Lined purse straps take a little more effort to make than standard straps, but I think they definitely add a professional finish to all your handmade bags and purses. In this tutorial I’m going to show you how to make a lined purse strap using Craft Fuse.
There is special interfacing available called Create-A-Strap Interfacing by Nancy Zieman that makes it really easy to make lined purse straps, but buying this type of specialized stabilizer gets kind of expense when you make a lot of purse straps, so I’ve modified the idea to use instead Craft-Fuse which is a medium weight fusible interfacing that will help the strap to hold its shape. It’s also much less expensive. This is how I do.
What You Need
- Fabric in two coordinating or contrasting colors
- Craft Fuse Fusible Interfacing
- Stitch Witchery fusible web tape or Wonder-Under fusible web tape
Instructions
Note: This tutorial is for a 1″ finished width purse strap. You can adjust the measurements to suit your needs.
Cut the main strap fabric and a piece of fusible interfacing at 2″ wide by the length of your strap.
Cut your strap lining fabric and a piece of fusible interfacing at 1-1/2″ wide by the length of your strap.
Fuse the interfacing to the fabric strips.
With the interfacing side facing up, use a hera marker or similar marking tool, and make a crease 1/2″ from the edge on either side of the main strap, and 3/8″ from the edge on either side of the strap lining. You can see in the photo below right, how the hera marker makes visible crease marks. If you’re not sure what a hera marker is, you can find out how to use a hera marker here.
Place a length of Stitch Witchery fusible web tape or Wonder-Under fusible web tape down the center of the main strap. It’s a little difficult to see in the photo, but it’s there 😉
Fold over the creased edges of the strap and fuse in place with an iron. This is much easier than trying to pin it in place.
Fold the creased edges of the strap lining and pin in place down the center of the main strap. I don’t usually use the stitch witchery to fuse the strap lining; it doesn’t seem necessary.
Stitch the strap lining to the main strap close to the edge on each side. I like to use a stitch-in-the-ditch sewing machine foot because it has a metal guide in the center which makes it easy to keep the strap lining positioned properly.
And there it is, a beautifully lined purse strap! And so easy to make!
