Recently I invited Liz Schaffner from Moments to do a guest post for me, on making straps, since her straps always look so darn perfect! LOL I must admit to being tickled pink that she accepted as she has such a beaut sense of humour and her blog posts are always such FUN to read! 🙂 So it is with great pleasure I hand this post over to Liz:

Liz Schaffner
I have had a few people
ask me how I get my purse straps so straight and even…I will admit it ….I
cheat !!

In Germany we have this
product called Vlieseline Bundfix .. ( I don’t know if you have it in
other countries??) It is used for the waistband in skirts & pants. I love
it since it is “idiot” proof…

Vlieseline Bundfix

Vlieseline Bundfix

I iron it on my fabric ….( ignore the yellow
edges…yes I scorched it !)

Attaching the Vlieseline Bundfix
It comes perforated so you know exactly where to
fold….iron the short sides in…..

Fold in the sides

then iron along the middle line….

Iron in Half
viola …a perfectly folded strap !!!

Top stitch, first along
the open edge…

Topstitch
then along the folded
edge…

More Topstitching
…a perfect
strap…fast & easy !!!

Perfect Strap!

Now that you have a
perfect strap…comes the hard part…deciding how to attach it to your purse.

Normally we sew the
strap to the side of the purse…but once in a while we have to get more
creative.

If my fabric is to
thick… I will attach my strap to the side of the bag…like I did on my messenger bag …this avoids the super thick seam and
needle breakage ( I do use #100 jean needles but even they have their limit !)

Attaching the Strap
Or you can add the
straps to the front of the bag like I did on my Paris
bag
 ??

Paris Bag Straps
When I don’t have the
right side rings…I improvise…these are curtain rings….would you have know
if I hadn’t of told you ???

Curtain ring for the strap!

You don’t always have to use what the pattern
calls for…for example….Christine used these cool oval Eyelets on her Lombard Street iPad Bag pattern.

The Lombard Street Bag by ChrisW Designs
Since I couldn’t find them ….that didn’t
stop me from making the bag…(Actually I begged Christine to let me test
the pattern but don’t tell anyone I told you …its our little secret!) I ended
up making a tab & an adjustable strap. 

Adjustable Straps
Needless to say I am very happy with how it
turned out !

( I use Christine’s Tutorial for an adjustable strap)

Finished Straps

I hope you liked my little tutorial on how I
make my straps…and hopefully I have inspired you to try different things.

Hugs,
Liz's Signature

Thank you for sharing how you make your straps with us Liz….I just HAVE to get some of that stuff! LOL

Liz tells me it comes in different sizes, being 25, 30, 35 mm finished size…in white &
black! Having done a quick internet search from what I can see, it’s called “Vilene Waist Shaper” here (Australia) BUT I have yet to look to see if I can actually get it! LOL Does anybody else know of it or use it? Or have any other nifty tricks to share for making great straps? Please let us know in the comments below!

Christine

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41 Comments

  1. Hi Christene,
    BirchHaby have a similar product (sold under the Birch brand) called Interfacing Waistband 35mm. Its on the wholesale site so I guess its a case of finding a retailer with it.
    M

  2. I’ve used something similar before, but I don’t think it had the slots. I do remember that it wasn’t a great product for waistbands, but it would sure be good for straps! Perfect!
    I enjoyed this post. I love how some people, such as you and Liz, have the ability to bring humor through in your writing. It makes you very relatable and also makes your writing fun to read.

  3. Over here in the U.K. it is available as Vilene Fold-a-Band (Bundfix)from minervacrafts.com or Vilene Fuse and Fold from jaycotts.co.uk or there’s Foldaband iron-on waistband from macculloch-wallis.co.uk. in 25mm, 30mm or 36 mm widths!
    Thanks for the idea, I used some from a vintage free sample pack once, as I had run out of my usual iron-on interfacing. It was too wide and I cut it so size but never thought of buying it new in the right width! Duh!

  4. Hi
    Thank you for the great tutorial for straps, Liz.
    Yours looks always fine and now we know the secret.:o)
    We can get it here in Denmark too.
    Fuse and fold Bundfix.
    Hugs Ingrid
    Samsø

  5. Great tutorial and product find. So I got myself to search because I thought I’ve seen something similar. Found that in the United States there is a similar product by Clover on their Nancy Zieman line and is called Create a Strap. It also comes in different sizes.

  6. Great tutorial! Love learning new tips. Not only do they help you make professional looking straps but I love the thought of not having long strips of interfacing being cut from my stash and leaving behind interfacing that is not wide enough to cut pattern pieces from. Thanks Liz and Christine.

  7. LOLLL actually being in Aus I miss out on a lot of COOL products too….either that or have to pay exorbitant shipping costs to get it….which I sometimes do if I am desperate! LOLLLLL

  8. Lucky you Anna….I haven’t been to Germany since I was almost 8…..a very LONG time ago! Somehow I don’t think hubby will see this as a good enough reason for me to mortgage the house for a plane ticket…………unless I make it one way? LOLL

  9. Спасибо.мне очень понравилось.Это пригодится.Очень понятно.Спасибо!

  10. Thank you so much! I recently bought a purse that had a ‘matching’ little purse inside… so you could quickly go from larger bag to small. Wouldn’t you know — I LOST the strap to the smaller bag….. But now, I can make one… maybe not in leather — but hey — at least I can make it in something that matches and then I can USE THE LITTLE BAG instead of just feeling bad about it.
    You made my day!

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