How to Sew a Rolled Handle for a Bag

by Amanda Whisman September 03, 2026 2 Comments

Rolled handles are one of those little bagmaking details that look much harder to make than they are.

You start with a regular fabric strap or piece of webbing, fold a section of it together, stitch it closed, and suddenly you have a comfortable rounded handle that gives the whole bag a different look.

No special hardware. No completely different strap construction. And you can use the technique on plenty of bag patterns you already own.

If you’ve never made one, I’ll show you exactly how I do it.

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What Is a Rolled Handle?

A rolled handle is exactly what it sounds like. Part of your finished strap is folded together and stitched along the edge, creating a narrower, rounded section where you hold the bag.

I especially like them on larger totes because they give you a comfortable grip without making an entirely different type of strap.

You can make rolled handles from fabric straps or webbing, and you can adjust the length of the rolled section depending on the size of your bag and how you want the handles to look.

What You'll Need

You don't need much for this one:

• Your finished fabric straps or webbing
• Coordinating thread
• Sewing clips
• Your sewing machine
• A 90/14 needle for most fabric straps, or a 100/16 if your layers are particularly thick
• Heat Erasable Pen

The important part is that your straps should already be completely constructed before you start creating the rolled section.

Watch the Rolled Handle Tutorial

Sometimes this technique makes a whole lot more sense once you watch the strap fold in half, so I made a quick video showing you exactly how I sew mine.

How to Sew a Rolled Handle

First, decide how long you want the rolled portion of your handle to be.

I like to center it along the portion of the strap that will sit in your hand. Mark the beginning and end so both handles will match.

Fold the strap in half lengthwise along that section, bringing the edges together.

Use sewing clips to hold the folded edges together. Clips work much better here than pins, especially once you're working through several layers.

Starting at one mark, stitch close to the open edge of the folded strap. Continue until you reach your second mark, then backstitch to secure your stitches.  Use a larger stitch length - my go to is 3.5mm.

Repeat with your second handle, making sure the rolled sections begin and end in the same place.

That's it.

You just turned a regular flat strap into a rolled handle.

A Few Things That Make Rolled Handles Easier

The thickest part of this technique is usually where your stitching begins and ends. Your machine is going from a flat strap into several layers all at once.

If your presser foot starts tipping backward, use a hump jumper or a folded scrap of fabric behind the foot to level it out.

You may also need to move up to a 100/16 needle depending on your fabric, interfacing and how your straps are constructed.

And slow down. This is a short line of stitching. There is absolutely no prize for racing through it.

If you're using webbing, test your stitch length and tension on a scrap first. Different webbings can behave very differently under your presser foot.

Can I Add Rolled Handles to Other Bag Patterns?

Yes, and that's one of my favorite things about this technique.

If a bag pattern uses two traditional straps, you can often turn part of those straps into rolled handles without changing the rest of the bag construction.

Just pay attention to where the handle will naturally sit in your hand. You don't want the rolled section extending so far down that it interferes with the strap attachment or so short that you're constantly grabbing the flat portion instead.

It's a really simple way to change the look of a tote you've already made before.

Want to Make a Bag Designed With Rolled Handles?

My Marg Tote sewing pattern uses rolled handles as part of the design, so if you want to put this technique to work on your next bag, Marg is a great place to start.

Marg is a roomy structured tote with a flap and magnetic snap closure, and those rolled handles are one of my favorite details on the finished bag.

Want More Help With the Little Details?

The longer I made bags, the more I realized it was often the little things that made the biggest difference. Needle size. Stitch length. Interfacing. Pressing. Getting through bulky seams without fighting with your sewing machine.

Those are exactly the things I teach in Sew Better Bags: A Beginner's Guide to Bagmaking.

It's 30+ pages of the bagmaking information I wish I'd had when I was figuring all of this out on my own, including my go-to interfacing combinations, needles, stitch lengths, lining adjustments, seam grading and more.

And if you make a bag with rolled handles after trying this tutorial, I want to see it. Tag @bemandythings so I can check out what you made.

Happy sewing!

Amanda

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