Occasionally I will have a customer who wants me to make shoe string straps for a top, gown or dress.  The biggest challenge you will have is finding the fabric to match the garment.  Always cut shoe string straps on the bias.  I cut my strips 1” (2 cm approx.) wide.  I fold in half and sew ¼” (.5 cm) from the edge.  Don’t cut away the excess, just turn inside out.

If you want thinner straps, then come down to 1/8” (.25 cm) however you will have difficulty pulling through. In cases where the customer wants very thin straps, I use the rat tail.  It can be purchased from most haberdashery shops and is very thin.  It comes in a variety of colors and costs around $4.00 per meter

It’s always best to pin the straps on to the garment instead of guessing.  Pin on to the front of the garment, then come around and pin the back, making sure it get the position right.  If you pin too far to the side the straps will fall off.

An easy option is to purchase braid, lace or some other nice embellishment which can be used as a strap and attach.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie