Easy Way to Turn a Tube of Fabric Right Side Out

I was working on a bag design and wanted to create a particular type of handle.  Not the usual bag handle where you simply fold the fabric into 4 and topstitch.  I wanted a ‘nicer' handle, one with two different fabrics so it would be reversible and feature both of the fabrics from my bag.

What was stopping me?

Turning the darned thing the right side out again once I had stitched the tube!  It's bad enough on a tube of regular fabric, but both of these pieces were interfaced making them thick and stiff too.  It just all bunches up and gets too thick to turn.

I don't mind telling you I flung it across the room and cursed loudly.  My cat hid under the bed! Until I tried the straw and chopstick trick.  Or rather, in this case, the plastic hose and wooden dowel trick.  At last!  Success.

Here's how it works.

How to turn a tube of fabric right side out

You will need:

1 – a hollow cylindrical object, which is fairly stiff and will slide inside your tube of fabric.  For a small tube, use a sturdy straw. For a bag handle, I used a piece of plastic tubing intended for aquariums I think.

2 – a pokey thing.  Something rigid and not hollow, that just fits inside the hollow tube from point 1.  For a small tube, a chopstick or similar.  In my case, a thin piece of wooden dowel we had hanging around for reasons unknown.

Step 1

Sew across one end of your tube to close it.  This may be temporary and unpicked or snipped off later or can be a finished end on your tube.

Step 2

Slide your hollow tube down inside the fabric tube all the way to the closed off end.  It doesn't really matter if your fabric is longer than the tube.

Step 3

Stick the end of your pokey tool into the hollow end of the tube inside your fabric.

Step 4

Now slide the fabric off the tube and onto the pokey stick.  Somehow it now seems to slide easily without all bunching up, and you can transfer the fabric off the tube and onto the stick.

Step 5

Once you get it started, it goes quickly and you can then simply pull the end through. Eventually, your fabric gets turned all the way down and the plastic tube becomes free.

Your right side will start to show on the end of your pokey stick.

Step 6

Keep pushing the fabric down the stick until the whole tube is turned the right side out.

Step 7

You can then use the tube or the pokey stick to press your tube of fabric if you don't want to press it flat.

Step 8

Store your stick and tube together.  You'll be wanting to use them again next time for sure.

Give your tube a press and admire your new strap/belt/whatever it is you are making.

Here's the handle I was working on.  I love the faux piped look I can get from using the two different fabrics.

More coming soon about this handle and the bag it's going on.

In the meantime, PIN THIS to share with your sewing buddies.  They'll thank you for it!

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