Parts of a Bag – Handbag Flap, Gusset, Base and Feet

All 14 parts on the diagram

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Outside 12

Handle A handbag is a handled bag. Many have one or two top handles.
Shoulder strap With it the bag hangs from the shoulder. On this bag each end is fastened to a D-ring.
D-ring A ring shaped like a capital D. It is sewn on with a small tab, the strap is fastened to it, and it swings freely.
Flap It covers the opening of the bag. This one is held shut by a twist lock.
Twist lock Also called a turn lock. The plate with the opening is on the flap; it fits over the turning part on the body.
Body The front and back panels of the bag. The gussets and the base are sewn to it.
Zipper Here it closes a pocket on the front of the body. The slider joins the two rows of teeth as it moves.
Zipper pull The tab hanging from the slider. It can be a plain tab or a decorative one.
Gusset A piece that joins the front of a bag to the back. It opens the bag up beyond what sewing front to back alone would do.
Base The bottom of the bag. It can be a separate, stiffened piece, as it is here.
Feet Small studs set in the base. They help protect the base of the bag when it is put down.
Piping A strip folded round a cord and sewn into a seam. It defines the edge. Common on bags. It can be made of leather.

Inside 2

Lining The fabric layer that covers the inside of the bag. The inside pocket is sewn to it.
Inside pocket A pocket on the lining, for small things. Some close with a zipper of their own.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two sources use it: two bag pattern makers' handbooks read through archive.org's full-text search, Anna M. Mazur, Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag (Taunton Press, 2014), https://archive.org/details/handbagworkshopd0000mazu, and Nicole Mallalieu, The Better Bag Maker (Stash Books, 2014), https://archive.org/details/betterbagmakeril0000mall (handles, shoulder strap, D-ring and its tab, flap, turn-lock or twist-lock, bag body, zipper and zipper pull, gusset, base, bag or purse feet, piping, lining, inside or internal pocket); and Wikipedia, text only: Handbag, Gusset, D-ring, Piping (sewing) and Zipper. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no maker's bag, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a purse and the parts of a handbag are the same parts. This is a flap-front handbag, closed from the front and then open from above.

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Start outside, then look in

Numbers 1 to 3 carry the bag: the handle, the shoulder strap and the D-ring each end of the strap is fastened to. Numbers 4 and 5 close it: the flap and its twist lock. Numbers 6 to 12 are the shell: body, zipper and pull, gusset, base, feet and piping. Open the second drawing for 13 and 14, the lining and the inside pocket.

Front and back are the body; the side panel between them is the gusset.
Piping is the thin corded strip sewn into a seam, here down each front edge.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a bag called?

On a handbag: the handle, shoulder strap and D-rings; the flap and its lock; the body, gussets and base, often with feet underneath; piping in the seams; and inside, the lining and a pocket.

What is the gusset of a bag?

A piece that joins the front of the bag to the back. It forms the sides, and on some bags the bottom too, and it opens the bag up beyond what sewing the front straight to the back would do.

What are the feet on the bottom of a purse for?

Purse feet are small studs set in the base. They help protect the base of the bag when it is put down.

What is the ring a bag strap attaches to called?

A D-ring: a metal ring bent like a capital D. It is sewn to the bag on a small tab and the end of the strap is fastened to it, so the strap swings freely.