Purse Straps?

[JCB]

I am working on a purse which I plan to felt. In this purse the strap is a continuation of side gussets. My question concerns how much stretching of the straps to expect once the purse is used? I was thinking of crocheting the straps/gusset by the length, instead of back and for in short rows. This way, the majority of shrinkage during the felting process would affect the length more than the width. Would this also affect the stretching while being used?

 

Thanks!

 

Joan

[AngiR]

I would definitely crochet along the length. It does seem to help with the stretch a bit. At least it does with my knitted stuff.

As for stretching, you can expect about 15% as time goes on. It depends on how much stuff you cram into it, how heavy the stuff is. I put way too much stuff in my purses, so I usually end up with about 25% stretch, but the wonderful thing about a felted item, is you can always run it through a wash cycle. That usually helps bring it back.

Good luck!