The latest project: a little snap-closure “wallet.”
Until now, snaps have confused me. I was intimidated by the tools and the different parts, and somewhat scarred from a google search that revealed the intricate world of snaps.
But they’re not so bad (she says after installing a grand total of ONE snap.)
The hardest part is getting the right tools for your snap size, and assembling the different bits correctly. Instructions on the back of the package I got were pretty lacking. (I couldn’t find a kit at my Joann’s store, so I bought the snaps and tools separately. They helpfully list on each package which # tool you need for which # snaps. Just to note, these snaps are a little bit aggressive for this project. Really sturdy, a little difficult to pull apart. You might feel like you’re going to rip such lightweight fabric with these, so a not-so-heavy-duty snap would probably be a better choice, or make sure to use interfacing on both fabric pieces.)
Anyway, I had to dump everything out of my package, and separate the bits into groups. That’s how I discovered 4 different bits and how to arrange them into a snap.
There they are. The blue arrows are the 2 bits that create one side of the snap, and the green arrows are the 2 bits that create the other side. You see a post sticking up out of each of those assembled bits. That’s what fastens it to your fabric once you hammer it.
You see the little concave disc in the bottom left corner of the picture above? That’s the anvil — basically your anchor for when you hammer each side together. The metal cylinder next to it has a little protrusion on one end. That goes in the post and pushes it down to curl over, like below.
Something that was helpful to me was using my leather punch to punch a hole in my fabric so I could poke the post through the fabric. Worked perfectly. Then I used my mallet to do the hammering. Took minimal effort.
And now I know how to do snaps.
Onward to buttons and an ugly handtowel project I’m not overly thrilled about. I’m considering making another phone belt case and using a button as the closure instead of velcro. Just to learn buttons. To be honest, a snap seems like the most secure option for that.
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