Download Article
Download Article
Drawstrings are a great addition to shorts, dresses, bags, or hoodies, but they have a tendency to slip out of their casing. Instead of discarding the item, quickly and easily push the drawstring through the entire casing using a safety pin. If you don't have one on hand, use a straw, coat hanger, or pen cap.
Pulling a Drawstring Through a Hoodie Casing
Secure a large safety pin or paperclip to the end of the drawstring. Insert the safety pin into the eyelet of your hoodie and work it through the fabric until it reaches the eyelet on the opposite side. Remove the safety pin and tie a large knot at each end of the drawstring so it doesn't slip back in the casing.
Steps
-
Pull out the drawstring if it's lost halfway through a casing. If your drawstring is starting to come out but it's still stuck in the casing, go ahead and pull it completely out. Re-inserting the drawstring is easier than trying to feed it back through the casing without a tool. [1] X Research source
-
Secure a safety pin to 1 end of the drawstring. Use a large safety pin so it's easier to handle and feed through the casing. Ensure that the safety pin will fit through the casing and secure it about 1 ⁄ 2 inch (1.3 cm) from the end of the drawstring. [2] X Research source
- If you're buying safety pins, look for skirt pins, which are larger and sturdier than standard safety pins.
Variation: If you don't have a safety pin, use a paperclip! Thread the end of the drawstring through the paperclip so it's snug.
Advertisement -
Insert the safety pin into the eyelet. Locate the eyelets, which are the circular openings where your drawstring comes out. Push the safety pin into 1 of the eyelets and pull it through the fabric until it reaches the other eyelet. [3] X Research source
-
Work the casing toward the pin so the drawstring moves through the fabric. Hold the safety pin in place with 1 hand and use your other hand to scrunch the fabric casing toward the pin so it bunches up. Then, hold the safety pin in place with your other hand and pull the bunched up fabric away with the opposite hand. [4] X Research source
- It's important to hold onto the safety pin so you don't lose it inside the casing.
-
Keep scrunching and pulling the fabric until the pin is at the end of the casing. Continue to bunch the casing up to the safety pin and pull the fabric away so your safety pin moves through the casing. Repeat this until the safety pin comes out of the other end of the fabric casing. [5] X Research source
-
Remove the safety pin and knot the ends of the drawstring. Pull the drawstring until both ends are equal lengths. Then, remove your safety pin. If you'd like to prevent the drawstring from sliding back into the casing, tie a large knot at each end of the drawstring. [6] X Research source
- Make the knots larger than the eyelets so the drawstring doesn't slip back in the casing.
Advertisement
-
Buy a bodkin to save time and effort. This small tool looks like a large, dull sewing needle with a large hole at the end. Push about 4 inches (10 cm) of the drawstring through the hole and then push the bodkin through the casing of your garment. If your bodkin has a clamp on the end instead of a large hole, open it and put the end of the drawstring under it before you clamp it closed. [7] X Research source
- You can buy bodkins from craft supply or hobby stores.
-
Use a straw if you're having trouble feeding a safety pin through the casing. If you're inserting a drawstring through a large casing or thick fabric, such as on a hoodie, it can be tricky to feel the safety pin through the fabric. To make it easier, push at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) of a drawstring end into a straw and staple the straw so it goes into the drawstring. Then, push the empty end of the straw through the eyelet. Keep pulling the straw through the casing so the drawstring comes out the other side.
- Since the straw is larger than the safety pin, it's easier to feel it through the heavier fabric. It also won't snag on the seam allowance.
- To remove the staple, pull it away with a staple remover. Keep in mind that this may damage delicate fabrics, but sturdy drawstring cords will be fine.
-
Bend a wire hanger to make a hook for pulling the drawstring through. If you'd like to make a sturdy tool that you can use again and again, find a wire coat hanger. Untwist the hook and shape it into a long straight wire. Then, bend the straight end to create a small hook and push the drawstring through the hook. Push the hook end of the wire through the eyelet and keep pushing the wire until the drawstring comes out the other side. [8] X Research source
- If your drawstring keeps slipping off of the hook, bend the wire over the drawstring to keep it in place.
