How to: Sew Adjustable Straps for Dresses and Tops

Learning to sew adjustable straps for dresses and tops is a skill that you will use constantly when sewing your own clothing. It’s a great basic skill to master to ensure your clothing has a better fit than if you where to have non-adjustabe straps.

This is also a must when making clothes that will be sold to others as the strap length requirement will be different for each customer.

Follow along below to learn how to easily sew adjustable straps using a few basic tools.

Tools

• sewing machine
• iron
• loop turner
• sticky tape

Materials

• fabric cut to strap length (formula provided below)
• cotton thread
• ring and slider x 2

Step 1 

Use the below formula to work out your strap length.

Non-adjustable strap length + 2cm seam allowance + 12cm = Adjustable Strap Length

(Strap width x 2) + 2cm = Strap Width

Your strap width will be determined by the inside width of your ring and slider. As you can see below my strap width will be 7mm

So my straps will be as below.

41cm + 2cm seam allowance + 12cm = 55cm
Note: Don’t worry if this seems long, you can always make them shorter if you want to later. You can amend long straps but straps that are too short will need to be re-cut and remade.

(0.7 x 2) + 2cm = 3.4cm

Step 2 

Cut your strap pieces x 2

Step 3 

Fold your straps right sides together and sew 7mm from the folded edge. Then trim your seam allowance back to 3mm.

Step 3 

After trimming the seam allowance on both straps, use your loop turner to pull the straps through.

Step 4 

Cut 5cm off the end of each strap, this will be the part of the strap which will hold the ring.

Step 5 

Thread the ends of the longer strap through the center of the sliders and fold back seam allowance, see video below.

Then thread the strap through each ring and use the sticky tape to hold the strap ends together.

Step 6 

Stitch through the tape to secure the sliders on the straps, after stitching the tape can be removed.
Note: Take care when sewing this part as the straps are narrow and you may need to guide the pieces through the machine, watch your fingers!

Keep the tape on the strap part that holds the ring, you don’t need to stitch this part yet. This will stay in place until you insert the straps into your dress or top.

Step 7 

Next insert the straps into the dress or top making sure the straps are facing the correct way. Then carefully remove the tape.

Hopefully, now when a pattern calls for non-adjustable straps you now have the knowledge to convert them to adjustable straps allowing a better fit and a higher quality garment. Let me know in the comments below how you went.

While you are here, another basic sewing skill you might need to master is sewing a French seam.

Also, check out our Esty store for some great shapes to practices your adjustable straps on.

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