Eyelet Trouble!

[GinnyZombie]

My mom and I have sewn a bodice before and we're now attempting to sew a corset.  The biggest problem we had with the bodice was the eyelets. We bought a little...eyelet...thinger, you know, the thing that looks like a can opener...and followed all the instructions, but overall the eyelets just weren't very sturdy and a few ended up just coming out over the course of being worn.

That bodice was just when I was a playtron, but the corset we're sewing now is for my actual Faire-wear now that I'm a cast member, so it needs to be very sturdy! So basically I'm just wondering how you guys do eyelets, and what sort of things you do to make sure they're sturdy and strong!

Thank you!

EDIT: My mother, after a bit of research, has informed me that we want to be using grommets. I'm not entirely sure what the difference is, but there you are.

[Adriana Rose]

Take it to a shoe repair, they can set the grommets for you and they will hold nice and strong. Grommets are the little metal thingies that the can opener looking thing puts in. But the shoe repair guys have one that works lots better!

See ya soon

[GinnyZombie]

Oh! Thank you so much, that's a brilliant idea!! Wow!

[ArielCallista]

eyelets are one piece and the claw part on the back tends to tear through the fabric...grommets are 2 piece things...one on the back one on the front so the claw part will dig into the other piece instead of tearing up the fabric so they are alot sturdier...the only issue is grommets tend to be bigger and hard to find small...

[Kymberleigh]

My Advice:
Make sure you are using quality grommets.  The ones you can find at Jo-anns or Wal-mart (Dritz) aren't really that good.  You can also set the grommets/eyelets and then go around them with embroidery floss like you would doing a hand bound one which will make it stronger.  So far I have done both and going around the grommets with the embroidery floss made them more secure than just the grommet alone, though they were the Dritz to begin with.  Also if you do a search of this section of the forums using grommet or eyelets as your keyword you will find a lot more advice/hints/tips/tricks.

The difference between grommets and eyelets has nothing to do with washers.  Both grommets and eyelets can come with or without washers.  Grommets tend to go up to larger sizes than eyelets while eyelets tend to go to smaller sizes than grommets.  The big and main difference between grommets and eyelets is that grommets have a larger flange area than eyelets.  The flange tends to give the grommet extra holding strength, though for most things eyelets with washers will hold adequately.

[raevyncait]

When I first started making my own garb, at the suggestion of a seamstress more experienced than I, I purchased a pair of the pliers-type of grommet setter.  I absolutely LOATHED grommetting with it.  Much of my problem stems from the fact that I have smaller hands, thus getting a good grip on the pliers is difficult. 

This past winter, when I was making my first corset, I borrowed a grommet setting tool from another sewing friend. It is similar to this:
http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/zoomImagedetail.jsp?PRODID=1071166&imageType=m&itemType=sku
I LOVELOVELOVE it.  I can put the holes in, (courtesy, actually of this CropADileII punch http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=&CATID=cat2900&PRODID=xprd561221) and have a dozen grommets set in a manner of minutes, rather than the HOURS, literally, that it takes me with the pliers and an awl.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

Shoe Repairs are time savers.

I'll be taking some things to my Local Shoe Repair tomorrow for grommetting. My guy gets Brass grommets from www.ohiotravelbag.com All the grommetting my guy, Mike, has done for me has been wonderful. Not a single grommet hsa come out in the 8 years I have been going to him.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Stitched all the way for me.  More accurate for time period (if that is a consideration) and they last longer.  And are prettier!

[gem]

I second the advice to do a search of these forums for eyelets/grommets/etc, because we've had some *terrific* threads on them. 

But I wholeheartedly agree with everything that's been said so far.

Right now I'm machine-sewing mine, using the eyelet-thingy on my Viking. This short video does a decent job of showing how it works (although I'd quibble with a couple of things there. For instance, I make the holes by shoving aside the threads with an awl, not punching a hole in them). Kate is our machine eyelet expert, and one of the threads I mentioned has a full photographic tutorial that she put together. It's brilliant.

I've also done my share of grommets, and I'm sure I'll use them again. I prefer the "tarp grommet" kit you can buy at hardware stores. The one I use looks like this:



It includes the 2-piece, heavy-duty grommets, the setting tool, and a wooden block to hammer them on (in case you don't have a handy built-in cutting board, or a picnic table, or other sturdy wooden surface). I actually use the grommet setter to cut the holes.

I have never had a grommet fail, and I put them under pretty good strain... but I suspect I've just gotten lucky. YMMV.