under.  It is an excellent fusible web that works for just about any type of fabric for making appliques on wearable or home decor projects.  Wonder Under will come will good directions on how to use it but here are a couple of hints to help you have a truly successful outcome.

When you open your Wonder Under, you will feel one side is smooth like thin paper and the other side you can feel a slight roughness which is actually the adhesive side.

Your first step will be to trace your applique design onto the smooth paper side with a nice sharp pencil.  Cut out the design leaving about 1/8 inch extra Wonder Under from your pencil lines on the outer edges.  Doing this will ensure that you have the fusible adhesive covering your entire applique right to the edges of  the fabric.

Pencil traced applique design onto paper side of Wonder Under

Now you are ready to iron your applique design onto the WRONG SIDE of the fabric that you want to make the applique from.   Most of the time, I keep my trusty iron on the cotton setting unless I am really using a fine, delicate fabric.  I also use a pressing cloth that I place over my applique design before I place the hot iron onto the fabric.  An old cotton tea towel, smooth cloth napkins or muslin fabric works great as a pressing cloth for all my projects.

Personally, I really enjoy using these white, cotton kitchen tea towels as a pressing cloth.  You can see through them easily, they are large and leave no lint.

Because my iron is always set with the steam feature on, I leave it that way for pressing the Wonder Under to my fabric.  Never can remember if the directions tell you not to use steam but I have no problems leaving it on.  I just don’t give an extra burst of steam when pressing the applique design.

Pressed design onto WRONG side of applique fabric

Now place your iron onto your applique design and hold it in place for about 5 seconds.   Remove the pressing cloth and check out how the Wonder Under looks like – is it adhering.  If you feel like you need to apply a little more heat, just cover your design again with the pressing cloth and hold the hot iron onto your applique for maybe another 3 to 5 seconds.  Sometimes when using a thicker fabric for the applique design (like denim), you will need to allow for a little extra heating time.  I will do the first pressing and check things out and if I feel like I need a little more heat, flip your applique design over and press from the opposite side of your fabric.

Let cool to the touch and cut out your applique design following your pencil marks.  Lift a corner of the Wonder Under and slowly remove it from your fabric.  You will have a smooth flexible feel to the wrong side of your fabric that is now going to be your applique.

Right side of cut out applique design

Now for the fun part, place your applique design with the adhesive side down (wrong side of  applique fabric to right side of project) and centered onto the right side of your garment.  Press the applique design onto your garment following the same directions as above using the pressing cloth and holding in place for about 5 seconds.  Viola!!

Ironed applique design onto shoulder of T-shirt

If you cut your design out using Pinking Shears or used a tightly woven fabric like twill, canvas, denim, felt or fleece (which either doesn’t fray or very little fraying occurs) your applique design could be set to go.  But a narrow, close, zigzag stitch gives a professional finish look and helps to keep the fraying to a minimum.  Also, applying a little fray check to the edges of your applique helps with the fraying issue too.  If using fray check, apply that to the edges after you have cut out your applique, iron on to your project (pressing cloth recommended), and then sew a narrow, close together, zigzag stitch.

Next blog will be about sewing suggestions for your applique.  In the meantime,  have fun designing appliques and think of all the different uses for them.  Appliques really personalize your project and are a very workable craft to do with a child or young teenager to help them update their room.  The ideas are endless.

  • TIP:  Don’t forget to look at cookie cutters too for great applique designs and ideas!!

HAPPY CREATING!!

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