How To Apply Metal Corners – A Free Tutorial by Krista

Have you seen the new rage taking the bag world by storm? Metal corners! These add a special finishing touch which simply looks fabulous on lots of different bags….(Hint – Watch for my June Bag of the Month Club design to see how I have used them!)

Krista

They can be a little tricky to apply IF you are not familiar with a few simple tricks.

So Krista, one of my pattern testers extraordinaire, is sharing her tips and tricks with you here in the following tutorial. Thank you Krista, now over to you:

How to Apply Metal Corners

These little bits of metal will add a special touch of class to your finished project. They are designed to be applied to a finished edge.  While not difficult to apply, it’s important to follow the steps because without proper cushioning, they can easily be dented or scratched.

Corners come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The corners used in this tutorial can be purchased from Bagmaker Supply. They measure 1″ x 1″. You can also find them at Emmaline Bags.

Corner Measurement

Materials Needed

Rubber mallet or dead blow hammer, two layers of foam (or a thick towel), metal corners, glue (optional).

Supplies Needed

1.  First identify the front and back sides of your corners.  You want to make sure the front is attached to the exterior side of the fabric. The left metal corner shows the right side up.

2.  Place your completed fabric assembly exterior side down onto the headliner foam or towel.   Double check to make sure that the corner is right side down as well.    Take care to make sure that the corner of the fabric is inserted all the way into the metal corner and is evenly situated.

Optional--apply a bit of glue and then insert your fabric into the metal corner.  Give your glue a few minutes to set so that it can help keep the corner firmly placed.

Corner placement on top of headliner foam–fabric side down

3.  Cover with another layer of foam before tapping with a rubber mallet.   If you don’t have a rubber mallet or a dead blow hammer handy, try a regular hammer–just make sure you have sufficient cushioning around the corner and that you start out nice and easy with your pounding pressure.

Foam covering the whole corner

4.   Tap firmly but gently with the hammer. It’s better to start out with a lighter pressure and work your way up if need be.

Gently tap your corners

5.   Check to see if the corner is “gripping”. If it isn’t, lay everything back down and sandwich it between the foam and apply the “force” again, concentrating on where it’s needed. This might take a few tries–if the corner wiggles at all, then it needs a little more time under the hammer. The corner is properly attached when it stays very firmly in place and cannot be moved.

For the Bagmaker Supply & Emmaline Bags corners, the back will crimp in towards itself.

And there you have it! A finished metal corner–well done!

Front view of finished corner

You can find Krista on Facebook and Flickr so do stop by and check out Krista’s awesome sewing creations!

Additional credit and thanks go to these ladies for their help with this tutorial: Liz, Ellen, and Marilyn

Thank you so much for your assistance!

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Thank you Krista! 🙂