Thread: Snaps?

At my local fabric store, I bought this to apply snaps for fastening my costumes:
Amazon.com: Dritz Heavy Duty Snap Fastener Plier Kit: Arts, Crafts & Sewing

Now after reading that terrible review there, I'm thinking of taking this back before I open it! How are you all who use snaps attaching them? The ones I saw at my fabric store don't seem to have holes or a method for sewing them on. Maybe there are some other snaps I don't know about?

I use the little setting assemblages like this http://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-...ener-Fasteners that one hits with a hammer. Just make sure you don't apply them on your wooden kitchen counter ;-) (I now have a nice little indentation.) Works much better than the tool you got. I have one of those from Goodwill, and it sucks.

I googled "sew on snaps" and found some. I'm taking this tool back and maybe trying those.

Snaps can be a pain to set properly, and it takes practice to get the process right. The ranty review on Amazon seemed a bit excessive, though. If you need to put snaps on a garment, this pliers is probably fine, but it will take a while to get good at using it. I have no idea of the hand strength of Angry Guy, and he's wrong that a regular pliers would do the same job as well as a pliers designed for setting snaps. Ignore it.

On the other hand, this is probably not the right tool for setting snaps on a costume, unless you are planning on making a retro-80s, Michael-Jackson-esque, pseudo-bondage costume with visible snaps. This pliers sets two snap halves made of two pieces each, and the uppermost quarter of the stack is usually on the exterior, like the kind of fastenings you might find on a denim jacket, a housecoat/brunch coat, or the inseams of a baby's pants for convenient diaper changes.

If you were using this pliers to attach snaps to a belt to keep a skirt from shifting, the standard instructions for the outer half of the snap would be to wrap the jaws of the pliers around the belt and push one piece of the snap through the decorated exterior to mate into the other piece on the lining side. For our purposes (because we want to minimize damage to the belt), I think it's easiest to use sew-in snaps like these Prym Consumer USA Inc., and they are less visible from the outside. If you have your heart set on using the pliers, you'd want to attach the snaps to a strip of fabric (at least for the visible side), and sew that to the costume...or you could just buy snap tape Wrights Tape Snap 5/8" White 36 yd Product Detail -- CreateForLess, but seriously, both of these options are probably more work than the sew-in snaps.

It all depends on the project. I love the set-in snaps and have used them many times for coverups and coats, with great results. It's really easy to do, at least if one does not use the pliers tool, and instead the cheaper and more effective low-tech setting tool that requires a hammer. And, if one finds matching colored/decorative snaps, or uses the the outside snap on the inside and the inside snap (which usually has only a ring) on the outside, the result is visually pleasing. For thicker pieces, or applications where one wants to remove/move the snaps, the sew-in variety is of course better. M&J Trimming sell various colors of large sew-in snaps, including copper (but, $$$).

Originally Posted by steffib

It all depends on the project. I love the set-in snaps and have used them many times for coverups and coats, with great results. It's really easy to do, at least if one does not use the pliers tool, and instead the cheaper and more effective low-tech setting tool that requires a hammer. And, if one finds matching colored/decorative snaps, or uses the the outside snap on the inside and the inside snap (which usually has only a ring) on the outside, the result is visually pleasing. For thicker pieces, or applications where one wants to remove/move the snaps, the sew-in variety is of course better. M&J Trimming sell various colors of large sew-in snaps, including copper (but, $$$).

That's true. If you wanted the snaps for something like a cover up, and you were using them as a decorative element, or even with a covered placket down the front, the set-in snaps would be great. For attaching a belt to a skirt or a midriff cover to a bra, you'd probably want the intermediate step of a snap tape, though. It wouldn't work to punch through sequins, and you'd have to worry about the prongs making a run in stretch fabric.

I have pliers like that for little grommets, but it also does snaps. I've never tried using snaps with it though. I always use sew-on snaps as a backup for my hooks. I like using the giant snaps, and I’ve never had them come undone. Sew-on ones are nice because I can move them as my size fluctuates.

My local Hobby Lobby had some "size 2" snaps. Does that ring any bells as something you all have used and would work? They seem kind of small but I guess that's still enough to help hold hooks.

I forgot to get upholstery thread. Is that the strongest I can get for this kind of sewing?

You want sturdy sew-ons in this size for costuming:
SIZE 10 SEW ON SNAPS - Snaps - Supplies - Nancy's Notions
I use button and craft thread if not upholstery thread.

Originally Posted by Suzana

You want sturdy sew-ons in this size for costuming:
SIZE 10 SEW ON SNAPS - Snaps - Supplies - Nancy's Notions
I use button and craft thread if not upholstery thread.

This is what I use too. They are about the size of nickels. I sew through all layers of the bra or belt when sewing them on (not just the lining!)

I went ahead and sewed on my size 2 snaps; I figured I'd add 3 instead of two. They held fine but I also added a safety pin just in case.

Thanks, girls. I will order the size 10 for future use.