How to Attach "Long John" Strap Anchors: A Hardware Installation Tutorial

Hello Bag Makers! If you are here because you bought some of our Long John strap anchors, or downloaded our free handbag pattern "Miss Maggie's Handbag", and need some installation tips, this tutorial is going to be exactly what you need to get those big, shiny, blingy gems attached firmly to your bag. Cyndi has written up an very helpful to tutorial for you: 

Hello lovelies! I'm excited to be sharing a quick tutorial on how to use the Emmaline Long John strap anchors on your next bag. Not only do these strap anchors make your bag look professional they are super easy to install and take less time than you would spend making strap tabs for your bag. After using the strap anchors in a few bags I really don't want to go bag to making strap tabs. 

Emmaline Bags "Long John" Strap Anchors

All you need is your Long John hardware and a few supplies:

• an awl or leather punch
• a mini Phillips head screw driver
• a marking pen
• Fray Check or Fray Stop
• your favorite glue (I like e6000)
• a small sharp pair of scissors 

(Optional but super helpful) Once you've gathered your supplies, 

download your Long John installation template here.

Tip: Make sure you print it from Adobe Reader "Actual Size"

The Strap Anchors are attached to the exterior of your bag before adding the lining. Add them to your exterior panel before sewing any side seams so you have a nice flat panel to work with. The anchors are secured by screws but you will need to make sure that you have properly interfaced your fabric. Depending on the size of your bag, and the weight of your fabric a good foam stabilizer, or a combination of shape flex 101 and a fusible fleece will work nicely.

Make sure that you leave the protective plastic on your hardware until your bag is completed, if you were super excited to see your hardware and removed it before reading this warning, then just add a strip of masking tape to keep your shiny hardware protected.

Once you have a completed exterior bag panel. You can use the provided template to mark the holes for the anchors or decide upon your placement using the included backing washers.

You will be marking 6 holes for each anchor on the wrong side of your fabric.

Once you are happy with your placement, use your awl or hole punch at your marked spots. Be careful that you are going into your fabric at 90 degree angle. Especially with layers of interfacing, a small shift could cause your holes to be misaligned. You need to make holes just big enough to get your pins on the anchors and screws through. Start small, you can always take a bit more out but you can’t put it back!

Once you have your holes punched, note that the center hole of each section will be where the screws are going in. Grab your long washers align them with your holes and insert the screws. You may need to get those scissors and cut a few TINY snips to get those screws through, your screws will be going in through the wrong side of the fabric so check to make sure you aren't causing any snags on the right side as you push them through. (Note: Those screws are tiny, so work on one anchor at a time, or you might spend more time trying to find the missing screw than you did sewing your bag...not that I know anything about that).

Once you are sure the screws will fit through the holes, remove them and add a drop of fray check to each hole. (Hint: I've got it on authority that sometimes fray check discolours the fabric, but in this case the area will be covered so just be sure to not use too much).

Place your anchor wrong side down add a couple dabs of glue to the backs of the anchors around the pins to keep things from shifting. Now, grab your panel and place it carefully over your anchor, check for fit and adjust as needed. Add a couple dabs of glue to the back sides of your washers to keep them secure. Once you have everything lined, get your screwdriver and secure your screws (righty tighty, lefty loosey).

That’s it, easy peasy! Now repeat to attach the remaining anchors and admire your new fancy exterior panel. The wrong side of your panel will look like this:



But your right side will look like this:

Sew up your bag as normal and admire your fancy new bag.

I am in love with tassels right now, and they pair so well with the hardware! You can pick up the hardware to make them from Emmaline here and the tutorial that I followed here.

Once you use these and the other strap anchors that Emmaline has to offer, you will be a convert! No more fussy strap tabs, these are so much easier and oh so pretty!

Happy Sewing!

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Photos and content provided and written for Emmaline Bags by Cyndi Farfsing, from The Nosy Pepper. Cyndi's blog is chock is full of more bag photos and make making tips. Check out her recent bag series "It's in the Bag! Better Bag Making Series," to learn a ton of new bag making skills.

Share your projects made from Emmaline patterns and hardware in our facebook group Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group, or on instagram with the hashtags #emmalinehardware, #emmalinepatterns, or tag us @emmalinebags.

Emmaline Bags "Long John" Strap Anchors in Gold.