How to Cover a Bag Strap Using (Almost) No Pins

Fabric stores sell strap material, known as webbing, in a variety of colors, but rarely will their colors match your fabric perfectly.  Synthetic strapping, which is usually available in more color varieties, is also slippery and has a surprisingly rough edge.  The solution is simple: Cover your strap in matching fabric.

But when you're making a long strap, the process of pinning the fabric in place can be frustrating.  So, over the past year, as I made straps for the shoulder bags I sell on Etsy, I've perfected a method for covering the webbing tightly and with as little pinning as possible.  In fact, it only requires three or four pins.

You Will Need:

Cotton or synthetic webbing cut to the length needed for your project.
Fabric in the color of your choice.
Iron and ironing board
Sewing machine and thread
Fabric scissors
3 or 4 pins
Pencil
Paper
Tape
Paper scissors

Step 1: Cut your fabric

Cut your fabric into a long strip that will wrap around the webbing. 

For the width, double the width of your webbing and add about an 1-1/16". For this tutorial, I'm using 1-1/4" webbing and a fabric piece that's 3-9/16" wide.  It needs to be about 2 inches longer than your webbing.

For best results, make a pattern and cut it out.  Your pattern is basically a long rectangle.  I've attached a pattern for 1/2", 1", and 1-1/4" webbing in PDF that you can print out and cut it to the length you need.  You can also easily draft your own with a pencil and paper.

If the strap is especially long, you can make your pattern half the length of your final strap, and then either fold the fabric and use the pattern to cut both layers, or cut two pieces and sew them together on one short end.

Comments

[jessyratfink]

Great tutorial! This is a very good idea.