After putting up the illustrations showing how to do rouleau straps, I decided I needed to try out the method. It is wonderfully easy. Sewing alongside the cord keeps the stitching straight and the width of the strap even.
You only need to do three or four stitches through the cord at the end to keep it secure. The trickiest part is turning the end inside out to start pulling it through. I was using cotton poplin, but it would have been easier with a finer material, for instance a cotton lawn.
The latest Youtube video went up last night. It wasn't a particularly easy one to make - making my first ever rouleau straps kneeling on the floor, with the sewing machine on a low table and the camera on a low tripod in front of me so I had to reach round from either side of it and do my best not to knock the tripod. I suffer for my art. The reservation I have with these straps is that they might not take too much strain. This is why I showed two ways of pulling the strap the right way round. If the cord is left uncut you can leave it inside so you can have a reinforced strap. You would just have to make sure that if you are using cotton, both the fabric and the cord are pre-washed so they don't shrink at different rates once they are first washed after the work is finished. Welcome to Susan Owenby, the latest follower. Thank you for joining!
Update 29th April - I've tried this method out. It is easy, and I've made a video which you can find on today's post.
I hardly ever watch television, except for the Great British Bake-Off, and now I'm following the Great British Sewing Bee - whether the link will let people abroad watch the programmes, I don't know, but in any event BBC iPlayer only keeps the episodes of a series online for about a week after the last instalment, which is next Tuesday. Last night I settled down to watch the four remaining contestants tackle a set task - a child's dress with a shirred bodice and rouleau straps. I'm not convinced rouleau straps are particularly practical on a child's dress. Because they are cut on the bias they stretch, and a single line of straight stitch will get pulled. Sooner or later the thread will snap. I am totally in agreement with Sandra who disobeyed the rules and made the dress with flat straps. What I find slightly frustrating about the programme is that it shies away from showing the techniques involved. They didn't show how the contestants did their rouleau straps, there was just passing mention of pulling the tube inside out with a hook. This makes viewers think they will need special equipment if they want to try it at home. They don't. I've never actually made rouleau straps, but if I ever need to, I will follow these instructions, which show how to make a rouleau and use it for button loops. Ingenious and simple.
Here is the source of the diagrams, a beautiful little book dating from 1928.
