Figure 5-15.--Sewing a bolt rope to canvas.
Figure 5-17.--Round-stitching a hand-sewn grommet.
HAND-SEWING GROMMETS
strand by strand, as shown in figure 5-15. Carefully
observe the following points when you sew on bolt
Metal grommets have replaced the hand-sewn type.
ropes:
But if you are ever caught without the proper size of
Keep the rope taut and the canvas slack.
metal grommet, it is nice to know how to make one by
hand. Properly made and sewn to the canvas, hand-
Do not bunch the canvas, but hold your needle at
sewn grommets are almost as strong as the metal type.
such an angle that it goes through the canvas a
fraction of an inch ahead of where it comes out
The first step is to fashion a two- or three-strand
from under the strand.
grommet of marline. To do this, form a ring with the
marline, of the desired size. Start with an end, laying the
Sew each strand to the canvas, making sure the
strand about itself, as in view A, figure 5-16. Continue
needle goes under, not through, the strands.
laying the marline about itself, as in making a piece of
Do not let your stitches start to creep up around
line, until you complete the circle, as in view B, figure
the rope, but keep them coming out of the rope in
5-16. Half knot the ends and stretch this over a fid to
a straight line along the underside. If you let
make it round and firm. Next, take your sail twine and
them creep, the canvas begins to curl around the
double it, then twist the two parts together and cover the
rope.
pair with beeswax. Then punch a hole slightly smaller
than the grommet in the canvas. Sew the grommet using
BE SURE YOUR STITCHES ARE TIGHT.
a round stitch; keep your stitches close together to cover
the grommet. See figure 5-17. After completing the
stitches, shape the grommet again with a fid.
Using Metal Grommets
Several different types of metal grommets are in
use, but the two that are most familiar are pictured in
figure 5-18. The one in view A is called the eyelet-and-
ring type, and comes in sizes 6 to 15, inclusive, with
inner diameters from three-fourths of an inch to 2
inches. View B shows the spur type. It comes in sizes 0
to 6, inclusive, with inner diameters from one-fourth to
three-fourths of an inch,
The cutting punches shown range in diameter from
1 inch down to seven-sixteenths of an inch in the
double-bow type (view C), and from three-eighths to
one-eighth of an inch in the single-bow type (view D).
Figure 5-16.--Fashioning a marline grommet.
When you use these to punch holes in canvas, lay the
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