I asked for an industrial snap press for Mother’s Day, and I’m having a lot more fun with it than I would have with some new jewelery. I was really excited about making this pajama for Hazel after I’d had the idea to apply the snaps right through the little yo-yos. This is McCall’s 3665, with the facings, seam allowances, and hem allowances removed to allow for a binding — but next time I will have to add a snap placket because I’m afraid in time the snaps are going to tear through the single layer of fabric. I was afraid that if I made the newborn size, Hazel would outgrow it too fast, but unfortunately the next size up (small) is huge and will probably not fit her until she’s a crawling baby. I told Dean that because it’s white, she’ll only be allowed to wear it at night when she’s confined in her crib.
My Imaginary Blog 
How cute! Almost makes me want to dust off the sewing machine… Almost…
I have no clue what a snap placket is though, so I probably should stick to what I know 🙂
I didn’t understand anything you said, but it sure looks cute!
Wow!!! Those are some really cute PJ’s! You’re so talented!
How cute. Great job. Creativity and skill.
Darling. This probably is not a new idea to you, but I often put a little piece of woven material behind the snap to stabilize it and keep it from tearing through.
You make me wish I could sew clothing. I love the yo-yos, it’s so cute!
Love the yo-yos. You know, I’ve always had trouble getting standard patterns to size right for babies. But whenever she does get to wear it, it’ll be adorable.
Mary, yeah, I’ve done that before and should have this time. I did put a little bit of fusible interfacing, but it’s way too thin to help much. I hope the sleeper lasts a little while before it starts tearing apart. (I think I could figure out how to repair it, but would rather not need to.)
Guess what? The size 14 dies for the press are too big for my SnapSource size 14 snaps. 😦
Kristina, come on, try a little harder here. (It did occur to me that maybe I should explain more, but I figured if anyone was really interested they could ask.)
Mary, Marianna, Laura, Corrie, Trina: Thanks! It was fun to come home from a Memorial Day picnic to these comments.
So pretty! I’m very impressed – sewing is way beyond me.
This was today’s Word of the Day:
fillip: a snap; also, a stimulus.
But it’s a different kind of snap: http://www.answers.com/topic/fillip .
I suppose sewing snaps are called that because of the sound they make. Not that that’s anything more than a guess.
I only thought the synchronicity would be interesting, but apparently only to me. The noun came into English writing 35 years earlier than the verb:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=snap&searchmode=none
Despite the onomatopoeiaic quality of snap, the analog of the fillip and jaws seems to be in the action like a quick bite. Of course, that would be accompanied most times by the sound.
Genius!
Jas: Hmm, and no mention of the sewing type of snap at the etymology site. I wonder if the sewing one (along with perhaps the jaws/bite/quick action meaning) also came from snaps being easy and quick to apply and use, as from the later meanings such as “in a snap.” (Forgive my vagueness. It’s late.) (Although to be truthful I’d probably be vague if it weren’t late.)
I wondered when the snap were invented, and lookie here!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snap_fastener
The article on snap fasteners was unusually tough to find on the disambiguation page.
(Incidentally, I related to a customer today what I had learned from Wikip about Memorial Day. She thanked me for the interesting info, said she’d look it up too, but not in Wikip because it’s biased. I wondered out loud how it could be biased about the history of Memorial Day. She changed the subject.)
I do believe that the snap of a crocodile’s jaws or of a purse closure (etc.) preceded the snap fastener. Things have snapped open and shut for a long long time in English.
I love the pajamas.
That is just the cutest thing!
What of finger snaps? How long have those been English? And Ginger snaps, were they invented by English speakers? Snap peas? Curious.
Also, lovely work. 🙂