Lillian Olive

No Stretch Spaghetti Straps!

Spaghetti straps that stretch out can be a serious (and seriously embarrassing) problem. To keep the straps on your new summer creation from stretching out, use this simple technique...

Create your straps the way you normally would. Before you attach them to the dress, feed a length of nylon drapery cording or other thin nylon cord through the strap. Make a few stitches at each end of the strap to keep the cording in place. Stitch the straps in place on your garment.

It's that easy. You'll never have to worry about stretched out straps again! This method also makes your straps very strong.

Tips:

• Be sure to use nylon cording or cording made from some other synthetic material. Cording made out of a natural fiber like cotton could stretch when worn or shrink when washed. Drapery cording is a great choice.

• We've all encountered annoying straps that constantly slide down our shoulders. When attaching the straps to your garment, make sure that the straps are closer to each other in the back than they are in the front. If the space between them is the same as the space in the front, they will be more likely to slide. Criss-crossing the straps in back is an even better choice and can add a charming detail to your creation!

• Use a loop turner to feed the cording through your strap. A blunt plastic needle works great too. You can usually find them in the knitting department of a craft store.