I use ropes made from our organic cotton jersey fabric for wrapping all of my holiday packages (and for many other things–as evidenced in the DIY instructions below). If you have ever ordered garments or fabrics from our online store, you will have found your contents tied up in one of these Cotton Jersey Pulls. Follow the instructions below to make your own from scraps or from old t-shirts. Look for more posts about how to use these pulls in the coming year. Anything you order from our online store between now and the end of the year will come shipped wrapped, tied with a Cotton Jersey Pull, and ready to gift.

COTTON JERSEY PULLS From page 99 of Alabama Studio Style: When cotton jersey fabric is cut across, or against, the grain line (see page 11 of Alabama Studio Style), its cut edge will roll to the fabric’s right side; and conversely, when the fabric is cut with the grain line, its cut edge will roll to the wrong side. We use this fabric trait to create small “ropes” of cotton jersey from fabric scraps, which we try to reuse in new projects, such as the seats for our Woven Farm chairs and for innumerable other purposes–to close and tie wrap shirts, tie packages, hold down furniture when moving, secure tomato plants to their stakes in the garden, and hold bookshelves against walls. I also use them to tie back my hair (see photo below). We call these handy devices cotton jersey “pulls” because of the way you make them: Simply cut your cotton jersey scraps into strips from 1″ to 3″ wide, depending on the thickness desired. You may choose to cut them with or against the grain to control which way the strip’s edges curl. After a strip is cut, grab one end in each hand, and pull.