Gluing fabric or ribbon to walnut shells I've made a series of small crafts in walnut shells and want to turn them into lockets of a sort by gluing a ribbon (or thin strip of cotton fabric) to the outside so I can tie them shut. I'm having trouble getting the glue to work properly, especially with ribbon.
I've tried Mod Podge, which didn't hold at all, and LePage wood glue, which mostly works if I use thin cotton fabric but is flimsy enough that it comes off with a bit of a yank. It's even worse if I try to use a silky ribbon or a piece of lace. Are there better ways to get fabric and walnut shells to bind, or should I just be very careful with them as is? (I know the other option is to attach the ribbon on the inside, but that won't let me secure it closed.)
If the ribbon is polyester or nylon, it will be hard to make a strong bond to it.  Most adhesives will stick a ribbon to something if it's only decorative and won't really get pulled.  You need something more secure if the ribbon is going to serve as a hinge or closure.
If you can use a ribbon made from cotton, lots of glues will make a strong bond.  Even regular PVA glue (e.g., Elmers), should work well.
If you prefer to stick with a polyester or nylon ribbon, at least you won't need a &quot;structural&quot; adhesive (something that makes a bond as strong as the material, itself); a locket won't get &quot;abusive&quot; handling.  So an adhesive like E6000 would probably be strong enough for that purpose.
Another approach would be to create a hinge with a strip of cotton fabric that can be bonded well to the walnut.  The walnut is a curved surface, so a wide hinge won't work (everything but the widest part of the shell will move apart when you open it).  You would need to create something with an &quot;H&quot; shape (turned sideways).  The connector in the middle would be the hinge, located at the widest point of the shell.  The long legs would each go on one half of the shell to provide a longer gluing surface.  Embed the polyester or nylon ribbon tie under the hinge part in the middle so the hinge holds the ribbon in place.  A little glue on the ribbon will provide enough friction so it won't easily pull out.