Flashes from light weight fabric

[Rick]

Lately I have found a few fabrics in colours that would look great for garter flashes, with the exception that the fabric was to light of weight. To solve this problem I have sewn two pieces together into a tube, turned it right side out and pressed it. The V notch at the base does not look so good with these, so I decided to fringe the base about 0.25 in. A line of stitches just above the fringe prevents further fraying. Using this scheme, I have made matching bow ties for the flashes.

Rick

[UmAnOnion]

Lately I have found a few fabrics in colours that would look great for garter flashes, with the exception that the fabric was to light of weight. To solve this problem I have sewn two pieces together into a tube, turned it right side out and pressed it. The V notch at the base does not look so good with these, so I decided to fringe the base about 0.25 in. A line of stitches just above the fringe prevents further fraying. Using this scheme, I have made matching bow ties for the flashes.

Rick

There is also a fabric backing called INTERFACING available at most fabric store - it can be ironed on or stiched in & can add weight & rigidity to most fabrics easily - can be cut to shape & comes in an array of wieghts so you can make your flashes hard as cardboard - or just a little stiffer if you like.

[GlassMan]

I bought a cheap pair of blackwatch flashes off eBay that had interfacing to provide stiffness. The only problem was that the things always seemed to wind up bending away from my leg and while they had plaid on the front, they were white on the back. I wound up finally just throwing them away because it looked silly.

If you are going to use interfacing, I think you should sew another piece of tartan on the back to completely hide it.

[Sherry]

Interfacing is meant to add some stiffness to the fabric, so it's good for making shirt collar hold it's shape, or shoring up the edges of a tank-shaped top to keep the neck & armholes from gaping open, or keeping a waistband from rolling.

A lining fabric is probably a better choice for simply adding some weight without stiffening up the fabric. Just make sure that the clean requirements of the lining are compatible with those of the fabric you wish to use for the flashes. Lining fabric is typically made from polyester, cotton, poly/cotton, or silk, but you can use whatever works in your situation.

[Southern Breeze]

I've made several sets so far. I simply use spray starch to stiffen them.