App. 1 Obj. 5.05How you hold things together
Fasteners:Zippers, buttons, snaps, hooks and eyes and Velcro™
Zippers Two kinds
Centered Lapped
Centered zippers have an even amount of fabric on either side of the zipper. The zipper teeth are right in the middle of the opening.
Zippers, especially centered ones, are used on the backs of dresses. This is for appearance (clean line) and comfort (not bumpy like a button would be).
Photo from myhalfofthebrain.wordpress.com
Zippers, continued
Lapped Zippers are the kind in your jeans where one flap covers the whole zipper.
http://blog.megannielsen.com
Buttons Buttons come in two forms.
Shank buttons have a plastic or metal loop with a hole in it that allow you to attach it to your garment.
Sew-through buttons have holes in them for the thread to pass through. Sew through buttons have a shank made of thread.
Shank Buttons• The shank button
is used on heavy fabrics like wool and in garments like coats and jackets.
• These buttons are very sturdy and used in places of heavy use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shank_(sewing)
Sew-Through Buttons Sew-through
buttons are the most commonly used button in apparel.
The only button that is sewn with no shank at all is one for decoration only.
Photo from LulusEmporium
Making a button shank with thread Stitch the button over a
toothpick or heavy pin, then wind thread tightly around the stitches under the button. www.valetmag.com
The reason you do this is so the button will have enough wiggle room to pass through the button hole.
How-to on Buttons
Because buttons are in high strain areas and go in and out of buttonholes regularly, they should be sewn with a double thread.
Buttons should be sewn with matching regular thread. Delicate threads like silk should be avoided.
Velcro™ Velcro ™ is the
name brand for hook-and-loop tape.
It is a fastener used on shoes, children’s clothing, sportswear and jackets. http://www.hiwtc.com
It is not suitable for high-strain areas. Velcro™ is plastic or nylon and cannot be ironed (it
melts). Velcro’s two strips intermesh to hold it together.
More Velcro facts Velcro is plastic or
nylon and cannot be ironed (it melts).
Velcro’s two strips intermesh to hold it together.
The best way to attach Velcro is to machine sew.
Hand sewing is O.K. too.
www.halfbakery.com
Snaps Snaps have
two parts – a ball half and a socket half.
They snap together to hold two parts of a garment closed.
These snaps require no sewing to apply. You have to use a hammer to put them on your garment.
Snaps They are not
suitable for high-strain areas.
Apply snaps by marking the location and attaching the ball half first.
Photo from sewyerown via Flickr
This snap set was sewn onto the garment. That means it doesn’t show on the outside.
Hook and Eye closure The hook and eye
closure is exactly what is says.
It has two parts – a hook and an eye. The eye is a circular piece. The hook hooks into the eye to hold two pieces of fabric closed.
Hook and Eye Closure The hook and eye is
often used to close the top of dresses above a zipper.
It also can be used to close the front of a shirt or dress.
It gives the garment a clean appearance because it doesn’t require a seam.
Image from Threads magazine, issue #117