During my time as a bridal dressmaker, I inserted countless eyelets into corseted bodices, which also gave me the opportunity to test an assortment of tools for the job.
There was one tool, however that always stood out above the others. Not only is it really great quality but it is easy to use and requires less effort than many of the other tools available, and that is “The Hole in One” tool available through Boo Le Heart (www.booleheart.com)
One of the things I love most about this tool is that it includes a punch to make the hole in your fabric before inserting your eyelets. I have used it to make holes in an assortment of fabrics, from PVC, leather, upholstery fabric to bridal satin, and it really doesn’t seem to get blunt.
I’m not going to leave you with just a really great review on this product, here’s a quick guide on how to use it.
On a scrap piece of fabric, the same as your intended project (I have used a piece of foam for this tutorial as I discovered it photographs best for this purpose) – insert the fabric into the bottom section of the tool and squeeze the handle to lower the punch.
Take your fabric and have a look at the quality hole that the punch has made. I have discovered that sometimes, especially on knits or lighter fabrics, the punch can be a little rough on the fabric. When this happens, I usually find it best to use a small pair of embroidery scissors to make a X shaped hole in the fabric where I intend to insert my eyelet.
Insert your eyelet, with the grommet section coming in from the right side of the fabric. The tool’s manufacturer recommends that you turn the eyelet a little to help it to take a small grip on your fabric, then place the washer on the eyelet on the wrong side of the fabric.
Now the common question that comes up is, how do we place the eyelet on the tool? Is there a right or wrong way to do this? Yes there is a right way to do this. On one side of the tool, there’s a little “tooth” that is attached to a spring, so when you push on it, this tooth will move down. You place the grommet side over this tooth (right side of fabric facing downwards) and the eyelet side facing upwards.
Give the tool a quick squeeze (no hammers necessary, this tool has all the power you need), and just like that your eyelet is fully installed – it really is quite a quick and easy process.
So whether your a home sewist, who may end up using this tool only once in a while, or a full time dressmaker who will make much more use of it, I highly recommend investing in this handy little tool.
Sew You! Magazine 