Turning small pieces

 Who says tiny sewing says tiny pieces to turn. There are several techniques and tools that can help you. Here are my favorites.

The hemostat style clamp

It looks a lot like a serger clamp but with a little more strength and hold. You can find some in a lot of places like at  leevalley.com, and probably etsy.com. With the curved or flat end it does not change anything, it must above all be thin enough. To turn a small piece over with these pliers, insert it all the way in, grab the fabric and pull gently. The pliers are also practical for stuffing small pieces.

Turning tubes

There's a lot of different type of turning tubes in the world. I bought mine on etsy.com a very long time ago and I use them all the time. When I can't find them (hello messy workshop) I make some with what I can find: any 2 sticks can do the same job. As you'll see in the video I simply found two sticks that were close for the demo, a screwdriver and a crochet hook. To use them simply insert the largest tube into your part to be turned. Block it from the outside with a smaller tube. Then roll the fabric upward starting closer to the junction of the tubes and slowly working your way down to the beginning of the piece.

A sewing thread

If you plan your move, you can insert a sewing thread inside your piece when you sew. When finished sewing, gently tug on the thread to pull the piece out. Then finally cut the excess thread.

A safety pin

If your piece is open on both sides, like a tube or a strap, you can pin one side and slide to the other end.

Do you have a another method for turning small pieces? I’d love to ear about it.

Dominique