Spaghetti straps are narrow fabric tubes, usually 5–10 mm (1/4–3/8 in) wide, cut on the bias so they curve over the shoulder without creasing. Cut a bias strip about 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) wide, fold it right sides together, sew 6 mm (1/4 in) from the fold while stretching it slightly, trim the allowance to 3 mm (1/8 in) and turn the tube with a loop turner or over a cord. Press it with the seam along one edge, then sew the ends into the bodice between the outer fabric and its facing or lining.

What do you need to make spaghetti straps?

  • A bias strip of your fashion fabric, 3–4 cm (1 1/4–1 5/8 in) wide and about 10 cm (4 in) longer than both straps together. For a slip dress with 40 cm (16 in) straps, cut one strip of 90 cm (36 in) or piece shorter strips together.
  • A loop turner, a long wire with a latch hook, or a length of thin cord or strong thread and a hand needle for the cord method. A bodkin or a safety pin works for straps wider than 1 cm (3/8 in).
  • A fine needle, 70/10 or 80/12, and a stitch length of 1.5–2 mm (12–16 stitches per inch), short enough to hold when the bias stretches.
  • An iron and a sleeve board or a rolled towel to press the tube without creasing it.

Should spaghetti straps be cut on the bias or the straight grain?

On the bias, almost always. A bias tube turns right side out more easily, because the fabric gives around the seam allowance, and the finished strap bends over the shoulder in a smooth curve. Cutting fabric on the bias explains how to find the true bias at 45° to the selvage and how to cut strips that do not shift.

A straight-grain strap is stronger and does not stretch with wear, which matters for a heavy skirt. Cut it when the dress has weight to carry, make it a little wider, and expect to turn it with a bodkin rather than a loop turner. Many dresses use a compromise: bias straps with a stay of narrow ribbon or twill tape fed through the tube, which stops them lengthening while keeping the softness.

How do you sew and turn a spaghetti strap, step by step?

  1. Cut the strip 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) wide for a finished strap of about 8 mm (5/16 in). The width is roughly four times the finished width: two layers of strap and two seam allowances that fill the tube and give it body.
  2. Press the strip in half lengthwise, right sides together, pulling it gently along its length as you press so that the bias settles before you sew.
  3. Sew 6 mm (1/4 in) from the fold. Stretch the strip slightly as it feeds, with one hand in front of the foot and one behind, so the stitching has enough length to survive the strap being pulled when worn. Angle the first 2 cm (3/4 in) of stitching out toward the raw edge to make a funnel at one end, which helps the turning.
  4. Trim the allowance to about 3 mm (1/8 in), less on thick fabric and more on sheer fabric, which needs the allowance to fill the tube and hide the seam.
  5. Turn the tube. Push the loop turner through from one end, catch a few threads of the far end with the hook, close the latch and pull the end back into the tube, easing the fabric along with your fingers. Once the end appears, the rest follows.
  6. Press with the seam running along one edge, or down the center of the underside if the strap is to look seamless. Steam and a light touch; a hard press flattens the rounded look.

How does the cord method work?

Lay a cord or a doubled strong thread along the inside of the folded strip, close to the fold, with one end extending past the strip. Sew across the end of the strip to anchor the cord, then sew the long seam without catching the cord. Trim the allowance, then pull the cord: the strip turns itself inside out over the cord. Cut the anchored end off. This is the quickest way to turn very narrow tubes and the only practical way on fabrics that shred, such as satin and chiffon, where a loop turner's hook tears the end.

How do you attach spaghetti straps to a dress?

Measure the strap length on the body, or on the toile, with the bodice pinned in place: from the front seam line over the shoulder to the back seam line, plus 1.5 cm (5/8 in) at each end for the seam allowances, plus 1 cm (3/8 in) if the straps are cut on the bias, which relaxes a little. For an adult of 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) the strap is usually 38–44 cm (15–17 1/4 in) long.

Pin the straps to the right side of the bodice before the facing or lining goes on, raw ends level with the top edge, strap pointing down into the bodice. Baste. Then sew the facing or lining on, and the strap is caught in the seam and emerges from the top edge finished. The front position is usually at the top of the princess line or the dart; the back position is 1–2 cm (3/8–3/4 in) further toward the center back than the front, so the strap does not slip off the shoulder.

Try the dress on before you sew the second end permanently. A strap that is 1 cm too long lets the neckline gape; one that is too short pulls the bodice up at the center. A slip dress with a cowl front needs the straps slightly longer than a straight neckline, and sewing a bias-cut slip dress covers how the cowl hangs. Sewly's slip dress pattern draws the strap pieces to your measurements, and its sewing guide lists them with the cut counts and the order of the steps.

What are the common mistakes with spaghetti straps?

  • Popped stitches after a wearing come from sewing the bias without stretching it. Stretch as you sew, use a short stitch, or sew the seam with a very narrow zigzag of 0.5 mm.
  • A strap that will not turn is too narrow for its fabric, or the allowance was not trimmed. On a thick fabric, make the tube wider or use the cord method.
  • A lumpy, twisted strap was pressed before it was straightened. Pull the turned tube firmly along its length, then press.
  • Straps that stretch and loosen on a heavy dress need a stay: thread 6 mm (1/4 in) satin ribbon through the tube before attaching.
  • Straps that slip off the shoulder were attached at the same distance from the center at the front and the back. Move the back ends inward.
  • Frayed ends at the loop turner's hook are normal; cut the strip 5 cm (2 in) longer than you need and trim the damaged end.

When should you use spaghetti straps instead of wider straps or binding?

Spaghetti straps suit light fabrics and bodices that are supported by their own fit, such as a bias slip dress or a princess-seamed sundress. For a tank top or a dress in a heavier cotton, a wider strap of 2–3 cm (3/4–1 1/4 in), sewn and turned the same way but with a bodkin, carries the weight better and is easier to adjust; sewing a tank top uses the wider strap. When the neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding, the binding can continue as a tie strap: the bias binding guide shows how to carry it on past the edge, and the bias binding calculator gives the strip length to cut.