One of the simplest and easiest gimmicks to make is the elastic band gimmick.

There's not much to it beyond a few stitches here and there, and they'll practically be ready to use.

First, let's go over what you'll need.

Required Skill:

Basic sewing skills (and you don't even need to be perfect at it).

Materials:

1.5cm sewing elastic (60 cents) and 3cm (60 cents)

Needle and black thread (which I already had on hand).

Contact cement (I had some on hand, but it typically runs about 3€).

A safety pin (for each gimmick)

I spent less than 5 euros on all the materials and can make about 7 gimmicks.

Pro Tip: I have leftover 1.5cm elastic. If I bought another 3cm piece (which would be 60 cents more), I could double the number of gimmicks I make and still keep the total under 5€. Even if I had to buy every single item, I'd probably only spend around 6€ to make 14 gimmicks.

Once you have everything, all that's left is to get going!

We'll cut the 3cm elastic to about 16.5cm in length, and the 1.5cm elastic to about 13.5cm.

On one side of the 3cm elastic, apply contact cement and let it "set" for about a minute.

Then, attach the 1.5cm piece. Press down firmly to ensure it adheres well.

Now, carefully sew the pieces together, being extra cautious not to shift the elastic bands as you start.

The contact cement will help a lot, and it will also prevent the elastic from fraying.

It should look something like this:

Repeat the contact cement process.

Glue the other side, press firmly to ensure the contact cement bonds it well, and then finish it off with some stitching.

Now we just need to repeat the process for the securing elastic.

Glue and sew.

Once all that's done, I recommend letting it sit for a few hours for the cement to fully cure, though you could probably use it right away.

And here's how it looks.

I hope this is helpful, and be careful with that needle! 😊

Cheers and happy magic!!!