How to stick an O-ring where there isn't one.

[BWeaves]

Maybe you want an extra O-ring in your Tom Bihn bag, where there isn't one already. Maybe you have a non-TB bag that you want to use TB accessories with.

Here's how I TB-ed my zip-top shop bag from Briggs & Riley, so I can use my TB keystraps and pouches in it.

Ingredients:

Dritz 3/4" plastic O-rings.
1/2" wide cotton twill tape.
Steam-a-Seam 2 (glue in tape form. I had 1/4" on hand, but they also sell 1/2" wide.)
Cotton thread for sewing.
Thread Heaven or beeswax for conditioning the thread.
A very fine, very sharp, short needle with a tiny eye.
A thimble.
A steam iron and ironing board.



Put water in the iron and heat on medium high so it steams.
Cut twill tape 3" long.



Put a bit of Steam-a-Seam 2 on each end of the twill tape and fold it over 1/4".
Steam iron for 5 seconds. Press gently, do not move the iron.



Put another 1/2" of Steam-a-Seam 2 on one end.
Thread a plastic O-ring on the other.



Fold over and steam iron for 12 seconds. Press gently, do not move the iron.

[BWeaves]

The final O-ring strap will be 1" long.



The victim. The zip-top tote-bag from Briggs & Riley.



The inside of the front pocket. Before.



Cut 1 foot of cotton thread. Run it over the Thread Heaven or beeswax 2 or 3 times to strengthen it and smooth it.

Thread the very fine, very short, tiny eye'd needle.

Sew into the top of the little O-ring strap (the end opposite the O-ring) 2 or 3 times so the thread is secure.

Find a spot inside the bag where you can get your hand on the other side of where you are sewing.

Make stab stitches back and forth. Push the needle through the O-ring tab and the bag. Pull the needle through. Repeat in the opposite direction. You will need a thimble, because pushing that needle through several thicknesses of tough fabric and the Steam-a-Seam glue is tough. Go back and forth 2 or 3 times across the top of the O-ring tab. Bury the end of the thread and cut it off.



And after.



The pocket with the black label is RFID secure. A TB, small, clear, double organizer pouch fits perfectly in it. That's what I'm using as my wallet, and I like to have it tethered to the bag.

[BWeaves]

I've carried this tote for about a month with my various TB pouches in it, so I knew exactly where I wanted my O-rings. The O-Ring by the side was the hardest one to sew because I couldn't get to the back side of the pocket easily. All the other O-rings are in the middle of a pocket so I can easily get to the back side while sewing.

I also sewed O-rings in another soft suitcase, and I could sew through the bound seam on the inside easily, so I could place my O-rings anywhere. Basically, I turned the suitcase inside out, and then it was easy to do the stab stitches back and forth through the suitcase seam.

What I did NOT do. I did not cut open any existing seams and try to insert my O-ring tabs. My O-rings are secure, but can be removed at any time by snipping the sewing threads.

[Kelly S]

That is a super awesome tutorial

[nimikor]

@BWeaves, after reading this post with the excellent tutorial and pictures and after enjoying your amazing post about the line and tow linen ... almost thou persuadest me to be a modiste. I like the skull in your "victim" picture Thanks and please keep sharing your knowledge.

[BWeaves]

Thank you. I believe that every library needs a good skull. We turned our living room into a library by having custom bookshelves installed around every bit of wall, and putting two recliners with a reading lamp in the middle. It's our favorite room.

[anna2222]

Thank you, BWeaves!

I was looking everywhere for this exact thing. Did the o rings come in black? Would love to match the look on the TB bags.

[BWeaves]

No, I only found the O-rings in white at JoAnn's Fabric Store. They are the same diameter as the TB O-rings, but they are not as thick. They are designed to be used for making curtains, so they are strong. I'm sure O-rings like the TB ones can be bought somewhere, but to be honest, I didn't spend a lot of time looking. There's a JoAnn's around the corner from my house, and I just bought what they had in stock.

The white matches the inside of my B&R bags I was adding O-rings to, and the white matches the grid on the Halcyon fabric. And I don't mind if they are a different color than the TB O-rings, as they are on the inside of the bags.

Twill tape comes in any color you want, if you search the internet, but I only found black, white and tan for 1/2" width. I picked tan, as I'll use it for other things, and the inside of my B&R bags are an ivory color. Someone on Etsy is even printing cute things on twill tape, although I don't know how well the printing holds up, as I haven't bought this:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/199031033/choose-your-design-twill-tape-for-sewing?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_d-craft_supplies_and_tools-fabric_and_notions-fabric&utm_custom1=7cd28e27-5500-494f-a70b-6e313c16c296&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6tH19vvg1gIVkVmGCh2gQAftEAYYAiABEgKeZ_D_BwE

There's no reason why you have to use 3/4" rings and 1/2" twill tape, either. Those matched the size of the TB ones. If you want bigger rings, buy bigger rings and wider twill tape. If you want to use 1" rings use 3/4" tape.

[edward.dennihy]

This is exactly what I have been looking for. I have an older s19 and I have been using this purely functional solution.

Thank you!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[BWeaves]

DOH!!!! That's perfect. A safety pin never even occurred to me. Actually that's a great way to try out where you want your more permanent solution.

[Kelly S]

DOH!!!! That's perfect. A safety pin never even occurred to me. Actually that's a great way to try out where you want your more permanent solution.

Oh for the love of.....
I never thought of using a safety pin either. Totally genius and yet totally simple!

[BWeaves]

Quilters have coil-less safety pins, which would be even more convenient.

[edward.dennihy]

DOH!!!! That's perfect. A safety pin never even occurred to me. Actually that's a great way to try out where you want your more permanent solution.

I point the coil towards the top of the bag. It makes it less likely to undo itself when you pull on it. It's imperfect but gets the job done!

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[Cristina]

I just wanted to share my own easy way of adding o-rings.

I used 14mm polyester twill tape and 20mm split rings.

Polyester, not cotton twill tape is essential for this method.

I cut a 2-2.5" piece of the twill tape. I put a split ring on the tape and folded the tape in half so the ends were together.

I took a lighter and melted the ends to prevent fraying. I pinched them to make sure the ends melted together like this:



Then I took the melted end and tucked it under a seam and used my sewing machine to attach it (just ran it back and forth a couple of times).

I used contrasting tape on the inner pockets and black tape on an outside pocket.







I got my tape and rings on eBay, since I don't have a craft store nearby.

[BWeaves]

I like your solution, too!

TB O-rings are really genius. I'm addicted to them, and I'm so disappointed when a bag doesn't have them.