'Faux piped' handles. Suitcase handle. Over the last few weeks, I have been working my way through the Sidekick Mini Suitcase pattern, sharing any extra tips that didn’t make it into the pattern directions, and answering questions.
The printable pattern and complete directions for the suitcase are available for purchase here. Today in the sew-along, we make the suitcase handle! This method of strap-making is a mash-up of techniques a la Amy Butler and The June Bride. No frustrating tube turning, or ugly lumpy corners here. Make Vinyl/Leather Look Handbag Straps. How awesome do these faux leather vinyl handbag straps look?
If you want to make some great leather look straps from vinyl that don't show raw edges and messy threads, keep on reading because I can show you how. They are super easy to make and they turn out so good. I must say, I'm loving them. Recently, I took one of my bags down to the local quilting shop and the ladies working there marveled over my handles and thought they were real leather. If it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn here, I apologize, but I guess I am! A few months ago I was making a handbag from a pattern that called for premade leather straps, and after looking around, I found that they were either really cheap looking, really expensive or available only by order and had a huge wait for delivery.
Finding the right vinyl is key, because with the wrong stuff you won't have that great leather look and it will be really hard to sew. Let's get started: Materials: Teflon Presser Foot Upholsery/heavy duty thread 3. Leather straps for purses. I really like to experiment a lot in bag making.I am bored of the plain straps,so I made these chic straps for my new purse & clicked pics so I could belt out a quick tutorial :) Here is what we are going to make.
Isn't it yummy looking:) For this you have to first cut strips from your leather/faux leather/rexin or whatever material you choose.The dimensions are 5" wide by whatever length you want.I have used 20".So cut 2 strips of 5" by desired length. Draw a line on the wrong side in the center of the strip lengthwise like this.Ummm.............OK the line is really faint but I hope you got the point,if not I am here:) Now fold one side lengthwise (wrong side together) so it touches the line in the center & sew. A tutorial on Pleather/Vinyl straps. I have discovered pleather/vinyl (P/V) to be a less expensive and greener alternative to leather.
This tutorial will show you how to sew a leather looking strap with a tri-fold method that I developed myself. Find the right materials that will work for sewing straps. If the is P/V semi-easy to fold, and the texture looks like leather, then it will work. Always buy more than you think you will need. Keep in mind the kind of pleather that is really thin. Use a Teflon foot (so the p/v will not stick), and a 110/100 needle (topstitch, leather, or jean). Another option if you do not have a Teflon foot is to stick a piece of matte Scotch tape on the bottom of your presser foot. When cutting p/v, it is necessary to start with a straight cut across the entire width. I cut my straps in measurements of three. PREP FOR SEWING: I recommend using 100% cotton quilting thread for sewing on P/V. With the 1.5" marking on the left side, fold the right edge of the p/v over to the 1.5" line.
Ch 3A: Open-Ended Straps. Ch 3B: Closed-Ended Straps. In the previous post, we discussed open-ended straps and how they attached to bags.
Today's post is all about closed-ended straps. Closed or finished straps have ends that are completely sewn up so there are no exposed raw edges. These finished ends do not have to be inserted into seams; they can be attached to bags in other ways. We will deconstruct four kinds of closed straps - The Simple Free StrapThe Adjustable Slide-and-Buckle StrapThe Corded Rouleau StrapThe Truly Reversible Integrated Loop Strap. Shudder. 1 The Simple Free Strap This strap is literally free-standing. Here is a method for making a closed strap with rounded ends. Both strap pieces are placed with their RS together and stitched around the perimeter of the interfacing, leaving most of one long side unsewn. And the entire strap turned RS out through that huge opening.
Here are some other similar straps showing this edgestitching. but it can also be buttoned directly on to the fabric of the bag. The finished closed end: How To Create Adjustable Straps If you’ve just picked up your Cooper pattern and want to make straps for the messenger bag or backpack, but have never worked with webbing before, this step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the process of creating adjustable straps.
You can use this technique for any type of adjustable strap with a slider… even bras! To make these straps, you will need some cotton webbing (you can also use nylon, or make your own straps in self fabric) and two slides for each strap. The messenger bag (version 1) needs 2 slides, and the backpack needs 4 slides.