Monday 29 April 2013

Making Rouleau Straps - The Video


After putting up the illustrations showing how to do rouleau straps, I decided I needed to try out the method.  It is wonderfully easy.  Sewing alongside the cord keeps the stitching straight and the width of the strap even.



You only need to do three or four stitches through the cord at the end to keep it secure.  The trickiest part is turning the end inside out to start pulling it through.  I was using cotton poplin, but it would have been easier with a finer material, for instance a cotton lawn.



The latest Youtube video went up last night.  It wasn't a particularly easy one to make - making my first ever rouleau straps kneeling on the floor, with the sewing machine on a low table and the camera on a low tripod in front of me so I had to reach round from either side of it and do my best not to knock the tripod.  I suffer for my art.

The reservation I have with these straps is that they might not take too much strain.  This is why I showed two ways of pulling the strap the right way round.  If the cord is left uncut you can leave it inside so you can have a reinforced strap.  You would just have to make sure that if you are using cotton, both the fabric and the cord are pre-washed so they don't shrink at different rates once they are first washed after the work is finished.

Welcome to Susan Owenby, the latest follower.  Thank you for joining!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this video to YouTube. My Granny taught me this method when I was about 9, but I have never seen anyone else use it.

    You have a great video on YouTube showing how to adjust the tension for a long bobbin machine. Do you have any tension information for a round, drop in bobbin machine. I have recently been given a 66-1 and am struggling to get the bobbin winder positioned correctly (I think it has been removed sometime in its past and not put back properly), and to adjust the tension to give a balanced stitch. All is threaded up properly, but I can't seem to sort this out. Any ideas?

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  2. Hello Meridlin,

    Fancy that, this all brought back memories of your Granny. I'm delighted!

    The bobbin winder on the 66K will be the same as on the 99K. Is this post any help to you? http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/adjusting-bobbin-winder-on-singer-99k.html

    If the thread is running well from the bobbin it is most unlikely to be a problem with the bobbin tension. Have you cleaned up the tension discs? The problem is most likely to be there.

    PS. Did you realise that you have signed up as a follower twice?

    Love,
    Muv

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved this post! Not that I've every made these straps, but this looks such an 'easy' way to turn them I am sure I will have a go at some point!

    Anne g

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much for this insight, I've always been intimidated by making straps, I think this technique looks like just the trick and I look forward to trying it in the near future!

    ReplyDelete

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