- Feel free to bend the wire as you feed it through the casing, especially if you're inserting the drawstring through the rounded part of a hoodie.
Tip: Use caution when you're pushing the wire through the fabric since you don't want to accidentally rip the material.
-
Wrap the drawstring around a rounded pen cap if you can't find other tools. If you can't find a safety pin, straw, or hanger, look for a pen that has a pocket clip and wrap the drawstring around the clip. Then, slide the opposite end of the pen through the casing. Feel the pen through the fabric and pull it through the casing until the pen and drawstring come out of the other end. [9] X Research source
- Ensure that you're using a pen with a pocket clip so you don't accidentally push an exposed tip through your fabric.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionThe end of my drawstring is frayed, making it hard to use the safety pin. What can I do?Community AnswerMake a knot at the frayed end of the drawstring and insert the safety pin behind the knot. You can also buy a cheap toothbrush with a hole at the end of the handle, break the head, smooth it with an emery board, and pass the string through the hole and use that.
-
QuestionHow do I put it in without using a safety pin?Community AnswerIf the drawstring is already hard around the end (using the plastic tube-like thing), then you can insert and use that to pull it. If not, then put a thick piece of duct tape around it so that it is hard and you can grab it. I have also used bobby pins in the past. To do this, put the bobby pin on the drawstring and tape it on. Then use it as you would the safety pin.
-
QuestionWhat do I do when the safety pin falls open in the middle of pulling the drawstring through?Community AnswerYou can close the pin while it is inside. It is common for it to open up inside. You'll need to adjust it while inside so you can pin it again. Push it back if going forward or pinning it is getting too tiring. Going backwards won't have it get stuck. Do it with a bigger pin after you get that out. Make sure to push the lower end of the pin up while in the case and not to hold the top side. Or, you can remove the stitch with a seam ripper or scissors to remove the pin. Then you can sew the opened stitch again.
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
- If you don't want the drawstring to slide around or come out, find the middle of the drawstring while it's in the casing and stitch it in place.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If your drawstring looks like a shoelace and isn't far from the hole, insert the end of a pair of scissors into the hole. Grab the plastic part of the drawstring and pull it out.
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
Things You'll Need
Using a Safety Pin to Insert a Drawstring
- Item with a casing
- Drawstring
- Safety pin
- Drawstring
- Bodkin
- Straw
- Stapler
- Wire hanger
- Pen with a pocket clip
References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/S12JkY2OO_I?t=200
- ↑ https://www.threadsmagazine.com/project-guides/learn-to-sew/a-pin-for-every-purpose
- ↑ https://youtu.be/EqLSYtBfaFs?t=20
- ↑ https://youtu.be/EqLSYtBfaFs?t=32
- ↑ https://youtu.be/EqLSYtBfaFs?t=61
- ↑ https://youtu.be/EqLSYtBfaFs?t=100
- ↑ https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2018/05/03/3-different-bodkins-choose-video
- ↑ https://youtu.be/dF9_-OlmhU8?t=193
- ↑ https://youtu.be/lMGQWUs-ajo?t=22
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 698,239 times.
Reader Success Stories
- "The safety pin and paperclip wouldn't work due to extra small eyelet hole and snagging. The straw method was the successful idea I needed and used after trimming straw down to size. Thanks a bunch as I was I was at my wit's end trying to get that done!" ..." more
Advertisement
83%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
"The safety pin and paperclip wouldn't work due to extra small eyelet hole and snagging. The straw method was the successful idea I needed and used after trimming straw down to size. Thanks a bunch as I was I was at my wit's end trying to get that done!"
..."
more
"This might be the best thing I've ever seen on the internet! I just used the biggest cotter pin in the garage and saved my favorite sweatpants. Thanks!"
..."
more
"Worked perfectly! The drawstring had fallen out of a sweatshirt in the wash, and this helped me reinsert it quickly and easily. Thank you so much!"
..."
more
"The safety pin method only took me about 3 minutes on a really thick hoodie! Thank you so much!"
