Help! Turning belt right side out

Tammy,

One way is to use your fingers to manipulate the closed end of the tie a short distance (1/2 inch or so) back into itself, then insert the end of a piece of dowel rod into that little pocket and gradually worked the unturned tube down the rod.

Sorry if this isn't a clear explanation...one of those things that's easier to do than to describe!

Oh, and if you can, gently press the long seam of the ties open with the tip of your iron before turning them. This will make it much easier to press the ties once they're right side out.

Doreen > I haven't sewed in ages. I'm making a simple vest (waistcoat, if'n you're

Hi, Doreen,

Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a try. But tomorrow, my eyes are practically crossed tonight. It's been so long since I sewed that I forgot how to wind the bobbin -- had to get the instrux out (which, fortunately, were right at hand.) Also forgot how to sew a dart. Geez. Between needlepoint, knitting, sewing and life in general, I have more hobbies than time :-)

Will let you know if I manage to turn my belt ties.

Thanks again, Tammy in Sacramento, California

Doreen wrote: : Tammy,

: One way is to use your fingers to manipulate the closed end of the tie a : short distance (1/2 inch or so) back into itself, then insert the end of : a piece of dowel rod into that little pocket and gradually worked the : unturned tube down the rod.

: Sorry if this isn't a clear explanation...one of those things that's : easier to do than to describe!

: Oh, and if you can, gently press the long seam of the ties open with the : tip of your iron before turning them. This will make it much easier to : press the ties once they're right side out.

: Doreen in Alabama

: TammyM wrote: :> I haven't sewed in ages. I'm making a simple vest (waistcoat, if'n you're :> from the UK), with back ties. I just stitched the ties, and the :> instructions say to turn right side out. I seem to remember there's a :> trick for this, and possibly even a special tool. I ain't got the tool, :> so can anyone tell me the trick? Other than employing tinier fingers than :> mine, that is! I'm getting nowhere other than frustrated right now... :> :> But it's nice to be sewing again :-) :> :> Tia, :> Tammy

And, if a dowel of the proper size is not readily available, you can use a knitting needle (put the blunt end in first or you risk poking through the fabric). Or, depending on the size of the tube/belt, a wooden ruler works well. And I second Doreen, press the seam open

*before* you turn the belt.

You'll do fine. Sewing is like, as they say, riding a bicycle. It will all come back to you.

Now the time problem...I do wish you could find a solution, for all of us!

Doreen

TammyM wrote:

Blunt end of a pencil: Turn the first cm or so, insert the pencil, and just thread it through, pushing the fabric the right way out.

Ahhh! I was trying to come up with an alternative to the dowel, and only after posting remembered that I used to use a chop stick! But had never thought of a knitting needle...that's a great idea.

Doreen

Use a safety pin

In article , TammyM of University of California, Davis uttered

You could attach a large safety pin onto the fabric near the closed end, and then work it to maneuver the piece to be 'inside out.'

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

--------------

Thanks to you all. So many methods!

I know I would have forgotten to press the seams first. Great tip.

Winding the bobbin was cake compared to my next task: threading the serger! It sits there looking like a squat and hungry alien, having collected dust lo these past few years. But I have the trusty manual, and I have a long-nosed pair of tweezers so I think I'm up for the task.

Thanks again, knew I'd get help here. In the words of California's governor, I'll be back. Fabric store had a sale on patterns yesterday and I bought enough to make my sister (who has trouble buying clothes because of her size) a full wardrobe. I also cleaned out the sewing area and discovered that I have wonderful tools and accessories I'd forgotten all about. Including some vintage things from my mother's and grandmother's stashes. It's going to be a lot of fun.

