In this week’s tutorial, I’ll show you how to add snaps to foam. It’s a handy technique that you’ll probably end up using over and over again.

MATERIALS USED:
Scrap Fabric
Foam
Snaps
Needle and thread
Scissors
Hot glue gun

In cosplay, you may often find that your foam project requires snaps. Sometimes it’s to fasten foam straps to keep something on. Other times it’s to connect pieces of foam armor to each other, or to the costume beneath.

When it come to adding snaps to fabric, things are pretty easy. You just sew the snaps onto the fabric and they stay nice and secure. Adding snaps to foam can be a bit more tricky.

If you try sewing snaps to foam, the foam will likely tear apart from the strain of pulling when you try to unsnap it. Ultimately it’ll ruin the costume you worked so hard on.

Gluing doesn’t generally work either. Hot glue doesn’t adhere the metal and will peel off the first time you try to unsnap your piece. Extra strength glues may adhere better to the metal, but even if they hold well, the top layer of foam beneath the glue tends to rip off, as it’s a small area with a lot of pressure when being unsnapped.

The alternative? Combine both methods.

By sewing your snaps to a small piece of fabric and then gluing those pieces of fabric to your foam, you give the glue a wider base to adhere to. This make it less likely to tear the foam. The pulling pressure will be spread out over a larger area.

This method also makes it unnecessary to use special glues. A simple hot glue gun will work just fine. Because the fabric the snaps are sewn to is porous and will easily adhere to the foam with a little hot glue. And since the snaps are sewn to the fabric, they will remain secure no matter how many times you snap and unsnap them.

Video tutorial by Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf
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