Eyelets

[FortuneRose]

We have a very strong love hate relationship....  I feel like they are taking me forever, but are SO worth it when finally finished.  I started on the new simplicity corset (same one Gem just finished) back when it first came out, but set it aside as I was just feeling fed up with the lacing holes, ugh.  Well, I've picked it back up again after taking a couple month sewing break.  I kind of felt forced into picking it back up actually.  I went to the festival this past weekend and brought a friend who had only been one other time and then a friend who had never been before.  Unfortunately, I couldn't squish myself into any of my garb due to the weight gain I have had since last year due to stinkin' hypothyroidism that I just found out I had.    They had opted to wear regular clothing anyhow since they are still very fresh and new to the festival experience.  By the end of the day the friend who had never been before had said she was already planning to come back and left with a very lovely pair of wings, ears, a head piece, and was also already planning out the rest of the garb she wanted to get.  After getting home I decided I was just going to have to pick the corset back up and finish because at least it would fit....  the eyelets WILL NOT get the best of me.  I only have a few left, I just hate actually hand sewing them.   

I'm thinking for future bodices and corsets, I'll be using a grommet and just threading over them...  I may be very wrong, but I feel like it would be quicker since the threading wouldn't really be the support, and therefore an easy over lay of it would do just fine. 

[gem]

On the corset I just finished, I think the grommets will stay pretty strong, frankly.  Because it's only two layers, I was able to just work open the holes with the awl, and not have to cut through any of the threads to do it.  My two commercial corsets have, respectively, *buttonholes* to lace through, and brass grommets.  I haven't had any problem with the strength of either corset (and mine have serious work to do).

[gypsylakat]

On a bodice I reformatted for one of my friends (she tried to stretch it onto a friend, a guy friend whom was really too big for it, and ripped a 4 inch tear about 3 inches from the center back) I originally tried grommets, but the fabric was famous for fraying, and the grommets popped out, so the grommets that didn't pop out, I sewed over, the grommets that did pop out, I just took a jump ring (i grabbed a large handful of dog tag attachers from my work at the petstore) and used them as strengtheners/guides to sew eyelets. I really enjoy eyelet sewing

[FortuneRose]

On a bodice I reformatted for one of my friends (she tried to stretch it onto a friend, a guy friend whom was really too big for it, and ripped a 4 inch tear about 3 inches from the center back) I originally tried grommets, but the fabric was famous for fraying, and the grommets popped out, so the grommets that didn't pop out, I sewed over, the grommets that did pop out, I just took a jump ring (i grabbed a large handful of dog tag attachers from my work at the petstore) and used them as strengtheners/guides to sew eyelets. I really enjoy eyelet sewing

yuck...  lol.  I get so bored doing them.  Tedious...so tedious   

[LadyShadow]

I usually set the grommets and then hand or machine sew over the grommets so they dont stand out as much.

This is what they look like when I am done.

[Hoowil]

How do you machine sew over grommets? I'd never have thought of even trying that, but it sounds like a neat idea.

[Kate XXXXXX]

I just sew mine by machine...

         

[iain robb]

Wow! Those machine-sewn eyelets look very nice and are probably a whole lot faster than hand-sewing.

But I'll stick with hand-sewn eyelets, and not just because my cheap finicky sewing machine would probably mess them up.

I sew to relax, and now that I've gotten the hang of hand-sewn eyelets, I find them very relaxing. It's become relatively quicky work as well. And then to be able to look at the finished product and know I've actually done something relaxing and productive ... well, that's a win to me.

But that's just me, and you wouldn't be the first to call me weird. 

[Kate XXXXXX]

No, I don't think you are weird.  I like hand sewing, and love to hand finish things.  But I also have fibromyalgia, and at times my hands just cannot do fine hand work.  In addition, making this many eyelets through tough fabric would be very unpleasant for the poor old paws!  I'm just glad I have the machinery for doing a decent sell-to-customer quality eyelet.   

[FortuneRose]

**smacks sewing machine**  Why can't you do wonderful stitched eyelets?!   

[LadyShadow]

I wish my machine did those beautiful eyelets.  I set my grommets, set the length on the machine to not move and set to the widest my needle will go and sewing slowly.  I turn slowly until all metal is covered with thread.

[Kate XXXXXX]

When you next upgrade you sewing machines, remember: Pfaff, Bernina, Husqvarna -  the machines that do REAL eyelets!   

[LadyShadow]

I will have to keep those in mind.

[FortuneRose]

I will be hinting to my husband the gifts I would like   

[operafantomet]

Wow! Those machine-sewn eyelets look very nice and are probably a whole lot faster than hand-sewing.

But I'll stick with hand-sewn eyelets, and not just because my cheap finicky sewing machine would probably mess them up.

For eyelets you can use a rather thick thread, though. Which means it takes a lot shorter time to finish than with a thin thread.