TammyM Sacramento, California

TammyM Mar 25, 8:50 pm show options

Newsgroups: rec.crafts.textiles.sewing From: TammyM - Find messages by this author Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 04:50:07 +0000 (UTC) Local: Fri, Mar 25 2005 8:50 pm Subject: Help! Turning belt right side out Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse

I haven't sewed in ages. I'm making a simple vest (waistcoat, if'n you're from the UK), with back ties. I just stitched the ties, and the instructions say to turn right side out. I seem to remember there's a trick for this, and possibly even a special tool. I ain't got the tool, so can anyone tell me the trick? Other than employing tinier fingers than mine, that is! I'm getting nowhere other than frustrated right now... But it's nice to be sewing again :-)

I know from reading the other responses that it is too late for this project, but there will be other projects in the future. I like to sew a piece of string into the end seam of the tube, a piece long enough to stick out of the tube. Fold the string into the tube, sew the seams, grab the end of the string and use it to invert the tube. Then I carefully cut the string off.

liz young in sunny california (Rescue, CA that is - if I jump high enough to see over the hill I could wave at TammyM)

I'm curious, how do you get the safety pin *opened* and *back out* after it's at the (now) far end of an enclosed belt? I have used safety pins to turn *tubes*, but only if the pin is headed for an open end. ;-}

Elizabeth Young wrote: : TammyM wrote: :> I haven't sewed in ages. I'm making a simple vest (waistcoat, if'n you're :> from the UK), with back ties. I just stitched the ties, and the :> instructions say to turn right side out. I seem to remember there's a :> trick for this, and possibly even a special tool. I ain't got the tool, :> so can anyone tell me the trick? Other than employing tinier fingers than :> mine, that is! I'm getting nowhere other than frustrated right now...

: I know from reading the other responses that it is too late for this : project, but there will be other projects in the future. : I like to sew a piece of string into the end seam of the tube, a piece : long enough to stick out of the tube. Fold the string into the tube, sew : the seams, grab the end of the string and use it to invert the tube. : Then I carefully cut the string off.

Oh, it's not too late! I have extra fabric, I'll just make new ties. Also, I realized too late that my pattern is a unisex pattern, and this vest is going to be FAR TOO BIG for me. Which may be ok too. I'm making this vest for a program I'm managing in April. The signature motif for this event is hot air balloons (the event is called "Soaring to New Heights".) I looked and looked for fabric with that motif, at local fabric shops and online. No luck. I did find party balloon fabric, and that's what I made the vest from. This morning whilst farting about on the internet, I found hot air balloon motif fabric and bought enough to make another vest. So the one I'm working on now just became a practice vest.

Just managed to thread my serger, by the way. So the alien has been properly fed, and now I'm ready to rock and roll!

: liz young in sunny california (Rescue, CA that is - if I jump high : enough to see over the hill I could wave at TammyM)

Beautiful morning, Rescue, innit? :-)

Thanks again for all the tips, TammyM

But it is headed for the open end. She said fasten it to the closed end...

Now you're getting me confusticated ....

Dear Friends,

Look around the house for a short tube of some description. Put the tube inside the piece to be turned, then push the end of the piece through the tube. It will come through right-side-out. This is especially useful when one end of the piece to be turned in closed.

The string method and the safety pin method both work well, too, but for really small pieces, the tube is better.

I once had to turn paning for 10 Renaissance breeches. I borrowed a length of pipe from the scene shop next door, and turned it all lickety split in just a few minutes.

Teri

Teri,

That's basically the principle on which Fasturn is based, and I agree, it's fast, easy and neat. The Fasturn set, however, is a little pricey

-- I see Joann's has it for $46.50, which is more than I paid for mine several years ago. Otherwise, I'd be hard pressed to ever find in my house, at any given moment, a tube of the size I needed.

I made a bunch of cloth dolls for a boutique, from Mary Hickey's Pioneer Doll book...their hair consisted of a sewn-on portion and braided tubes. Never would have gotten all those tubes turned without Fasturn!

Doreen

Doreen

Doreen

Hmmm, never heard of that before, looks very useful. This site:

it for $31.31 for a set of 6. But it would be under $24.00 at JoAnn's with a 50% coupon.

pin largish safety pin to inside of end; push head of pin inside of tie; work thru by scrunching the pin thru-a lil at a time; push thru to the end and VOILA! yer inside out!!!!!

Eagle Cam;

For someone who sews a lot, I think it would be well worth $24.00. The teeny tube will easily do really skinny spaghetti straps, and the other sizes work for almost anything else that needs turning. You can also use them to make filled cord.

Doreen