Mochila Wayuu bags do well with strong, preferably non-stretch shoulder straps. Here we look at a crochet alternative method of making shoulder straps. (The traditional Mochila bags have woven straps.)
The real Mochila Wayuu bags are crocheted bags, handmade by native tribe Wayuu. They come from the the northern peninsula of South America.
Here, please note that I am only talking about Mochila Wayuu lookalike bags. For ease, henceforth, I shall refer to them only as MW bags whenever possible.
Crochet Stitch To Use
I made use of the Thermal Stitch (which, before I knew otherwise, I used to call “strap single crochet stitch” aka. ssc stitch or strap sc stitch) to make good-looking and strong straps for my MW bags.
Bag Straps can be either fixed (non-adjustable length) or adjustable.
Fixed Length Shoulder Strap
For me personally, the fixed length to crochet should be around 111-122 cm long.
(Keep in mind that this strap still has a bit of stretch, esp. over time.)
Adjustable Shoulder Strap
My length should be 111++ cm.
To make it adjustable, I made use of metal eyelets and metal buckles. These can be seen in the photos below.
Below, a few short pictorial notes on attaching metal buckle to strap.
How to Attach Strap to Bag
I do like the look of bag hardware on bags. They add another level of quality and professionalism to your handmade creation.
So here I have used of metal rings and rivets when attaching the straps to the body of the bag.
Example 1: with Metal Rings and Rivets
Example 2: Decorative Rivets and Sewing
This one, despite its appearance, is really easy and uncomplicated. I used rivets but only for decorative purposes. The strap is actually sewn securely to the body.
Next step, adding lining to bag.
