How to Attach Strap Anchors - A Hardware Installation Tutorial

Hey Bag Makers! We've got some great new strap attachments in the hardware shop at emmalinebags.com, and Cyndi from The Nosy Pepper is going to run you through this easy tutorial so you can see how easy they are to apply. The strap anchors come in either shiny nickel or gold finish and are available on our website: HERE

How to Attach our Edgwena Strap Anchors

The Edgwena Strap Anchors are a great way to add some bling to your bag and are super easy to install. Sew up your bag as you normally would (minus adding the straps of course) and install the strap anchors at the very end of making your bag. Normally, adding new pieces of hardware at the end stresses me out, but these are so super easy to install. So much easier and quicker than having to add fabric tabs to your bag.

Important: make sure that you reinforce the area that you will be attaching your strap anchors to. I used flex foam on the exterior of the bag, which gives a bit of support (and bulk) so I just added a few layers of woven interfacing on the lining side of my bag. If you plan on only using fabric without any kind of stabilizer, consider adding some peltex to give the screws something to bite into without adding stress to your pretty fabric.

Once you have completed your exterior, gather your Edgwena Strap Anchors, the itty bitty screws, some fray check, a marking pen and a small Phillips screwdriver (I used one that came to change batteries in toys).

Mark where you want your Edgewenas to sit on the top of your bag:

The easiest way is to find your centre point of the bag top and then measure away to both the left and right of centre. Once you are happy with your placement, use your marking pen to mark where you want them:

Now the fun part. Slide your Edgwenas on and make a mark to denote the screw holes on the lining side of your bag:

Once you have marked your fabric, get your awl out and punch through the lining fabric and into the stabilizer below (***be careful you don't punch all the way through to the exterior, you don't need to go that far***) Add a drop of fray check into your holes.

 

Once you have your “pilot hole” slip your Edgwena back on and grab your screw driver and your baby screws. Those buggers are slippery so I found out the best way is to just grab one out of the bag at a time (don't make the same mistake I did!)

Go slowly, these tiny screws strip out really easily. It's easier if you start to screw it in a couple turns then slide it back on your bag, taking care to line the hardware up with your “pilot holes”. They have to be set in just so or else they cause you to want to say bad things as you unscrew them for the fourth time.

Now that your Edgwenas are all in place, we need to make some straps!

I made 1” wide straps, but ¾” would also work nicely. Go through the tedious process of fusing, pressing and stitching your straps:

Once they are done, just attach them through Edgewena’s loop and stitch them down like you would any with any other ring.

And you're all done! Easy peasy and so much quicker than making strap tabs. They look so professional and add a class to any bag.

Here's my gorgeous new cork bag with it's lovely straps, and seriously, this took no time at all.

We'd love to see the beautiful and imaginative ways you have used your Edgwena Strap Anchors too! Please share your photos in our facebook group "Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group", as well as tag us on instagram with @emmalinebags and hashtags #emmalinehardware #emmalinebags. We love to see your work!

Thank you for reading,

Janelle & Cyndi