I visited Britex a few weeks ago to check out their purse and bag hardware. Definitely awesome and definitely expensive. I bought a couple of things, but not much and still spent a small fortune.
Time passes. Conference and annual meetings happen. I come home and hang my lanyards on the back of my closet door “until I figure out what to do with them.” At the meeting I attended last week, I saw some lanyards laying on the table of a vendor hospitality booth. My closet door flashed in my mind and I had a brainwave. I scooped up as many of the lanyards as I felt comfortable taking and put them in my bag.
When I returned, I took all of them off of the door, removed the nametag portion and set to work.
I only wanted to keep the metal hardware, so I cut off the ribbons, because I didn’t want to sew over them, I wanted to use my own fabric. I felt like a scavenger, but I was just going to toss them anyway, so I fought down the feeling.
I wasn’t able to salvage everything, but I salvaged several parts and pieces.
Notice the different shapes and sizes used for the D Ring (or equivalent) parts.
These aren’t the greatest pieces since sliced bread, but for lanyards, they will work fine, I think.
I also was able to save some circle rings, which are not shown and will be useful, I am sure.
I was not able to save the plastic loops. I didn’t want to toss them, thinking I might have another brainwave and figure out how to use them, such as covering the existing fabric with better fabric and quilting over it.
Next I set aside what I wanted and put the rest of the hardware into the tin I use to store all of my hardware. I set to work making a test lanyard. I am pleased with how the lanyard came out, especially since I didn’t buy hardware. I am not sure it is perfect for me and I may make another, which makes me even happier than I used salvaged hardware.
