How to use Snap Fasteners


I tell the story in Sew School how I smashed a very large glass plate covering my grandmother's antique dining room table when hammering a snap fastener. I felt a mixture of embarrassment, stupidity & devastation.

There are loads of different options for snap fasteners.  
They can be metal, plastic or glass tops.  
They can be applied with a simple hand tool & hammer, a gripper or even as tape. 
Don't be as silly as me, here are a few safe options and tips for adding them to your projects:

 There are four parts to each snap fastener set.  Two with prongs and two that fasten together (or the sockets).
This method is using a simple tool that will come with most snap fastener sets.
You will need a hammer or something heavy that you can press the pieces together but you MUST ensure you are doing this on a safe, secure surface (unlike what I did!).

 As with any fastener, make sure you mark the spot of both sides with either chalk or erasable pen
  • Poke your 1st prong piece through your fabric - I'm using a thin crochet hook to help.  
  • Place you 1st fastener piece or socket on top of the prongs.
  • Take your tool and cover the socket piece and either lightly hammer or apply force to engage the two pieces. If the fastener is glass, don't hammer too hard as it will crack. 
  • The tool will need to match the size fastener you are using.
  • Repeat this process for the 2nd side to the fastener.

There are also tools called grippers which help make this task very easy and eliminates the need for hammering.
  • Add the prong piece to the top of the gripper tool and the socket to the other side.  
  • The socket piece will be facing downward as the prongs need to engage with this piece.
  • Place the gripper on your marking. This will be the opposite side of your fabric to the example with the tool.
  • Press hard until both pieces are secure.

Using a snap fastener tape is a great alternative.  It is already done for you so it's quick, perfectly spaced, on a 20mm wide white twill and they are secure. Available in The Haby Goddess online store by the metre.



1 comment:

Miss Cinti - my poppet said...

Good guide. I would find the gripper tool handy. I usually used they thin end off the tool works great to push the tongs in (rather than a crochet hook) Especially if its thick fabric. X cinti