I didn’t have one for many, many years. Half a century or more. Who needs that? I can do it the old fashioned way to thread ribbon or elastic or something else— just use a safety pin. Then when I got into sewing for antique dolls, and started using a bunch of insert lace, I bought one. I used it the first time and thought, “how in the world did I ever get along without this?”

I had purchased the Dritz ballpoint bodkin and it works like a dream for threading the ribbons, wide or narrow, through the lace. It works well for threading elastic through a casing,  a draw string through a casing, and a bunch of other things. Now it goes into the tool pack I give to students. They mostly have had the attitude that I once did, “don’t need that”— until I demonstrate it in class. They see how easily it accomplishes things and are glad to have it. Opens up a whole new world to those who have never used one.

I will in a later post do a video demonstration of this one tool  Here are a couple of examples of the insert lace with the ribbon threaded through it, click here   where the insert lace is used on the bodice and at the waist, with the ribbon threaded through it, and here  where a wider lace is used around the waist only.

Leave questions or comments below. You will NOT be spammed or get a bunch of emails!