Tutorial: No-Sew pacifier clips for ring-style pacifiers

Ahhh, the pacifier.  Colloquially referred to as the "pluggie" in my home, it is my saving grace with Bug.  Because of his reflux, he has a constant desire to suckle.  The sucking action actually helps to calm the reflux a bit, so it's more than just psychological.

In order for me to satisfy his need and not have him attached to my boob 24/7 (which, while wonderful for bonding, is not wonderful for trying to manage a household and a four year old.) we have many, many pluggies.  I was incredibly annoyed with how easily they became misplaced, dirty, in the dog's mouth, in the cat's paws, in my pocket, bottom of the diaper bag, under his bum in the car seat, etc. and decided to look into the whole "pacifier clip" phenomenon.  Holy Cow, those durn things are expensive!  Well, the ones that aren't made out of plastic are, anyway.

In a fit of exasperation while walking around walmart at 2 AM, I decided I was going to make my own.  Now you can, too!  Materials total came to <$15 after tax for four (4) paci holders.  Compared to $6-$10 a pop otherwise, I don't think that's too shabby.

On to the fun part!

Your materials are as follows:

Suspender clips, they come two to a package for $2.42.  I used two packages.  Your needs may vary.

Please forgive that there's only a photo of the packaging - I didn't think to make this into a tutorial until I was part-way through the project.   Now, if you decide to do this with some forethought, you could probably hit up your local goodwill or thrift store and find a pair of used suspenders for a dollar or less.  The suspenders themselves don't matter, as you'll be cutting the elastic off the clips anyway.  (Note, these suspender clips did come with a two inch piece of elastic attached - just snip the clips out of the elastic and discard.)

Straight pins.  I had these already, but I believe you can get something like 100 for $1.00.  These are factored into the total cost of the project.

E-6000 epoxy glue.  This stuff is so awesome, there just aren't words that adequately describe my love for it.  Please note:  Fumes are strong and can cause headaches and dizziness. Please use in an adequately ventilated area.  As per the manufacturer's help line, E-6000 is completely non-toxic and non-flammable when dry, so it is safe for use on children's toys and garments, as well as pet products.  Cost of 2 oz. tube is $2.97.

5/8" ribbon.  There's an entire aisle of Wal-Mart dedicated to ribbon.  9' spool for $1.98.

3 mm velcro taping.  $2.97 for 2'.

Okay, now that you have your visual on the materials, on to the exciting part!

Fabricating the Pacifier Clips:

 First, cut your ribbon to your desired length.  I used eight inches, personally.  You must be careful not to make them too long, as an excess of length could pose a strangulation hazard.  Make sure your cut is clean - you're going to be ensuring there's no fraying without sewing, but you don't want any frays present when that happens.

Once you've cut your desired length of ribbon, thread it through the suspender clips about 1/4" and fold over.  Pin it horizontally, as shown.

Once pinned, flip the flap up and apply a thin line of E-6000 glue.  Being careful to avoid getting the glue on your skin, gently press the edge of the ribbon down into the glue.  I like to use the ball head of another pin to do this.  In the process, spread some of the glue that has oozed out from under the ribbon flap back on to the top of the ribbon, as shown above.

Now, repeat the pinning/folding/gluing process at the other end of the ribbon.

At this point, I recommend getting up and getting a snack, starting dinner, or taking a nap.  You want to let that glue set up for about two hours before you proceed any further.

Okay, so now that your glue is dry, you want to cut your pieces of velcro.  These will serve to anchor the pacifier securely to the clip itself.  I find it easiest to join the velcro before cutting it, but it's not necessary.

The pieces above are approximately 3/4".

 Now separate the pieces of velcro and apply a medium-thin line of glue to the back (non furry or non-scratchy) side of each piece.  You're going to want to leave a bit of space at each end to avoid oozing.

With the glued edges of your ribbon still facing up, apply your velcro.  At the end, leave just a fraction of ribbon ahead of your velcro, but make sure whichever piece you put at the end covers the glued edge.  About 3/4" away from the inside end of that piece of velcro, put your other piece.  You want it to be able to accommodate all ring pacifiers, some of which can have a ring with a 1/2" width.

Now, once I had glued down my first pieces of velcro, I realized that I really didn't like how long my pieces were, so I trimmed them.  The three to the left are the final length, with the one on the right showing how much I removed.  Once I trimmed the rest of my velcro, I repeated the process from holder #1.

 

Once all of the velcro pieces are glued down, you can call it a day.  The entire project at this point needs approximately 24 hours to cure and dry completely.  Remember, the E-6000 is still considered toxic until fully dry.  Please make sure your project is put someplace out of the reach of naughty paws and sticky fingers!


 








24 hours later, we have the finished product, still facing back-side up.  At this point, slide your ribbon through the ring on the pacifier, fold over, and secure.  Then secure the clip to your babe's clothing or seat.

















Here you see Bug wearing his.  And Smelly Cat.  Smelly Cat,
 however, does not get a pacifier clip, despite his fondness for playing with the pluggies. ;P

Bug really putting my hard work to good use.  Yay, no more lost pluggies!  Happy Baby, Happy Mama, Happy World. :)

Total cost of project:  $12.25 after tax, which breaks down to $3.06 each.  Total time needed: 24 hours including drying time.  Total amount of Awesomeness:  Inestimable. :)

Enjoy!