When sewing SHOULDER bags, when I have to make the straps, I pay attention to these aspects: the width of the strap and the material it is made of.
Width of strap
The width of the strap is a matter of preference, but what I know for sure is that a too narrow strap will hurt your shoulder and a too wide strap is even more uncomfortable- the bag will fall from your shoulder. So if you have a comfortable bag, you should measure its straps and use that width. Usually my straps are 1 1/4” or 1” wide.
Materials for straps
Usually for straps we use the same fabric used for the exterior of the bag, reinforced with batting or foam or other type of interfacing.
We can also use faux leather/vinyl for straps. See below a tutorial.
Faux Leather Straps Tutorial
Webbing is also used for straps; the cotton webbing is perfect as is but you can embellish it with strips of the fabric used for the exterior bag and make pretty and strong straps in no time.
See below a tutorial.
How to sew webbing straps
But cotton webbing is not available everywhere (I can buy it only online); also, it is not cheap. The synthetic webbing (nylon, polyester, polypropylene) is easily available and cheaper. But the downside is that due to its slippery surface, the bag will fall from your shoulder. But you can still use this webbing, if you apply a little trick: cover it with cotton fabric.
I am working on a new bag and here is how I made the straps.
You have to measure the width of your webbing and cut cotton fabric in this width: 4 x width of webbing + a little more for the thickness of the webbing; it could be 1/4” or 3/8” or even 1/2”.
My webbing is about 1 1/8” wide so I cut my fabric 4 1/2”. Make a test first, cut a small piece of fabric, fold it as below and make sure it is wide enough to comfortably cover the webbing.
Fold and press the fabric then sandwich the webbing between the layers as shown in these pictures.
Sew close to the edges and voila – super strong straps, covered in your desired fabric!
I hope this helps!
Thank you for these very helpful tips, I find all your tips very useful.
What wonderful tips! Thank you so much. Looking forward to making several bags with my granddaughter.
Thanks so much for the instructions and tips on how to make the webbing handles these are what I’m making to go on my bags that I’m making for my Wedding party ect bridesmaids Matron of honours