Tool School: Bodkins

What is it? – Bodkins.  Only someone who sews would know what a bodkin is.  Simply put, a bodkin is a tool that is used to pull various thin materials through a sewn fabric casing.  Elastic, ribbon, cording or other “drawstring” type materials can all be pulled through the casing to serve any desired function.  A bodkin usually resembles an over-sized sewing needle with a blunt point and a large eye.  The bodkin is attached to the cording and manipulated through the casing by hand.  The round point prevents the bodkin from penetrating the fabric casing.  Applications exist in everything from fashion to craft sewing to home decor.  The interesting thing is, if you don’t have a bodkin, you can “make do” with a safety pin or some other homemade device.  But not with ease and often not without a large degree of frustration.  To simplify this necessary and surprisingly often used sewing function Clover, working in collaboration with Nancy Zieman, has developed a set of bodkins for even the most demanding applications.  No more looking for the safety pin you just saw somewhere last week.  No more seeing the unattached end of the elastic band you were installing disappear into the fabric channel where it wasn’t supposed to go.  No more do-over’s, no more frustration.  The right tool for the right job and a happy sewing experience.

What does it do? – Clover and Nancy Zieman have  identified categories of unique bodkin applications and developed unique bodkins to satisfy those requirements.