handles??

[dwiggicb]

cud someone give me some ideas on handles for purses, totes? i just do not like the crocheted ones cus they do not hold their shape & stretch out. i don't care for the hard wooded ones either. some type of webbing or roping?? any ideas wud be GREATLY appreciated!

[Gardener]

I make a lot of purses, (mostly I sew them though), and keep an eye out for unique handle ideas.

One that I have seen several times is using clear plastic tubing for handles. You can run ribbon, fabric or a few strands of yarn through the tubing.

Another idea that I've used is to buy yard sale or thrift store purses for the handles. I've bought yard sale purses for as little as 25 cents. An old belt is another likely source of material for handles. And yet another idea is to keep an eye out for a leather item at a thrift store and make handles out of the leather.

If you sew, you can sew fabric tubes, and braid three together for handles.

[Real Deal]

If you want crocheted handles that don't stretch (or almost don't), do them in single crochet from end to end the long way. I usually do 4 or 5 rows. When the handles are as wide as you want them, slipstitch along both long edges. These sts don't stretch.

[RoseRed]

Or crochet it over 20 lb test fishing line.