Yesterday on the Bag Maker's Workroom livestream, we talked about creative ways to use hardware for bag making. We looked at the difference between rivets and Chicago screws (timestamp: 10:30), talked about using conchos to jazz up a bag (13:25), got inspired by designer handbags with interesting hardware (18:33), learned the history of Fendi (32:22), and showcased bags made by Simply Classic customers (39:21). You can watch the full recording below, or keep reading to see some highlights.
Watch the Bag Maker's Workroom: Hardware Essentials
Using Basic Hardware in Unexpected Ways
As bag makers, we often use the same essential hardware, like buckles, swivel clasps, grommets, rings, and slide adjusters. Sometimes we might add a decorative concho or another accent to add a little extra flair. These distinctive touches can really take a bag to the next level — but you don't necessarily need any special hardware to get a unique look. In fact, you can use your standard, basic hardware in creative ways that will make your custom bags stand out.
I love looking at designer bags for inspiration. From luxury brands to independent designers, there is always something we can learn. I am going to show you 11 purses and handbags that use simple hardware — rivets, grommets, swivel clasps, and O-rings — in surprising and creative ways.
Creative Ways to Use Rivets
Rivets are mechanical fasteners that are traditionally used to join two materials together. In bag making, they're commonly used to attach straps and handles and reinforce other stress points. Rivets aren't just functional, though. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors and are a versatile piece of hardware for decorating your bags.
This tote bag from Rockcow Leather Studio (above) uses large rivets to frame the top and sides of the bag. As you can see, they're not necessarily being used to hold the bag together and are mostly decorative.
Below you can see two more bags that use rivets purely for the way they look. I like how the Patricia Nash bag on the right has nickel and bronze rivets in an alternating pattern. It's a simple way to add some bling. The vintage Hobo International bag on the left is much more elaborate. They used a variety of rivets along with embroidery to create a gorgeous design with a concho in the center.
Creative Ways to Use Grommets
Grommets are two-piece rings that can be used to reinforce holes in your leather or faux leather. The two pieces are placed on either side of the hole and then screwed or pressed together, depending on what kind you're using. I love the ease of press-in grommets and find that they work really well for bag making.
Grommets are commonly used with buckles on a bag's straps, handles, or flap to keep the buckle prong from damaging the holes. Like grommets, though, they can also be used to decorate your bag and not just reinforce it.
The Hush Puppies shoulder bag below uses extra-large grommets in a really unique way. The handle of the bag is fixed on one said and threads through two big grommets on the other side. It appears that the bag is unlined and has a Sam Browne button on the interior, allowing the strap to be adjusted.
A more common way to use grommets is to lace leather or another material through them — similarly to how we lace up our shoes. The Bandito Princesa bag below takes this to the extreme, with laced grommets on the front, sides, bottom, and back of the bag. Because the leather lace is the same color as the body of the bag, the effect is surprisingly subtle but still unique and edgy.
For a simpler look, you can put a single row of lacing down the center of your bag. I did this way back in 2020, modifying a pattern by Mrs H to get the look I wanted. The full tutorial is on YouTube if you'd like to try this for yourself!
Creative Ways to Use Swivel Clasps
You've probably used swivel clasps to attach straps to your bags. They're quite handy because they allow you to easily swap out one strap or handle for another.
If you've taken my Leather Bag Making by Machine class, you've used a swivel clasp as a simple closure for the Banda bag. On the Banda, the swivel clasp is more functional than decorative, as it's not visible unless you're looking down at the top of the bag.
You can also do something very similar on the exterior of a bag, like Dooney and Bourke and Gucci did with the bags below.
Both of these bags have thin straps or flaps with swivel clasps on the end. The swivel clasps attach to a metal ring, which allows the bag to be securely fastened. As you can see, the hardware pieces themselves are quite different, but the technique is the same.
Creative Ways to Use O-Rings
O-rings are one of the most common pieces of hardware for bag making. As the name implies, they are simply circular rings. Some O-rings are solid circles, while others have spring gates or other mechanisms that allow them to open and close.
Most commonly, you'll see O-rings (as well as other types of rings) used to attach straps and handles to bags. However, they are extremely versatile pieces of hardware, and you can get really creative with them.
The Proenza Shoulder bag below has O-rings to attach the top handle, but they've been installed in a unique way. They're looped through the top of the bag, which has been reinforced with an additional layer of leather, and they loop through grommets on the handle itself.
When you think about Harley Davidson, you probably don't think about purses — but their bag below is an unexpected source of inspiration. It has an O-ring attached to the flap with two small pieces of leather. It's a very simple way to turn a basic bag into something eye-catching.
Next up, we have the Ring Clutch by Garnish Apparel, a small business out of Portland. They use an extra-large ring for both form and function. The bag can be carried as a traditional clutch with the ring snapped on to the front of the bag, or the ring can be unsnapped and worn around the wrist if you want to go hands-free. How cool is that?
Finally, I want to show you this Latigo leather backpack from Kaw Valley Leather. (Fun fact: Latigo leather is combination tanned, which means that first it's chrome tanned and then it's vegetable tanned for a unique finish.)
On this unique backpack, the O-ring is attached to the The Kaw Valley Leather backpack is so unique, and I absolutely love it. They used three leather straps to attach an O-ring to the front of the bag, allowing the flap to be tucked behind it. Many different bags use decorative O-rings on the flap itself (like the Harley Davidson bag above), but I have never seen another bag that uses an O-ring as a flap keeper. If you know of any others, please let me know in the comments!
How to Make an O-Ring Flap Keeper
In the livestream, I demonstrated how you can recreate this O-ring flap keeper, inspired by Kaw Valley Leather. Click here to jump to the demo, which starts at 25:57. It's a pretty straightforward technique, but there are a couple of tips that you should keep in mind.
To get this look, you will need an O-ring (I used a 1.5" bronze O-ring), rivets, and three strips of leather of equal width. I cut mine to 1" wide, but yours may vary depending on the size of your O-ring and the look you want.
First, punch a hole in each strip, about 1/4" from the end. Then, fold each strip over the O-ring, punch another hole through the second layer, and use your rivet press to set the rivet. Super simple! Now, you can attach this piece to the front of your bag.
When stitching the straps to the bag, there are two things you should pay attention to:
Make sure you don't pull the straps too tight when you stitch them. Not only do you need to leave room for the flap to tuck in, you also need to leave space for the bag to expand a bit when it's full.
Don't bring the straps all the way to the top of the front panel. Place them down far enough that they won't interfere with your upper lining, piping, etc. Even if your bag is unlined, leaving extra space will make it much easier to tuck the flap under the O-ring.
Here is the mini (unstitched) version I created on the livestream. It took no time at all and ended up looking amazing.
There are so many ways you could customize this even further by adding decorative grommets, contrast stitching on the straps, varying the number of straps, and so on. It's a great opportunity to get creative!
We Want to See Your Hardware Inspiration!
There you have it: 11 bags that use regular hardware in original ways. I hope you found some inspiration that you can apply to your own bag design and sewing process. I would also love to hear from you: Are there any bags you would add to this list? Maybe it's a designer bag or something you created yourself — either way, I would love to see it. Leave a comment and let me know!
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