My DIY Flashes

[Splash_4]

First of all, I want to say thanks to Blu (Ontario) for his instructions on his easy flashes. http://www.xmarksthescot.com/articles_id.php?id=8 I just took this a step further. Because I like the look of stiff flashes and I hate to sew, I decided on another idea.

First of all the materials;

Grosgrain ribbon in your choice of color. I used 1 1/2 inch ribbon. $1.40/yd
Pressboard - For this I used picture framing matting an 8x10 sheet $0.59
Heat Bond (for seaming with out sewing) $1.99
Fray Check $3.59
Velcro (soft and thin) $2.50/yd

Pencil
Carpet Knife
Scissors
Iron

All shown below on my working table... (the kitchen table, but hey, whose looking?) The red ones are ones I purchased online for $20 and the blue ones are my prototypes.



Step by Step

1) Cut a strip of the press board at most the width of your ribbon and about 7 inches long. The cardboard will act as the stiffener.



2) Cut a strip of ribbon 7-9 inches long (depending on how far your want the back overlay to go. This will make sense later)

3) Cut two strip of the heat bond the same length as the cardboard.



4) Iron on the heat bond to the card board following the manufactures directions.



5) Iron the ribbon onto the cardboard (use a ironing cloth if you are using a light color ribbon)





6) Cut a small piece of the heat bond the width of the cardboard to tack down the tab of the ribbon. And iron on the same way you did in step 4. This should form a tab in which the velcro can pass through.

7) Mark and cut an inverted "V" on the ribbon.





8) Fray check the ribbon on the back tab to provide stiffness and prevent fraying.

9) Blatant Plagarism form the other article
Start by separating the Velcro ribbons. Take a strip of the fuzzy faced ribbon, fuzz out, and wrap it around the calf of the leg at the thickest area. Mark and cut the ribbon so that it will provide about 2inches of overlap. Next, cut a short piece of the hook face Velcro approximately 2 inches long. Lay the soft Velcro strip on a flat surface fuzz up. Now take the short piece of Velcro and press half of it (hooks down) onto the end of the fuzzy strip leaving the other half exposed. With your kilt hose on and rolled up high, wrap this around the leg forming a secure band where the fold of the sock will be. It is preferable to make the overlap on the inside of the leg. Also, you don’t need to pull the Velcro uncomfortably tight. Since this is located above the calf or fat part of the leg, it won’t fall down.

10) Insert the velcro through the tab formed on the back of the flash.


Repeat steps 1-8 until you have created 4 flashes (two for each leg).


I will be experimenting with different styles of flashes soon (ie. Loops in the ribbon, two ribbons on the same flash in contrasting colors. etc)

Please give me any feedback! I would appreciate it!


P.S. Total cost for 4 flashes, About $3..

Mike

[McMurdo]

Thanks for this it will make it so much easier for those of us without a
sewing machine.

[Tartan Hiker]

You'll find that you can make a much neater-looking edge by melting rather than using fray-check. Get a small, flat piece of metal (I use a rectangle of aluminum flashing that is about 1/2" wide by 1 1/2 " long. Hold it with pliers and heat it up with a torch (over a stove eye woudwork). Press it to the cut edges and they will melt enough to never unravel...and you get a dead-straight edge every time.

Bill

[sorcererdale]

Just a comment about flashes that my wife made. We did use the grosgrain ribbon, but we don't put the elastic around to hold up the socks and the flashes. My socks stay up without the elastic, so we just put a little Velcro on the back side of the ribbons while sewing them together. The Velcro sticks to the sock material and the folded part of the sock covers the top of the ribbon and they don't come out.

DALE.

[MacWage]

Just a comment about flashes that my wife made. We did use the grosgrain ribbon, but we don't put the elastic around to hold up the socks and the flashes. My socks stay up without the elastic, so we just put a little Velcro on the back side of the ribbons while sewing them together. The Velcro sticks to the sock material and the folded part of the sock covers the top of the ribbon and they don't come out.

DALE.

Just a warning: velcro works by having tiny hooks that catch tiny loops (hence it is also called "hook and loop fasteners"). The hooks work the same way on a sock by catching the sock fibers. Some of the newer velcros are designed so the loops "release" the hooks without breaking so easily (often they advertise it with a term signifying long term use attatching and detaching). The older verson just ripped the loops, but there were so many in proportion to the hooks hat it allowed hundreds of rips apart before it lost gripping ability.
Te issue, is that the socks are not designed to be pulled by the velcro hooks, so they will get more wear and tear than they are designed to and WILL wear out faster, much like chain on worsted wool.
I'd invest a few pennies into some elastic garters and some sort of latch system (I use Dritz brand women's swimsuit bra hooks from the fabric dept. of Hobby Lobby). It will make the socks/hose last much longer, especially if using nice ones that should last a "lifetime."

[Splash_4]

Thanks for the comments guys! A couple of notes though.

You'll find that you can make a much neater-looking edge by melting rather than using fray-check. Get a small, flat piece of metal (I use a rectangle of aluminum flashing that is about 1/2" wide by 1 1/2 " long. Hold it with pliers and heat it up with a torch (over a stove eye woudwork). Press it to the cut edges and they will melt enough to never unravel...and you get a dead-straight edge every time.

Bill

I used the fray check for the tab in the back to provide stiffness, not to prevent fraying. The heatbond does a fine job of this by tacking the ribbon to the cardboard. But, I have an idea to create a stamp to do the inverted "V" that your suggestion might work for.

I'd invest a few pennies into some elastic garters and some sort of latch system (I use Dritz brand women's swimsuit bra hooks from the fabric dept. of Hobby Lobby). It will make the socks/hose last much longer, especially if using nice ones that should last a "lifetime."

This is a good idea also. However, due to other issues with my legs, I chose velcro as the lesser of two evils. With it, I can keep the flashes loose with out worrying about them dropping off my calves.

Lastly, the proof is in the pudding, as the say. This is the outfit I made them for. After seeing the picture, I need to go find some gold ribbon instead of the yellow I used... Man those are bright!

[Warlock]

The fabric stores have a special material that can be used to stiffen your fabric. All you have to do is ask for it. I believe there is even a washable type.

[turpin]

For those who might want the same color on both sides you can just iron the fusible interfacing to ribbon front and back.

[Splash_4]

For those who might want the same color on both sides you can just iron the fusible interfacing to ribbon front and back.

Hmmm, that brings up an Idea....... A different color of ribbon on the front and back.... Leaving the choice up to when you wear it.... Going to have to ponder that for a moment.

[McMurdo]

Nice picture the flashes look good