I'm hoping that someone out there can help me.

I'm making a gift for a friend out of polar fleece. I want to attach a shoulder strap to a pouch, but I think the strap will be too stretchy if I only use fleece. Can I sew the fleece to something else to give it more body?

One of you smart gals MUST have an answer for me!!
Thanks--

Sue :-D

You could try some fusible interfacing on the pieces you will be using for straps.

For the strap, you could use the really heavy interfacing that is used in bowl making (I believe it's called, "timtex" and that shouldn't stretch. You also might try using something else entirely for the strap...

maybe quilt the fleece onto some cotton fabric? that would keep it from stretching and add a decorative touch to the strap.

I'm with amma, cotton would give you a good strong foundation. Personally I wouldn't use fleece for the strap, but maybe it is a necessary part of the design...pics could be helpful.

Depending on the fleece - make a wide strap of denim (or something similar) and sew a strip of the fleece on the top of it. The woven fabric would take the brunt of the wear.

I knew that you would have some helpful suggestions for me! I will post a pic when I get the thing made. Nice to have people to get advice from without leaving the comfort of my own home! It's 5 degrees here in WI this am.

Thanks for all your input

Sue

I made a laptop bag and the handle was fabric wrapped fusible fleece, then you stitch down the middle (I think I stitched down the middle and on each end, so there were 3 lines of stitching). Worked great. Use the bag almost every day and its still holding up well. Good luck!!!

You could make a tube of the fleece, and insert webbing into the tube. If you want to make it "slouchy" looking, make the fleece tube 1-1/2 times the length of the webbing.

I don't know about fusing any stabilizer to fleece. I would be afraid that it would melt. Since fleece doesn't ravel you could try cuting it into strips and making a braid as the handle. It could also be a different design touch.
Good luck.