Inserting and Sewing Elastic with Ease

Whether in the waistband of pants, around the bottom of a sleeve, or on any home décor item, inserting elastic can be tricky. ZJ Humbach teaches both old and new methods to make inserting any size of elastic easy. If you don’t have any tools on hand, a safety pin can help you slide the elastic through a casing. If you’ll be inserting a lot of elastic or just want to make things even easier, a bodkin is the answer.

This tool is fairly inexpensive and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as in both plastic and metal. ZJ Humbach explains how each tool works and even shows how to use it in other ways with ribbon and trim for embellishment!

Depending on the type of bodkin you have, they can also serve different functions. A bodkin like the first shown in the video, sometimes called a “pull” bodkin, can come in handy if a drawstring slips into a waistband or hood of a sweatshirt.

Rather than pulling the drawstring all the way out in order to feed an end through a bodkin or secure with a safety pin, simply insert the pull bodkin teeth side first into the casing opening, grab the drawstring by pinching the bodkin and securing with the metal ring, then pull it out! This type of bodkin can also be used to turn straps or other narrow casings right side out.