Hi Tarragon! I like Offcuts’ answer above, and there are lots of ways of doing things that vary with personal preference and what the material dictates.
RE the foldovers at the top of the bag, I usually make the first fold about 1cm wide and the second about 1 inch wide. Sorry to mix units on you! 😉
For the side seams, I usually aim for the first seam to be a generous quarter of an inch (= about 8mm) from the edge of the material (not including any “fluffy bits” at the edge, left over from tearing the fabric to size, or at the selvedge of the material.) I trim any long fluffy bits off after sewing the first seam, if I think they’ll stick out of the second seam which I sew about 5/8 of an inch (= about 16mm) from the first seam.
RE handle placement, I know Pol likes to set them by eye, and I think Offcuts does too.
Some people, me included, use an object to measure from the edge of the material to the edge of the handle. Cathapple uses the length of her finger to “That crease” – in other words, not a numerical answer, just something that’s the right size. Ivybags uses a plastic comb that came from a Christmas cracker, Masterclock has a small ruler that he likes to use, I use a postcard. None of us measures the length in cm or inches, we use something that gives an acceptable result.
RE the bottom fold/ seam question, I think either is strong enough as a properly sewn French seam is very robust, but why cut fabric in half and then sew it up in the same place again?
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