All About Grommets

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When sewing items with a drawstring, you’ll likely want to add grommets to your sewing projects. Here’s all about grommets.

What are Grommets?

Grommets are metal rings added to your garment that frame the hole in which your drawstring will come out of.

They can be found in garments such as hoodies (at the neck for the drawstring) or in joggers (at the waist). They can also be found in banners or flags (to aid in hanging), as well as in bags (for the handles) and curtains.

Grommets offer reinforcement to the fabric as there will be extra wear and friction in that area. It is kind of like a buttonhole, but grommets are round.

Grommets can be made out of metal, rubber or plastic. Small grommets (like those on your running shoes) are sometimes referred to as eyelets.

They come in various sizes, depending on your application and also come in various colours.

Be sure to reinforce the area with a bit of interfacing. If you tend to actually use the drawstring, there will be additional stress on the fabric. You will want to have that extra bit of strength to keep the grommet on. This is especially important with lighter-weight fabrics which may be more delicate. Remember that by using the drawstring, there will be pulling and tugging on the fabric in that area.

Grommet Tools

Grommets consist of 2 separate pieces that need to be applied to the fabric.

In order to attach or apply the grommet, there are a number of tools that can be used.

• Grommet Punch Tool
  – Quite often grommet sets will come with a grommet punch. The punch is a metal rod used to set the grommet. You will need a hammer to use the grommet punch. The punch is for a specifically sized grommet. So if using various sized grommets in your projects, you will need different sized punch tools as well. This is the simplest and most inexpensive way as long as you have good aim.

• Grommet Pliers
  – This is a pair of pliers specifically for grommets in which you squeeze in order to attach to the fabric. This may be a more accurate application than the hammering technique for some people. Similar to the grommet punch, the pliers sized for a specifically sized grommet. Different sizes will need different sized pliers.

• Grommet Press
  – This is a press that you push with your hands in order to apply the grommets. You insert the die size, according to the size of the grommet. The same press, however, accommodates several die sizes and so it is likely that depending on the sizes that you use, you only need 1 grommet press. This is the most expensive tool to apply grommets but has a more consistent and accurate result.

You will notice that I have given links to grommet kits. The kits not only have the grommet tool but the grommets as well. When starting out, these kits are handy as they pretty much contain everything that you need.

TIP: to mark where you are placing the grommet, I use a washable fabric pen. On the wrong side of the fabric, put a dot to mark the centre of the hole and centre your grommet around that.

Grommets add a nice and professional look to your garments. If sewing things like hoodies, I would definitely consider looking into getting a tool and some grommets.

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