Sewing a handbag involves a lot more supplies than just fabric and a sewing machine. Here are some of the extras I’ve bought lately to get ready to sew my bag.

One of the things that really makes a home-sewn handbag look professional is hardware! I got these lovely rectangular rings for my bag straps. I bought them here. They came in a kit with the magnetic snap to close the bag.

The zip is for the internal pocket. I considered also adding a zip to close the bag, but I never use the one on my current bag, so it seemed like extra effort for nothing.

The bag uses 3 kinds of thread! I have regular thread (the teal one) for the seams. Then there is topstitching thread for topstitching on the bag and finally upholstery (heavy duty) thread for the stitching of the straps. The topstitching thread is too thick to use in the bobbin, so I’ll be using the heavy duty thread to sew the straps so that they match on both sides.

I’ve got 2 kinds of interfacing. The iron on interfacing will go on the lining of the bag. The sew in woven interfacing will give extra body to the exterior fabric of the bag.

Finally, underneath it all is a piece of template plastic. This will form the base of the bag to give it some shape.

So, if you’re thinking about making a handbag, you may soon realise there’s a lot more to one than some fabric. Obviously, a simple bag won’t need all these extras, but this is to make a designer handbag…designed by me!

Hopefully my fabric will arrive this week so we can all take a look!

Also in the Build-a-Bag series:
Build-a-Bag: I’ve Finished! – take a look at my completed bag
Build-a-bag: The fabric – my fabric has arrived, but I’ve mucked it up
Build-a-Bag: My swatches arrived – so how do my swatches compare?
Build-a-Bag: The Pattern – take a look at the pattern I’m using to make my bag
Build-a-Bag: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning – designing fabric with Spoonflower