Selvage Show Off… a new lanyard tutorial

If you had been at my house when my husband was putting the kids in the car to drive me to the airport for my flight to Quilt Market last week… you would have seen me sewing. Yup. Him putting the kids in the car and me still  sewing. I was remembering how silly I felt at my first Quilt Market (last year) because all of the more seasoned ‘marketeers’ had beautiful lanyards. I just had the rubber string that was free. And I didn’t want that to happen again.

In my scrap basket was the beautiful selvage of my loved pale green Nani Iro Japanese double gauze. Perfect.  The selvage was feathery and light and of course had the name of the designer. Oh, my vanity!

To make your own Show Off Selvage lanyard, you will need:

• a strip cut from the selvage of your favorite fabric that is 2” wide and 30” – 40” long, depending on your preference.
• coordinating thread
• a 5/8” snap clip {I have more in the shop here if you can’t find them anywhere else}. 

Start by folding the strip in half lengthwise and press. Then fold the long cut edge (not the selvage) to the center crease and press again. If you would like stabilizer, cut a 1/2” strip and hide it under the fold here. I skipped that step (because my husband was loading the kids in the car) and it still turned out great. 

Now instead of pressing the selvage edge to the center, wrap it around the cut edge until the feathery part lays against the back (or front according to me) of the lanyard. Press. The strip is pretty much rolled up and pressed flat.

Slide the snap clip on the lanyard, align the short raw edges (temporarily unfolded), and stitch with a 1/4” seam allowance.  Then finger-press the seam allowance open.

You’re almost done… put the kids in the car and stitch around both sides 1/8” from the edge.

Last step… you need to secure the snap clip at the bottom of the lanyard somehow. In {this lanyard tutorial} I used a scrap of fabric or ribbon. In {this tie the knot key fob tutorial} I tied a knot at the end close to the clip. So on Thursday I thought I’d try something different. I wrapped the end with some cotton crochet thread and tied a knot. I love it. I think it goes with the fuzzy selvage side. FYI, you could also just stitch across the end if that’s what you’re feeling like.

And I had an unforgettable time at Market. You can read about it {here}.  

Happy Sewing!