keneasley wrote:Great idea. Thanks for posting it.
How did you do the stitching? Anything special?
I wonder if my old Speedy Stitcher and some thick waxed thread would work well too.
I don't think the Speedy Stitcher is the right tool for the job. The needle on the Speedy Stitcher is fairly large. The Velcro is attached to what seems to be plastic, so my thought was to keep the holes as small as possible. Also, the whole point is to run the thread through the loop in the cotter pin, and once you have put a stitch or two in, I think it would be difficult to both thread the loop and punch a hole in the Velcro close to the cotter pin with the Speedy Stitcher. I just used a standard needle and thread as shown in the first photo.
If you've never hand sewn, the process is quite easy. Sewing the cotter pin to the Velcro is essentially the same as how you sew a button to a piece of fabric. I'm sure there are a million how-to videos out there on sewing buttons. I will write an explanation of the stitching method I used here as well.
There are two ways to do the stitch--with a single thread or with a doubled thread. The single thread has the advantage that there are fewer threads to catch on the Velcro and it is easier to pull through the material, but it is fairly easy to accidentally pull the thread out of the eye of the needle; the double thread has the advantage that you get twice as many threads for each stitch, and it is impossible to pull the thread out of the needle, but the two threads tend to snag more easily, especially on the side where the cotter pin is. Here's how to do it with a double thread:
Cut a piece of thread about 5 feet long from the spool. Run one end of the thread through the eye of the needle, then slide the needle down to the middle of the thread and lay the two ends of the thread parallel to each other. Using both threads as if they are one, tie an overhand slip knot in the end, with a loop about 1/2 inch in diameter and tails about 1 inch long. This slip knot is used to keep the thread from pulling all the way through on the first stitch and to lock the finishing end in place when done.
Push the needle through a spot on the Velcro just offset from the centerline and about 3/8" from the end of the Velcro. Pull all the thread through until the stopper knot comes up against the Velcro. Thread the needle through the cotter pin, then push the needle back down through the Velcro so when drawn up the cotter pin will be in the middle of the Velcro. Draw the stitch up tight and pull the cotter pin down to the Velcro. That's one stitch.
Repeat the stitch, using the same holes (or as close to the same holes as possible) maybe half a dozen times.
Finish by running the needle through the loop of the slip knot, and pulling the tail of the slip knot tight to lock the end in place.
If you like, for good measure you can run your needle under the parallel threads on the stitching on one side of the Velcro a few times. In the Boy Scouts when we were learning lashings this was called frapping. I don't know what it is called in sewing.
Cut off the thread and slip knot tails about 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the knot, and you're done. It took me far longer to write this than it takes to do.
Smooth sailing,
Jim
