Because you can never have too many posts about grommets!

[Lady Anne Clare]

I hand bound my eyelets because I had such a horrible time with the Dritz grommets in the past.  Besides I already had the embroidery floss on hand so it didn't cost any extra and I quite enjoyed doing them.  I find it peaceful.

[Naween]

I'm surprised noone has commented about my favorite tool - the "Crop-a-dile"! It's sold as a tool for setting eyelets for scrapbooking, but it sets standard eyelets PERFECTLY EVERY TIME! I bought mine for $20 (regular 40 but had a coupon), and it works wonderfully. No more banging outside my apartment front door, no cursing when i miss and wreck one, and no uber-flattened eyelets cause I hit them too much! It's awesome! It even comes with several size  "blocks" to allow you to set larger grommets and smaller baby eyelets too.

Only problem is that the regular version  wouldnt let you set eyelets very far in....but I just googled it and they have a new version! I want it now!
http://www.craftsetc.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=79039&dep=51&cat=18&subcat=1&Search=Y


Link to the crop-a-dile
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-Crop-a-dile-Hole-punch-eyelet-snap-8-tools-in-one_W0QQitemZ110281218848QQihZ001QQcategoryZ75573QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Lady Caroline]

I have never heard of that tool! But then again, the U.S has so much more choice when it comes to craft retailers and such. 

As I was driving through NY a couple weeks ago, on my way to GLMF, I quickly popped into a JoAnnes Etc store that I passed.  My jaw literally dropped open!  So many isles of wonderful fabric and craft stuff!  (and I only had about 15 minutes to spare)  I spent those 15 minutes just looking at the pattern books, and choosing a bunch of those, since patterns were on sale for .99cents!  We NEVER have those kind of pattern sales up here (not that I know of, anyway).

[sealion]

I'm surprised noone has commented about my favorite tool - the "Crop-a-dile"! It's sold as a tool for setting eyelets for scrapbooking, but it sets standard eyelets PERFECTLY EVERY TIME! I bought mine for $20 (regular 40 but had a coupon), and it works wonderfully. No more banging outside my apartment front door, no cursing when i miss and wreck one, and no uber-flattened eyelets cause I hit them too much! It's awesome! It even comes with several size  "blocks" to allow you to set larger grommets and smaller baby eyelets too.

Only problem is that the regular version  wouldnt let you set eyelets very far in....but I just googled it and they have a new version! I want it now!
http://www.craftsetc.com/store/item.aspx?ItemId=79039&dep=51&cat=18&subcat=1&Search=Y


Link to the crop-a-dile
http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-Crop-a-dile-Hole-punch-eyelet-snap-8-tools-in-one_W0QQitemZ110281218848QQihZ001QQcategoryZ75573QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have both Crop-a-diles (I've been a scrapbooker/cardmaker much longer than I have been sewing) but it never occured to me to use them on garb. LOL Then again I prefer to hand sew my lacing eyelets. I actually find it easier than setting grommets and almost as fast.

[broadwaygal24601]

I use the pounding method to put in grommets because usually I am pounding them in about an hr before I'm supposed to be leaving and don't have time to sew!!  But, I thought I saw on here that some people take them to local shoe repair places and have them put them in professionally...does anyone do that?  I'm thinking about it because my grommets seem to come off the fabric rather easy.

[Kate XXXXXX]

If I HAVE to use grommets, I like to pound them with a hammer...  Partly the anger of having to use them, and it's a great way to make a horrible noise!   

For anything that needs to be reasonably HA but hand stitching really won't make THAT much difference, I do this:

[Lady Caroline]

Kate, that looks very nice!  Can you explain what exactly it is?  Is it a special foot for your sewing machine?  And what is that thing sticking up through the fabric?

[Kate XXXXXX]

Not a special foot.  You just take the foot off, leaving the plastic ankle to 'lean' on the sticky-up post of the eyelet plate:



You have to remember to put the 'foot' down even without a foot on the machine, in order to get tension on your thread.

Satin eyelets:


At the moment, the only folk doing eyelet plates and/or kits for their machines are Husqvarna (like mine), Pfaff:



   And Bernina:

[Lady L]

oh good, I have a Bernina, I will have to look for that. TY.

[broadwaygal24601]

So can you do that type of stitch on a Singer sewing machine if I purchase that special eyelet plate?  What stitch type do you use?  I haven't fully explored all my stitches yet.  I'm assuming you put the plate on, put the eyelet over it then use a specific stitch and just turn it as you go?

[Kate XXXXXX]

oh good, I have a Bernina, I will have to look for that. TY.

The Bernina kit is comprehensive, but comes at about £69 in the UK.  I have a Bernina 1005, and have this on my Christmas Wish List.   

[Kate XXXXXX]

So can you do that type of stitch on a Singer sewing machine if I purchase that special eyelet plate?  What stitch type do you use?  I haven't fully explored all my stitches yet.  I'm assuming you put the plate on, put the eyelet over it then use a specific stitch and just turn it as you go?

Yes.  The stitch is just satin stitch: you drop the feed dogs and set the stitch length to zero, and the stitch width to the best for the fabric you are using.  The important bit is the eyelet plate...  And the real trick is learning to turn the fabricevenly! 

As far as I can find out (after several months of intensive googling!), the eyelet plates and kits are CURRENTLY being made only for Husqvarna, Pfaff, and Bernina machines.  If you have an older all metal Swiss made Elna, you might be able to pick up a vintage one for that machine, but they make hen's teeth look common as dirt!  Folk that have them tend to hang on to them...

Singer may have made them for some of their older all metal cam driven and early built-in zigzag machines, but I've never seen a kit, so...

[jcbanner]

A note about the grommets from the store.  Please use care.  If you are buying the ones from JoAnn's they just aren't sturdy enough to hold up to faireware.  There are folks here that make them work and have had great luck, but me, every time I'd set one it would split and then cut up my fabric.  Quite possibly (or should I say probably), operator error on my part.  lol

I've never had issues with the grommets from JoAnn's, but then again, I don't use the setter that they sell, and I've never used one of those plier looking things either.  I find that my leather tools work great for setting them, I'll cut a perfectly round hole using a leather hole punce, then set the grommet with tools made for leatherworkers.

what really helps is not using the genaric anvil (or setting plate) that has a really wide plate, the grommits slide all over the place in those, I have a setting plate that has sections set into it fore a few diffrent sizes, the grommets don't move, so they compress evenly.

[broadwaygal24601]

Good suggestions everyone!  Where do you guys tend to get good grommets that won't break the bank?  I just have been getting wal-mart ones, but they always seem to come out over the course of the day and end up just hanging on the lacing...

[tigerlilly]

Singer may have made them for some of their older all metal cam driven and early built-in zigzag machines, but I've never seen a kit, so...

They did.  I have a 1950s/60s green all-metal singer.  It has a seperate cam-driven buttonhole attachment.  Just by dumb luck I found an eyelet cam for it laying in the bottom of a box at a thrift store.





I've never used it to make lacing eyelets.  I prefer to use cheap metal eyelets (the small ones you can use an awl to poke a hole for) and then go over them with thread to keep them from coming apart and make them look nicer.

The singer eyelets don't look all that nice, IMO, and they probably look worse when you open them up. Husqvarna's look way, WAY better.