How to Install Strap Keepers - A Hardware Installation Tutorial

Wondering how to keep those long straps under control or add a polished look to your handmade bags? We’ve got you covered! Emmaline Bags Strap Keepers are the answer, and we are going to show you just how easy these are to add to your next bag.

Supplies:

-Emmaline Bags Strap keepers

-scraps of peltex and fusible fleece

-a marking pen

-locktite or a strong glue like E6000  

-a small screw driver

-fray check or a similar fray blocking agent

-a size 2 punch

-a hammer or mallet

-a ruler

When do you install? We are going to install these once you have completed your exterior bag panels, before you sew your exterior together.

Ready? Gather your supplies and determine where you want to place your strap keepers.

Once you've decided on placement, measure and carefully mark a line under both straps to make sure you get them placed at the same point on each panel, no one wants crooked bling!

Double check to ensure you are level and if you are satisfied with your placement, take the washer that is included with the keeper and place it over the line you made.

Using your marking pen, mark the holes in the washer clearly.

Now go to a hard surface (think concrete floor with a wooden cutting board underneath), grab your punch and mallet and making sure you are aligned with the marks for the holes you made, give it several whacks.

Repeat for all the hole marks to punch a total of 8 holes.

Once you have all the holes punched grab your fray check and dab it thoroughly on the holes in your panel.

While that is drying, cut 4 small strips of peltex to be slightly larger than your washers. Using your washers, mark the spots for the holes on each strip on peltex.  

Use your punch to cut the holes or make a slit through the marks in the peltex.

Now we are ready to install your strap keepers! Put a small piece of masking tape on the front of your keepers to protect them from getting scratched while we do this.

Place the keeper with the holes facing up onto your work surface and carefully place your bag panel on top (wrong side facing up). Bonus...the masking tape can help hold your keepers in place while you work.

Place your strip of peltex and then your washer over your panel aligning the holes.

This is a good time to add a dab of locktite into the holes in the strap keeper, you can use some E6000 and apply it carefully with a pin if you are in a pinch,  but that can get messy fast.

Carefully screw in your first screw, but don't tighten it all the way yet! (Sometimes the keeper may wiggle a bit when you put that first screw in, so leave yourself a bit of wiggle room before tightening it in so you can get the second one in easily). If you have to, once the first screw is in, adjust the keeper to align with your second hole and then install the second screw. Once both screws are in place, then tighten both screws securely.

And you’ve installed your strap keeper! Repeat with the remaining 3 keepers and finish your bag as you normally would. Once your bag is done just slide your straps into your keepers and you are all done! Remember to keep that masking tape on the keepers until you finish constructing your bag to keep them from getting scratched. How easy was that?

Do you want to see more bag making tutorials? Go here!

----------- 

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 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/or with Emmaline hardware in our facebook group Emmaline Sewing Patterns Group, or on instagram with the hashtags #emmalinehardware, #emmalinepatterns, #emmalinebags, or tag us @emmalinebags.