DIY Digest: The eyelets have it

With knots, studs and eyelets bang on trend, this season, it's fair to say there's a distinct flavour of DIY in vogue - and wouldn't it be rude for me not to try it, myself? I plumped for curtain rings to add some oversized, statement eyelets to an old coat of mine. Let's just say that it you want to put some purpose into a re-purpose, you need to go beyond the standard clothing fastenings and think big. Thankfully, making such a statement couldn't be simpler.

You will need...

Sewing machine

Curtain ring tape of the right length to cover the desired area (you may want to measure first)

Curtain rings (again, the right number to cover the desired area is always helpful!)

A garment made from non-stretch fabric. Also, avoid sheer or flimsy fabrics.

Fabric scissors

Craft mount

 

Difficulty

Quite easy

It does help to be dexterous with a sewing machine, as the curtain ring tape can slip when you're trying to sew it in place, even after you've glued it down. Apart from that, it's a quick, straightforward project.

 

Time

My project took about half an hour and, while it's a relatively quick and easy task, it may take you longer depending on what you want to do and the area you want to cover.

 

Make it hole

 

A photo posted by Charley H (@chiccheatcharley) on Apr 5, 2016 at 2:34pm PDT

Place the curtain ring tape where you want your eyelets to go and stick it in place with craft mount.

A photo posted by Charley H (@chiccheatcharley) on Apr 5, 2016 at 2:38pm PDT

 

The craft mount alone is unlikely to hold the tape in place, so you need to sew it down. As you can see, my eyelets ran along the bottom so I aligned the edges of the tape and my stitching with the hem. You need to be careful for this part, as the tape can slip quite easily and it's difficult to keep your stitching neat.

 

A photo posted by Charley H (@chiccheatcharley) on Apr 4, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT

Finally, cut out the holes and insert the rings from the front or 'right side' of the garment. Mine just snapped in with in-built catches but you may be using slightly different rings, in which case, you simply need to follow any instructions provided (obviously, just saying!).