Special events designer Shane Nelsen of Sew What Inc. announced that the company is the exclusive California distributor of EasyKlips, a simple yet innovative tool from Europe. Each EasyKlip, which is constructed of glass-fiber reinforced Nylon, provides up to 220lbs of gripping power for virtually any fabric. The clips provide an instant fixing point where and when you want it, and it works on velour, vinyl, scrim, muslin, and meshes.

Sew What Inc. recently used the EasyKlips to transform a San Diego airplane hanger into a bright and blazing events theatre for Rick Doten Productions. The core of the "Fire," Doten¹s vision for the project, was 2,000 yards of scintillating red fabric, hung from the ceiling for a dramatic effect.

The fabric was heavy and difficult to hang in the correct position from motorized trusses high above the hangar floor. "Unlike a conventional ceiling treatment, there was no structure to actually measure," says Nelsen, discussing the project’s challenges. "While we were sure of the overall dimensions of the outer perimeter of the trusses that would be installed, the concern was the height and positioning of the center pick point. A variance of just a few inches would prove devastating to the measurements of each and every fabric length that was to radiate from the center to the outer edge.”

For the "Fire" project, EasyKlip provided Nelsen and his Sew What team "a flexible and strong method of gripping heavy runs of fabric while on site." With EasyKlip, there is no need for marking and measuring, reducing the time and money spent on labor. Nelson employed the EasyKlips to help his crew complete the entire ceiling treatment in San Diego in a single day.

Nelsen also employed EasyKlips to suspend a 100’ by 40’ continuous ceiling treatment in the awards tents at the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City. The clips are also used to temporarily shorten rental drapes, and adjust backdrop heights. Says Nelsen, "It has revolutionized the way we install ceiling treatments. To be honest, you can¹t find a more versatile component."