Hello my crafty friends! How is your day so far?
In today’s post I will show you how I make two tone handles that you can add to any bag. This type of handles is one of my favourite ways to customize my bags and to add just a little bit of character.
To begin this tutorial you will need two pieces of fabric, preferably in different colours. The dimension of the pieces will be determined by the length and the width of the handles you want to make. Before cutting you need to also decide which fabric / colour will be the accent – this will be the Top handle which is also the most noticeable. The other fabric / colour will be the Bottom handle.
Lets do some calculations now to find the correct size of each handle pieces. Hope you like math 🙂
Finished handle length = A by handle width = B
Bottom handle: A + seam allowance by B x 2
Top handle: A + seam allowance by (B x 2) – 8 mm
Example: handle length 30 cm by handle width 2.5 cm
Bottom handle: 32 cm by 5 cm
Top handle 32 cm by 4.2 cm
Cut out both pieces based on your calculation x 2. When working with a lightweight fabric you might want to stabilize it first by fusing some woven interfacing to the wrong side.
Sewing the handles
On the wrong side of the Top handle mark a line down the centre.
TIP: Apply a row of a double-sided tape on each side of the line if using Cork, Vinyl, faux leather or other fabric that is difficult to press.
Remove the tape’s cover and fold the long edges towards the line in the middle. Press it flat if you can.
Repeat all steps for the Bottom handle pieces.
TIP: On the Bottom handles apply a row of double-sided tape in the middle of the side with joined edges to help with the next step.
Remove the tape’s cover and line up the Top handles in the centre of the Bottom Handle, enclosing all raw edges. (Bottom handle is slightly wider so you should have about 3 mm showing on each side of the Top handle.)
Use clips to hold it in place.
With Top handle facing up, topstitch along both sides near the folded edges.
Attach both handles as per bag instruction.
As you can see it is super easy to make these fun bag handles and a great way to use up some of your fabric scraps.
If you prefer both sides of the handle to have the same width just cut the Top handle exactly the same size as the Bottom handle and repeat all steps.
What is your favourite way to sew bag handles?
Monika xxx
