I was recently making yards and yards of corded welting for a slipcovering project, and I just about lost my mind trying to keep the very lengthy fabric strip I had made from twisting and tangling. Winding it onto a big spool didn’t work very well. Then I remembered how fire hoses are set up in emergency cabinets, ready to unwind as quickly as possible. Taking my cue from that idea, I purchased a dozen or so large, key-ring-type metal hoops. Then I threaded the end of the strip through all the rings. Grasping the first two rings, I stretched my arms out to create a length of fabric between them, which then hung nicely between the rings. I continued this with all the hoops, as shown at left, and then hung the rings from a rod where they couldn’t fall off. When it came to sewing the cording into the fabric to make welting, the strip came off the rings without a hitch, saving me lots of time and aspirin.

– Eve Ness, Saxtons River, Vt

Do you have a good sewing tip? Send it in, and we’ll pay you if we publish it in Threads magazine. We’ll also select the cleverest tip in each issue, and the winner will receive a gift package from Taunton Press including Threads DVDs and other instrucional sewing books.

Send tips to:
Threads Tips
POBox 5506
Newtown, CT 06470

or by email at:

ThreadsTips{at}taunton{dot}com