Sometimes you see projects and they just don’t look finished. They are probably fine the way they are, but a little dressing up never hurt anything, right? One of the ways you can dress up plain punched holes is with eyelets. They aren’t hard to use when you know how, so here are a few tips to get you started!
There are several sizes of scrapbooking eyelets, such as 1/8″ and 3/16″. This size refers to the hole in the center of the eyelet, not the outside diameter of the design. They come in all shapes and sizes, similar to scrapbooking brads.
One question I get asked a lot is, “are these for use on cloth or clothing?” Certainly we all see metal eyelets all the time on curtains, hats, belts, and on shoes & hoodies where the strings go through. Generally, these are a sturdier type of eyelet than scrapbooking eyelets and they have to be attached with a special setter that can go through thick materials. So while you might be able to use scrapbooking eyelets on cloth, they probably won’t stand up well to the harsh environment of wear and washing for very long.
Scrapbooking eyelets are usually a weaker metal than clothing eyelets and can easily be attached with a simple metal setter and a craft hammer. There are even eyelets that can be set with a ball point pen tip. They are called Quicklets and are made by Eyelet Outlet. The metal is very soft and is scored so that the back flattens easily when pushed on firmly with a pen tip.
Depending on your budget, there are several types of eyelet setters available on the market. There are silent setters which are a spring-loaded type of setter, the crop-a-dile, a squeeze type of tool, but most common and economical is the eyelet setter tool. An eyelet setter is a metal took about 5″ long with a special tip that fits into the hole on the back of the eyelet.
To set a metal eyelet, simply make a small hole in your paper and place the eyelet through the hole. Then turn the paper & eyelet over onto a firm surface. Place the tip of the setter into the hole, Give the top of it a firm whack or two with a craft hammer. That’s it! The back of the eyelet will splay out holding the eyelet in place. If you need a neat appearance on the backside of your project, consider buying finishing washers or rivets. They are placed on the back of the eyelet before setting it.
Metal eyelets are often used for lacing ribbons just like on clothing. They make a great embellishment for the top of a tag and also work well for joining several pieces of paper together. They’re a great staple for any paper crafter’s supply closet, so hope you give them a whirl today!
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