Hey all! I need some help! I want to sewn this into a garment but I only want the snap button to be exposed the the outer edge outside of where I marked green, to be sewn behind the fabric. This would need a hole for the inner section of the green to protrude out. Any suggestions on best way to do this?
I use a hollow punch and then go over the edges with a lighter. It's not the nicest looking finish but it's cheap and easy. The punch has trouble with particularly tough fabrics, but it does fine with lighter weight xpacs, ecopacs, corduras, etc.
The best method depends on the type of fabric and the size of snap. If it's a synthetic performance fabric that will melt, then using the already mentioned soldering iron technique, but use a round tip to create a round hole. Smaller snaps may just need a light touch, but larger ones or whopper poppers may need a bit of finessing to get a big enough hole. Be careful not to create a fat melted bead that will push the snaps apart.
If it's a natural fiber that doesn't melt, put a dab of fray chek where the hole is to go, and then once it's dry, use a hole punch to create the hole. If there are areas that didn't get Fray Cheked, pour a small puddle onto some scrap paper and use the tip of a pin or a sharp corner of some card stock to dab it around the edges of the hole.
A couple of things to watch out for: the length of the male and female parts of the snap are designed to have the strongest holding power when they are just sewn on. Depending on the thickness of the fabric you want to use to cover them, it may make the snaps sit too far apart to hold securely. Be sure to do some test samples first.
Also, if you're sewing the snaps onto a foundation layer underneath, you'll need to make sure that the hole in the fabric doesn't shift too far from the hole in the snap. It's more of an issue with the female side of the snap.
One more finesse tip, when sewing on snaps, especially wimpy ones sewn with thick nylon thread, I often sew one side orienting the holes vertically / horizontally and the other side, the holes are diagonally. That way, the holes are offset, and they nest in between, but the build-up of thread at the holes doesn't push the snaps ever so slightly apart. It's less of an issue with strong snaps, but it can help with wimpy ones or if there's fabric in between.
Since you described this as being on a garment, do you have a specific application in mind? Because the range of fabrics in garments is so much more varied than in packs, the material that you're working with could significantly change how you want to go about this. The majority of stuff being made in this sub is bags so a lot of the answers given may not be suitable if for example you're working with fleece or a knit fabric.
I have some suggestions to offer, but it really all depends on the fabric.
The fabric is 160 GSM nylon fabric. It has a feel that is kinda like ripstop
If it's like ripstop I'm going to assume it's a woven fabric vs a knit (more stable and less prone to unravelling).
I'd probably test this with scraps before trying on your final piece, but my low effort option would be to draw the circle you need on the back side, cut like a pizza across the circle with scissors or a sharp blade staying juuuust shy of the line, and then insert the fitting backwards (from front to back) to test the size of the hole. You can press the little wedges of fabric back and try to crease the fabric so it holds that circle shape then take the snap out and reinsert it the right way and sew your topstitch. Sewing should capture the wedges of fabric and stabilize it, cutting slightly shy of the line should prevent any of your cut from being exposed because the snap has to stretch the fabric slightly to fit.
You could add to this process by applying a little wash away glue to the backside before cutting, then the wedges could be folded back and stuck down and you'd be guaranteed they'd stay in place until it was sewn.
If the fabric seemed not stable enough, and too prone to fraying, I'd add a step before cutting.
Cut out a lighter piece of fabric to the size and shape of the snap (the sewable base, not the part that shows through). Draw the circle on that piece, sized to the hole you want. Place the small piece on top of the main fabric, right side to right side, and sew along the circle you drew (make sure the two pieces are pinned or taped together so they don't shift while sewing). THEN cut your pizza slice pattern staying just inside the seam you just sewed. Then fold the entirety of the lighter fabric through the hole and press it flat on the backside. Then insert your snap and topstitch.
Basically it's like doing an inset pocket or zipper. The second piece of fabric covers the raw edges from the backside and the seam prevents your face fabric from unraveling where you cut for the hole.
Cricut makers can also cut precisely and are probably more easily obtained
Alternatively, might think about sewing it on, then cutting out a round patch with a spot in the middle and sewing it over the snap. Would give a clean look and you wouldn't have to worry about the cut in the base fabric fraying or elongating.
I have one tested method and three proposals for you:
Independent of the method of your choice I strongly suggest to try with a test piece first.