The Wonders of Wondertape:: It's My Favourite Sewing Notion.
If you follow along here, or have purchased one of my patterns, you have probably heard me mention DST (Double-Sided Tape) a few times before. Yes... I love it! It's one of my fave sewing notions. Today I thought I would show you just where and when I use this handy stuff when I'm constructing my bags, wallets & totes.
WashAway Wondertape, is 1/4" wide, clear, low tack, wash's away, and will not gum up your needle. It comes under a few different brand names (Dritz & Collins). (Although I do sell this in my Sewing Supplies section of my website, this is not a sponsored post.) I added this to my shop, because I feel it is a required item for me - and hopefully you will love it too!
I first started using this tape for my internal zipper pockets, putting it on either side of the zipper, removing the paper and placing the hole for the internal zipper over top - no more pins! Pins get in the way, but they also bunch up the fabric too, so that it doesn't lie flat and straight.
I quickly moved to using it for any zipper openings or zipper gussets in bags. As you know, zippers and fabrics stretch out of shape when you sew them together. Often you will get to the end of a long zipper and find that your top layer of fabric has slid or stretched and is now longer than the bottom - this doesn't happen when you are using this tape. It's not super sticky and sometimes, just the very end can sometimes feel like it has dried out, but I find that if you need to, just touching the fabric with an iron releases some extra stick and makes your fabric adhere very well.
For my Boyd St. Bowling Bag pattern, there are additional instructions for straps and strap tabs in vinyl & leather and because you can't pin that material, and the WashAway Wondertape is a life saver. Pinning down strap tabs can be such a bother and they get in the way of your presser foot, and the pins can even get bent if you are sewing near them, so using Wondertape solves this in a second. You can also reposition it, so you if you are not happy with placement, move it on on over. I find when I use pins, my strap tabs can move out of place, the tape keeps them from getting crooked on me.
Use DST instead!
I used the Wondertape to stick down the vinyl edges of these strap tabs, and it worked okay on a soft, pliable vinyl, but on a stiffer one or leather, I had more success with my double-sided leather tape.
I even used it to help me with mending my husbands coveralls. Although, I would prefer it if he would just buy new ones. I hate mending.
My most favourite thing about this sewing notion - because it helps things not to slide out of place and it keeps pesky pins out of the way, it truly does aid me in bringing a professional looking quality to my topstitching and bag construction. I hope you get a chance to try my favourite sewing notion... I love it!
blogged at www.emmalinebags.blogspot.com
Thank you for reading....
