Originally Posted by key4unc

I haven't heard (or read) of anything you can use to replace the metal tape. The metal tape is really cheap though. I bought a 25' 1" wide metal tape measure for about $5 at the local hardware store. Since I cut at most 10" (and I need 2 for each bag), I can get 15 bags from this. If you remember what the alternative is, please let me know.

Edit: Using my favorite search engine, I found one alternative--plastic 1" mini-blind slats. I dont' know where you could buy these though. Also, make sure they'll bend without breaking. If you have a local business that specializes in custom mini-blinds, you might be able to get their discards for free. If you have to pay for it, just make sure you compare the costs. I figured the cost using the metal tape measure is about 33cents/bag. I'm sure I spend more than 33cents/bag on thread, so this is the cheapest part of the bag for me.