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.

• Flex ‘n Glide Bodkin – These are long, flexible bodkins that allow you to quickly and easily pull draw strings through fabric casing. Two sizes are available depending on any radius of turn restrictions.  The eyes of the bodkins are designed to solidly lock any material in place and prevent it from coming loose in any inconvenient location.  Unlike most bodkins, the Flex ‘n Guide is stiff enough to push through a casing but flexible enough to bend around intricate design features of your sewn casing.

• Clip ‘n Glide Bodkin – When special requirements exist the Clip ‘n Glide Bodkins ensures a more secure connection between bodkin and elastic drawstring material. A mechanical connection virtually locks the elastic in place.  The lead portion of the bodkin remains flexible and sufficient length to provide for ease of manipulation and speed the process along.

• Elastic Lock Set – The Elastic Lock Set is especially suiting for installing elastic. The bodkin itself resemble the standard Flex ‘n Glide.  The elastic you are inserting attaches to the bodkin.  To prevent the other end of the elastic band from being prematurely pulled into the casing a snap style clip is provided to secure the loose end and hold it in place, preventing it from slipping into the casing and causing you to start over.

How do I promote it? – The bodkin is an interesting tool.  For years sewers have found ways to work around it or “make do”.  It is not a function anyone looks forward to.  Now, with tool designs from Clover and Nancy Zieman these traditional functions can be completed with ease.  The challenge for our dealerships is to let customers know that they exist.  Simple demonstrations will make everyone want to have one.  Using one will make it mandatory.  Fashion, home decor and craft sewing all present natural applications.