Tinkering: bag handle

A week or two ago, a friend of mine brought her bag to me and asked if I could help her fix the handle. Her bag came here like this:

The fabric at the middle of the handle was broken due to constant use and the batting was showing.
I ripped off one of the handle and checked how it was folded and attached to the bag.
As I had a clear idea, I started "tinkering".
I cut two strips of fabric, each measured 6*47 cm
(The finished handle should be 2*45 cm)
I also cut out batting and ironed it to the wrong side of the fabric.

Folded each end 1 cm inward.Pressed two sides of fabric toward the batting. Made a French seam on the wider side and have it cover the other side.
Then, went to the sewing machine to close the seam.

I hand sewed the straps onto the bag, following the original placement.

I used pins to mark the places. It's crucial to make sure the placement is correct, otherwise you might end up with uneven length.


Voila, a tote with new handles!