It’s dark and rainy and our Internet service is down today, so I’m using stock photos for our Tool Tuesday post this week. Fortunately, this week’s post is all about snaps, and I happen to have some photos I can use.
I’ve only recently become a convert to snaps. Previously, the only time I used snaps was at near gunpoint, when I couldn’t get around it with buttons or a zipper.
I didn’t like sewing snaps, didn’t care for the way they looked, didn’t want one of those big snap-setting machines, and just thought snaps made things look a little too “loving hands at home.” (A phrase one of my professors always called anything that didn’t look very well made. Hand-made? Good. Home-made? Not so good. He wasn’t saying it to be disparaging; he just had high standards for sewing and wanted our sewing to look professional, don’t worry.)
Anyway, a couple of years ago at Quilt Market the folks from Snap Source were exhibiting, and all those beautiful snap colors stopped me in my tracks. And as it turns out, Snap Source snaps don’t require sewing or one of those big, elaborate snap setting tools that you’ve probably seen. (They have a fancy one at one of my favorite shops in the garment center, and you need to drop off and pick up your orders because the woman who sets snaps and grommets and things has a waiting list!) For these snaps, you only need the funny little purple plastic SnapSetter gadget and a hammer, so they’re really fast and easy to set. No waiting list. No gigantic heavy metal torture device to set them. No sewing and nothing to break. They’re really easy to use.
I adore the different colors: a wide variety solids, pearl colors, and even narrow colored rings so the snaps are less obtrusive. We’ve been using Snap Source snaps on many of our Straight Stitch Society patterns, and I’ve been adding them to some of the upcoming fall patterns as well. (You’ll see, you’ll see….) I also really like the range of sizes. I use the size 16 snaps most often (7/16″ wide), if you’re curious.
We don’t carry the snaps or the snap setting device, but you can purchase them directly from the Snap Source website. They also carry a wide variety of colors. Update: we do now carry snaps and the snap setter in the shop.
Anyway, I thought you might not know about these snaps either. They’ve become part of my tool kit and have actually changed my feeling about snaps in general.