Whiptips: Trim cards?

by Abigail Percy on July 24, 2006

in News+Letters

Whiptips is an crafts advice column for readers to ask questions or offer advice by leaving your comments. View the Whiptips archive here. You can submit questions, to whiptips@gmail.com. Please include photos with your questions!

Heather Bailey from Hello My Name is Heather writes in looking for Trim Cards.

“I’m looking for an easy place to purchase cards on which to wrap trim or something to take their place. My trims are the final frontier before I can enjoy an efficient studio. Here’s a photo to see what I’m talking about.”

trim cards

These look home-made, out of cardboard… but it sounds like she’s is just looking for an easy solution! Anyone seen these around?

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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

1 elizabeth July 24, 2006 at 10:22 am

i work at hancock fabrics, and we keep some trims on those and whenever the trim runs out they just get thrown away. I’ve held those and larger bolts from fabric for several different people, just call your local hancock’s and see if someone will save you the empties, or email me and i will send you some!

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2 Kristin La Flamme July 24, 2006 at 1:22 pm

Perhaps the local fabric and notions shop would be willing to give her their old empty ones rather than throw them in the trash. They might not be pretty, but some creative paint or collage could tie them together if one needed things to look coordinated,

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3 MaryBeth July 24, 2006 at 3:32 pm

yOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN FROM LIGHT WEIGHT CARD BOARD. IF YOU ARE A RE-USE PERSON-CEREAL BOXES AND CRACKER BOXES ARE GREAT LIGHT WEIGHT BOARD TO USE. THEN DECORATE WITH COLLAGE OR SOME NICE PAPER.
i SAW “SOMEWHERE” A SMALL WOODEN ROD YOU CAN GET THEM AT CRAFT STORES- EVEN WALLMART AND TRIMS ARE WRAPPED AROUND THEM LIKE ONE LONG GIANT SPOOL. YOU CAN SUSPEND IT WITH LIGHT WEIGHT METAL COIL OR EVEN FISHING REEL STUFF-LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES!

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4 mrspilkington July 24, 2006 at 11:15 pm

if they’re not too small, maybe those plastic bobbins that you use for embroidery floss? you can put them on a ring… like these:
http://www.ericas.com/needlework/tools/misc.htm

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5 Edie July 25, 2006 at 4:32 am

I put all my trims in a box with a flip lid (the back of the lid is attached and you just flip it up to open the box). Yes, they’re jumbled up, but this way I look through all of them to find what I need, and often find ones I’d forgotten about. You could also roll trim onto toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls.

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6 robyn July 25, 2006 at 5:54 am

I’m not sure where to find cards for trim but my solution is to use vintage wooden bobbins / spools to wind them around. It’s great for storage (you can store them all upright or displayed out on walls) and it never leaves you with empty-looking cards when you’re down to your last half-yard or so of a particular trim.

My best source? ebay. Do a search for wooden bobbins and you’ll be all set. You can usually pick up a set of 30 or so (and sometimes even 100+) for about $15 + shipping.

Good luck!

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7 marilyn July 25, 2006 at 9:57 am

I’ve been obsessing over those too! I had in my mind that I wanted wooden ones for some reason. But i don’t even know if they exist!

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8 AmyDe July 25, 2006 at 6:22 pm

You could use comic book boards and cut your own as well. I got the idea from here http://www.splityarn.com/split_yarn/2005/09/fabric_justice.html . Caro uses them as fabric storage (I will soon too), but some scissors and a couple of notches and voila! – Trim cards. Guess how I’ll be spending my weekend!

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9 Sarah E. July 25, 2006 at 8:13 pm

If you have a LARGE amount of trim, or larger trim, clean an empty frozen Juice can and cut two large circles, about 5″ across, and glue to either end to make spools. I’ve done this with several of my trims that I got from a closing sewing store. And let me tell you how FUN it was detangling that stuff!! Good luck!

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10 mrspilkington July 28, 2006 at 10:20 am

i think i have a better understanding of what you’re looking for, my first suggestion didn’t make sense. how about something like these chipboard ribbonwraps?

http://www.magisticalmemories.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RW.5

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11 Pink Trees July 29, 2006 at 10:16 pm

i’ve been saving the little cards that come inside the JoAnn’s fat quarters to use for my trims. They’re roughly the same size and I might be able to get 2 out of 1 card for the thinner trims.

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