Tool Time Tuesday...Sewing Necklace With Nuts and Bolts

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I'm nuts and you'd better bolt to the hardware store for these!!

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These little beauties are called eye bolts. They range in price from 83 cents to $1.49...or free if you steal them from your husband or boyfriend!! Did I say steal, I mean borrow. If you do borrow theirs, wash them first! These are steel, zinc plated. That little fact is not important, it's just there were some chrome ones that were more money, don't buy those.

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The eye bolts come in different lengths and different widths. For example, the first one on the left is 1/4" x 4" the middle is 3/16" x 2 1/2" and the one on the right is 1/4" x 2". They all come with one nut (no, not me) on the bottom.

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Here is a picture with the nut removed.
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This little doodad is called a fastener...I think. Bring this picture with you to the hardware store and tell them you want this thingamabob.


The loop slides off the metal stick with a spring like tension...nothing to unscrew. Why do you need all these things, well......

Tah dah! They all hold thread. Big deal you say, well look a little further.

They can hold three to four different colored bobbins if you're appliqueing different fabrics in one project.

or they can hold one little one too.

one long spool....

one long spool plus a bobbin.

But the cute part comes when you add an old sterling silver necklace!!! You are going to be the talk of the town. No seriously, the town will talk about you if they see you wearing this in public. This is for home use or at your guild. If you are a daring trend setter, well have at it.

Sorry for the dreaded self portrait in the mirror, but everyone was in school so I had to take the picture myself.

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Isn't cute. You can sew til your heart's content without searching down the couch cushion for your thread or have it rolling across the floor as it falls off your lap when you stand up.

You won't find it in the Tiffany's catalog, but if we all band together, maybe one day we can go out in public wearing one of these.

If you tie one end of a ribbon to the eye bolt and the other end of the ribbon to your favorite little scissors, you have another great necklace.

I had to remove the ribbon from my shirt it was fighting for attention with the necklace ribbon. Don't forget to match the ribbon to your outfit!

So, ladies there you have the second edition of Tool Time Tuesdays. Go forth and conquer your fear of the hardware store. Walk in there with your heads high and say..."I would like a 4" eye bolt to make a necklace for my thread" If you say it with confidence, they won't give it a second thought. If your voice waivers even a little, they'll call security!!! Just to be on the safe side, take a copy of this last picture with you and blame this crazy idea on me!

Here are a couple tips:

• bring your bobbin and spool of thread with you to make sure it fits over the bolt.
• every once in a while as you're sewing, tighten the nut on the bottom of the bolt.
• or even better, have the thread come off the spool in the same direction as the nut is being tightened so it won't unscrew.

Have a great Tuesday and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~Karen~