It can be tricky to turn narrow fabric loops, so here's a technique for hand-sewing rouleau loops with right sides out - no turning required! This is useful if you're using a thicker fabric, or a fabric that tends to stick to itself or shred when turning.
Rouleau loops are used for the lacing loops on the Flourish Dress Coat and Bloom Jacket patterns, but they're useful for plenty of other applications, such as button loops, drawstrings, spaghetti straps, and belt loops. A useful technique to have in your sewing repertoire!
Hand stitched rouleau loops are a beautiful couture-inspired detail, and a wonderful excuse to sit down and do some relaxed hand stitching.
1. Begin by cutting bias strips from a square of fabric. Bias strips are cut at a 45° angle to the selvedge edge (the bias is marked with a red line on the image below). How wide to cut the bias strip depends on how wide you would like the final rouleau loop to be - keep in mind that the final loop with be roughly 1/4 the width of the original bias strip. For this tutorial, I have cut a 2.5cm (1") wide bias strip.
2. To help get the rouleau started, press the end of the strip in half lengthwise, then fold the edges in to the centre and press. Just do a wee bit at the end of the strip to help get started - we don't want to flatten the entire loop.
3. Now we'll sew the strip into a loop. Bring your threaded needle up through one of the folds, near the end of the strip - the knot will be hidden on the inside.
4. Bring the needle over to the opposite folded edge (lower edge in the picture) and take a short stitch along the fold.
5. Then, take a short stitch on the opposite folded edge, just past where the last stitch ended.
6. Pull the thread tight to bring the folded edges together, and continue alternating stitches along one folded edge, then the other.
7. As you sew the strip closed, continue rolling the edges of the strip towards the centre, creating the two folded edges as you go.
8. Continue stitching the entire length of the strip closed to create your rouleau loop. It's already right side out, so no need to turn it!
Read more Twig + Tale sewing tutorial here:
