Knitting Tutorial: How to Sew a Strap Onto a Knitted Purse
The Knit in the Womb Blog
There is something deeply satisfying about finishing a knitted purse. You have cast on, worked through row after row, perhaps added a beautiful stitch pattern or a pop of color, and now you are holding a fully formed bag in your hands. But then comes the moment that trips up so many knitters — attaching the strap. Whether you have knitted the strap separately, braided a cord, or purchased a ready-made handle, sewing it onto your finished purse properly can feel intimidating. Do it wrong and your strap twists, sags, or pulls the fabric unevenly. Do it right, and your purse looks polished, professional, and ready to carry.
This tutorial is going to walk you through everything you need to know about how to sew a strap onto a knitted purse — from the tools you will need, to the best attachment methods for different strap types, to the finishing details that take your bag from handmade to heirloom. Whether you are a seasoned knitter who has been avoiding this step or a newer crafter tackling your very first bag project, this guide is written for you.
Why Strap Attachment Matters More Than You Think
Before we get into the how, let us spend a moment on the why. Knitted fabric behaves very differently from woven fabric. It stretches. It has a natural give that makes it wonderful for garments but challenging for structural elements like bag straps. If a strap is not sewn on correctly, the weight of your bag’s contents will gradually pull at those attachment points every single time you pick it up. Over time, stitches loosen, the fabric distorts, and your beautiful purse develops a saggy, lopsided look that no amount of blocking will fix.
The good news is that once you understand the structure of your knitted fabric and use the right technique, a strap sewn on with care will hold up to daily use for years. The goal is to distribute the weight of the strap attachment over as many stitches as possible, rather than relying on a few single stitches to bear all the stress.
What You Will Need
Gathering your materials before you sit down to sew will make the whole process smoother and more enjoyable. Here is what to have on hand.
A tapestry needle or yarn needle. This is a blunt-tipped large needle with an eye wide enough to thread yarn through. The blunt tip is important because it slides between stitches rather than splitting them, which keeps your fabric looking neat. Avoid using sharp embroidery needles for this task.
Yarn that matches your purse. You will use this to sew the strap to the bag. It should ideally be the same yarn you used to knit the purse, or a very close match in color and weight. If your project yarn is particularly bulky or textured and difficult to sew with, try splitting a strand down to a single ply, or use a smooth yarn in the same color family.
Scissors. Sharp embroidery scissors are ideal for trimming yarn ends cleanly after you finish.
Pins or locking stitch markers. These are essential for positioning the strap correctly before you commit to sewing. Locking stitch markers are particularly useful because they hold the strap in place without tangling in your knitting the way regular straight pins can.
Your finished knitted purse and strap. Both pieces should be fully knitted, bound off, and blocked if applicable before you begin. Blocking your pieces first ensures that the fabric is relaxed into its final dimensions, which means your strap attachment will be accurate to how the bag will actually look and sit when it is in use.
An optional lining or stabilizer. If your purse is made from a loosely knitted fabric or a very drapey yarn, consider adding a fabric lining or a small piece of sturdy woven ribbon or twill tape on the inside of the attachment points. This is sewn in by hand and creates a backing that distributes the stress even further. We will cover this in more detail later.
Types of Knitted Purse Straps and How They Affect Attachment
Not all straps are created equal, and the type of strap you are working with will influence the best method for attaching it. Here are the most common options.
An I-cord strap. I-cord is a narrow, tubular knitted cord that you make by knitting on double-pointed needles without turning your work. It is round, firm, and handles beautifully. Because of its structure, i-cord has relatively little stretch along its length, which makes it one of the better strap options for bags. Attaching i-cord involves threading your needle through the tube itself and anchoring it flat against the fabric at either end.
A knitted flat strap. This is a strip of fabric knitted in rows, usually in a simple stitch like garter or seed stitch. Flat straps have more width to work with, which means more surface area for attachment and generally a more secure hold. You will sew around all four edges of the strap end to attach it.
A braided or twisted cord. Some knitters make straps by braiding multiple strands of yarn together into a thick, sturdy cord. These cords are attached similarly to i-cord, with stitches going through and around the cord itself.
A purchased strap or handle. Leather handles, chain straps, bamboo ring handles, and fabric webbing handles can all be sewn or attached to knitted bags. These require slightly different considerations, particularly if they have hardware like D-rings or swivel clasps that attach to the bag rather than being sewn directly.
Preparing Your Pieces for Attachment
Preparation is the step most knitters want to skip, but it makes an enormous difference in the finished result. Take the time to do it properly.
Start by blocking your purse if you have not already. Wet blocking is ideal for natural fiber purses — simply soak the bag in cool water, gently press out the excess moisture without wringing, and lay it flat to dry, shaping it as you go. Once dry, the stitches will be more even, the edges cleaner, and the fabric more stable.
Next, decide on placement. The most common placement for a single strap is centered on each side of the bag, attaching at the top edge. Fold the top of your purse in half widthwise and mark the center with a locking stitch marker. Then measure out evenly from the center on both sides to determine where each end of the strap will sit. Common placements put each strap end roughly one-quarter to one-third of the way in from each side seam — but this is entirely dependent on your specific bag’s dimensions, so measure to find what works for your project.
For a bag with two separate handles, mark the placement for all four strap ends before you sew any of them. This way you can check that all four marks are perfectly symmetrical before you commit.
Once you are satisfied with your placement, pin or clip the strap ends to the bag. Put the bag on a flat surface and step back to look at it. Does the strap lie flat without twisting? Do both ends sit at the same height on the bag? Is the strap centered and symmetrical? This visual check before sewing saves you the frustration of a finished attachment that looks off.
How to Sew a Knitted Strap to a Knitted Purse
This method works beautifully for both i-cord and flat knitted straps, and it creates a strong, neat attachment that distributes weight evenly across the knitted fabric.
Step one: Thread your needle. Cut a length of yarn approximately eighteen to twenty-four inches long. Threading a shorter length reduces tangling and makes it easier to maintain even tension throughout. Thread it onto your tapestry needle. Do not knot the end.
Step two: Begin with a hidden anchor stitch. Insert your needle into the knitted fabric from the wrong side to the right side, just below where the strap end will sit. Pull the yarn through, leaving a four-inch tail on the wrong side that you will weave in later. Then take a tiny stitch through the fabric in the same spot, going back to the wrong side and up through the same hole. This locks the yarn in place without a knot. Come back up through the fabric to the right side, ready to begin sewing.
Step three: Position the strap end and begin attaching. Hold the strap end firmly in position against the bag. You are going to work around the perimeter of the strap end, using small, even whipstitches or mattress-style stitches to anchor every edge.
For an i-cord strap, insert your needle through the knitted stitches at the very end of the cord, then through the bag fabric just below, and pull through. Move along the cord’s width, working stitch by stitch across the bottom of the cord’s end. Then work up one side of the cord, through each side stitch, and back down the other side. Think of it like tracing an outline around the tip of the strap where it meets the bag.
For a flat knitted strap, work your way around all four edges of the strap end in the same manner. The bottom edge, both side edges, and if the strap end is folded over, the fold edge too. You should feel each stitch going through both the strap fabric and the bag fabric, creating a firm connection between the two layers.
Step four: Reinforce the attachment. Once you have sewn around the full perimeter of the strap end, go around again. A double round of stitching dramatically increases the strength of the attachment and is highly recommended for bags that will carry any significant weight. Some knitters even go around a third time for bags intended to hold heavy items like books or groceries.
Step five: Work a box stitch for extra security. After completing your perimeter stitches, add a box stitch across the strap end. This means sewing a rectangle across the flat surface of the strap, and then adding diagonal stitches across the rectangle to form an X. This classic bag hardware technique is used on commercially made fabric bags for a reason — it distributes stress evenly across the entire attachment point and significantly reinforces the hold.
Step six: Weave in your ends securely. Bring your needle to the wrong side of the bag and weave the yarn end through several stitches in different directions before trimming. Do not just weave in a straight line — going forward a few stitches, then sideways, then back creates a much more secure end than a simple straight weave.
Repeat this entire process for each remaining strap end.
Adding a Stabilizer or Backing
If your knitted fabric is loosely structured, very stretchy, or made from a heavier yarn that you are worried will not hold the attachment securely, adding an interior stabilizer is a smart move.
Cut a small rectangle of sturdy grosgrain ribbon, twill tape, or even a piece of canvas fabric slightly larger than your strap end. Position it on the wrong side of the bag, directly behind where each strap end attaches. When you sew the strap on, your needle will pass through the strap, through the bag fabric, and through this backing piece, effectively sandwiching the knitted fabric between the strap on the outside and the stabilizer on the inside.
This technique is especially useful for bags knitted in chunky or super bulky yarns where the individual stitches are large and widely spaced. The backing material fills in the gaps between stitches and gives every sewing stitch something solid to grip.
If you plan to line your bag — which is a wonderful finishing touch for any knitted purse — you can sew your stabilizer pieces in before adding the full lining, hiding them completely inside the bag for a clean, professional interior.
Attaching Purchased or Non-Knitted Straps
If you have purchased leather handles, bamboo rings, or a chain strap for your knitted purse, the attachment process is slightly different.
For bamboo ring or circular handles, the most elegant method is to fold the top edge of your purse over the ring and stitch it down, creating a casing that holds the handle in place. This is typically done before your final seaming of the bag’s sides.
For leather handles with small hardware at the ends, you will usually pass a short loop of fabric or a D-ring attachment through the hardware and then sew that loop to the bag. Use waxed thread, upholstery thread, or a sturdy cotton yarn rather than your project yarn for this, as these materials stand up better to the sharper stress created by hardware.
For chain straps with swivel clasps, you will need to sew or rivet small D-rings onto your knitted bag for the clasps to attach to. Riveting requires a small riveting tool and small metal split rings, and while it sounds complicated, it is a quick process and creates an extremely secure attachment. Alternatively, you can sew a small loop of grosgrain ribbon or leather through the D-ring and sew that loop firmly to the bag using the reinforced attachment method described above.
Troubleshooting Common Strap Attachment Problems
Even experienced knitters run into snags. Here are the most common issues and how to solve them.
The strap twists when the bag is carried. This almost always means the strap ends were not properly aligned before sewing. If you notice the twist before you finish, remove the stitches from one end and reattach with the strap rotated to correct the alignment. If the bag is already finished, it may be possible to carefully snip the stitches at one end, rotate the strap, and resew without any visible damage to the fabric.
The attachment points pucker or distort the bag fabric. This happens when the sewing yarn is pulled too tightly. When sewing through knitted fabric, use a gentle, even tension — firm enough to hold, but loose enough to allow the fabric to lie flat. If your fabric is already puckered, it may relax slightly after blocking. Wet the attachment area lightly and allow it to dry flat to encourage the stitches to settle.
The strap feels loose or floppy after attachment. Add more stitching. Go back with a new length of yarn and reinforce the attachment, particularly adding the box stitch with an X if you did not include it the first time.
The yarn ends are visible on the outside of the bag. This is a finishing issue and is usually solved by being more careful about where you bring your needle up to start and where you bury your ends. Always begin and end on the wrong side of the bag, and weave your ends deeply into the fabric before trimming.
Finishing Touches
Once all your strap ends are securely attached, give the whole bag a final review. Check each attachment point from both sides. Hold the bag up by the strap and give it a gentle tug to test the security of each join. Press the attachment areas lightly with a steam iron if appropriate for your yarn fiber, or do a final wet block to encourage everything to settle into place.
A lining sewn in at this stage will hide all your interior work and give the bag a boutique finish. Even a simple rectangle of cotton quilting fabric, with the raw edges folded under and slip-stitched in by hand, transforms the inside of a knitted purse completely.
A Few Final Words
Sewing a strap onto a knitted purse is one of those skills that feels tricky the first time and completely natural by the third or fourth bag you make. The keys are preparation, patience with placement, generous reinforcement of your stitching, and an understanding of how knitted fabric behaves under stress. Once those pieces click into place, you will find that finishing a bag feels just as satisfying as knitting the body itself.
If you try this technique and have questions, run into a problem not covered here, or just want to share a photo of the finished bag, leave a comment below. This blog is a community of makers, and there is nothing better than seeing the projects you are all creating. Happy knitting, and may your straps always sit straight.
