Eyelets

[Sev]

Hello again all,

This time I have a question about hand-bound eyelets -- more specifically their size. I tried to make some on the bodice I made last fall, and while they worked out well enough, they ended up tiny and I just could not for the life of me make them much bigger. How big should I be aiming for? How big do yours generally come out? Has anyone else had this problem (if it even is a problem)? Or are they usually/meant to be that tiny?

I recall being able to make a decently larger hole in the layers of fabric with my awl, but just couldn't get it to STAY that open while I stitched it.

[sealion]

Did you take a few stitches around first just to hold things in place before going around again to fill in and make it look nice? Try the instructions found at http://www.curiousfrau.com/Tutorials/eyelets.htm and see if they help.

[Mythrin]

I have used a knitting needle to "establish" or stretch to size after opening the hole with the awl. 

[Sev]

I did do the first few stitches around, using those exact instructions in fact, and the hole just wouldn't stop shrinking back down on me. 

[Erynn]

I have done eyelets in two different ways, both of which work well.

For my corset, I did hand sewn eyelets, but I wasn't sure how strong they would be so I went out and bought a pack of split rings. I closed them up and held them at the back when I sewed the eyelet. (Using an awl to create the hole) Keeps them all the same size and gives it something to grab on.

Front and Back

For the last bodice I made things were a little different. I boned the bodice very heavily, so it also acts as a corset. I pretty much made a normal corset and put grommets in for the lacing. Then I took the outside fabric I was using, sewed that on top and bound the edges. Then I went along where the grommets were, poked a hole with my awl and stitched around it. The proportions between the size of the stitch and the size of the hole isn't as great as I would like, and some of the holes are pretty small, but it worked really well. So I can use grommets and not have it noticeable!

Front and Back

[Baroness Doune]

Erynn,
What size grommets do you use?
I always use 00 size but I think they would produce too small a hole if I stitched around them.  I can sometimes barely get the aglet through the hole of the grommet as it is.  I should go to a larger size if I stitch like you did above.

[Erynn]

I'm not sure what size they are anymore, either 00 or 0. The size of the hole it much smaller then I would have liked, but they were what I had on hand.

[Trillium]

Mine usually end up about the size of a pencil or chopstick.

[LadyOren]

My first handsewn eyelets were tiny too.  What I did on the next ones was baste a running stitch circle with the thread then worked the eyelet from there.  I'm sure you could use a fabric pencil to keep it the size you want.   I liked using the running stitch first as it seemed to strengthen the final eyelet.  Hope that helps you.

[verymerryseamstress]

Baroness, I have used size 0 grommets and covered them with floss and while the size is definitely larger than that of a simple hand-bound eyelet without a grommet, it's still large enough to fit the cord through effortlessly, and all the holes are much more uniform in size. 

[silverstah]

Yeah, hand-bound eyelets tend to be smaller in size than grommets covered with thread.  An easy way to thread lacing through hand-bound eyelets is to use a bone bodkin - or the modern equivalent, a plastic yarn needle.  I keep a bunch of these in my dressing kit for when I'm lacing myself into my cotehardies, and they work BEAUTIFULLY.

Also definitely use a chopstick/knitting needle to open the hole while you're stitching around it.  I tend to use an awl to open the hole, run a line of basting stitched around the hole, jam the awl in there again, satin stitch around the hole, jam the awl in there again, and then satin stitch around the hole a second time.  Works like a charm, for me!

[gypsylakat]

I'm finding that the rings they use to attatch things to keychains or tags to dog collars work really well, they're thin, yet sturdy, I got a handful of them from petsmart (I work there) and they are keeping the holes open pretty well, just stitching them in place and then continuing to stitch around them (making the hole first using a poking device -read- whatever i have laying around)

[isabelladangelo]

What kind of awl are you using?   Are you lining the fabric with a sturdier fabric?   What type of fabric are you using?