Monday, September 9, 2013

Oops!

Want to guess what these are?


Here's a little size comparison for you:


No idea? Oh, c'mon!!

Okay... I'll tell you. It's Velcro... 2 yards of white and 1 yard of black. (I'm not sure that it's official Velcro brand, but that's what the website called it.) I bought it from Zipper that Doll. I think I'd read about it in a Liberty Jane newsletter. It's so much nicer than regular Velcro for making doll clothes! It is thin and smooth and has little bumps instead of hooks. It's like the Velcro that came on Kit's original skirt. I loved it but could never find any like it until now. It holds well but without the hooks it isn't so "catchy" like regular Velcro is, thus it doesn't get dolls' hair (and other fabric) caught in it. It's also easier to sew on.

It's more expensive than regular hook-and-loop tapes, especially when you consider you have to buy twice as much because the bumps are on one side and the loops on the other, but if you cut it in half lengthwise (which I'd started doing with the regular Velcro anyway), it's more economical, and it still holds well. I used it in all the dresses I showed you last week. Courtney likes it much better, too!

That wasn't the "oops". Here's the "oops":


They look like nice buttons, right? Well, they are! BUT......

There's a minimum order of $10 on the Zipper that Doll site. I didn't think I wanted that much Velcro, especially since I'd never used it before and wasn't sure how I'd like it, so I decided to order some little buttons, because sometimes I just can't find small enough ones for doll clothes, like for the cuffs on the Le Marais Coat. So I ordered those buttons. Well, they turned out to be a lot bit tinier than I'd expected! Here are a couple more pics, so you can get an idea of the actual size:



Yep - pretty TINY!! Even too tiny for those coat cuffs. I guess I'll just use them for trim on something. They certainly won't be for something functional, because I couldn't ever make a buttonhole that small. They could even be a challenge to sew on... might need a magnifying glass. :) I am NOT going to start sewing Barbie clothes! But we'll see what I come up with. Maybe you'll be seeing them again in the future decorating something lovely. :)

Anyway, live and learn. And it's not like the website didn't give the size of them. It's just that 4 mm seemed like it would be bigger than that. Ha. At least they didn't cost me a fortune.

3 comments:

annie dee said...

Love the "new" version Velcro. I'm glad someone solved the problem of hair getting stuck in the "hooks." Good luck with those buttons. They will look cute as trim - maybe with some hot glue? Just kidding...

The Luedtke Family said...

Maybe a craft project using buttons, glued on for decorations? Think out of the box of sewed-on buttons. String for a necklace, glue on a picture frame, decorate cards, some rainy day they will become quite useful!

Grandma G said...

I think you ladies have something there with the glue idea (although hot glue could get a bit tricky in preventing finger burns)! And Becky... yes to the craft ideas! I hadn't even thought of that possibility - thanks!