Sewing with Waxed Dental Floss

When our children were in High School, they joined cheer leading, Pom Pon Squad, Track, Band, Choir, Pep Band. The also were members of 4-H. During those years they were very active, keeping us both hopping to keep up with attending all of their functions and making sure they got there on time.

In their freshman year it was time to get them their Letterman's jacket's. Now what to do with all of their pins, letters and medals they earned. For the first couple of years I would use quilting thread to attach the letters, pins and medals. It was a lot of work, but well worth it to see the finished product. But, of course after a few months there were more medals to attach, so many times the old ones had to be moved, so the process of clipping threads and reattaching the items became a routine.

After awhile I decided to figure out a pattern for laying the letters, pins and medals out, with empty spaces to attach more. At one of the events I was talking to one of the girls that had a Letterman's jacket. I asked her how she kept her medals, etc. on. She said she safety pinned some and the others were attached with waxed dental floss. I asked her how long the dental floss held, and she said she had not had to reattach any in over 3 years. So I decided to take my kids medals, pins and letters all off and reattach them.

I made sure when I picked up the waxed dental floss that the dental floss was not flavored. Then I started using safety pins to hold the letters, pins and medals where I wanted to attach them. I would take the wax dental floss and thread it through the needles eye, and pulling the 2 end together and tie a knot at the end. Then I would insert the needle from the inside of the jacket to the outside and going through the loop of the pin, medal, or around the edge of the letter (using a back stitch). I would keep doing this until the entire loop or pin back were entirely covered with thread. Then I would tie a double know which would hold them snug and tight.

When I used thread, the thread would eventually stretch, wear and break. Using the waxed dental floss, the medals, etc. held tight and stayed in place.

Needless to say over 20 years later, both of our children's medals, pins and letters are still attached. These Letterman's jackets hold a lot of good memories and achievements for both of them.

You can use the waxed dental floss for anything that you would like to stay permanently attached. We have a rag rug runner that goes down our staircase, and when there is a slight tear in it I use the waxed dental floss to fix the tear. I stitch a few inches on either side of the tear, to make sure that the old stitches do not give out, this just helps to reinforce the stitches and rug.

Reinforcing your pants or jacket pockets are another great use for the waxed dental floss. How many times do you stick your hand in your pocket, or put something in your pocket only to have it fall out of the bottom of the pocket. The waxed dental floss holds tight.

Ever had a beaded necklace break and didn't have the proper threading, wire or chain to fix it. Just grab your waxed dental floss and fixed your necklace.

The waxed dental floss is not only good for your teeth, you can use it to repair many things. It is as versatile as duck tape.

Have fun finding new ways to use your waxed dental floss.