How ironic that after staying up super late on New Years Eve (Jim and Josiah didn't make it) to finish a camera strap cover that I should decide to make 2014 the year that I tackle our thousands of untouched photos. It's about time! I have unfinished photo projects dating back to college, and YES that includes an unfinished wedding album. (Whoops!) I'm also aspiring to create a photo book at the end of 2014 with one photo from each day, inspired by The Creative Mama's post, to keep myself focused on photography...taking better pictures on a more regular basis (this habit has seriously decreased as Josiah grows older), editing and learning to use Photoshop, finishing photobooks, & finding a system to organize and archive all those priceless images. And now I can be all the more comfortable and stylish!!!
On to the tutorial...I had pinned this tutorial awhile back from Doodles & Stitches, but I wanted more of a finished look and a pocket to hold my lens cap like some I had seen on Etsy. So I created my own plan merging the two. This is my first sewing tutorial, so no promises on eloquence or clarity of directions. :) Here's my plan, a few pix, and the changes I would make were I to do it again:
Cut the following pieces:
Iron Wonder-Under to fabric intended for the back side of the strap. (I also used it in the pocket, but it turned out to be too bulky, so I wouldn't recommend that.)
Iron fabric for pocket in half (right sides facing) the hamburger way (yep, comments like that only come from a teacher).
Sew 1/4" seam along side opposite of fold. Turn pocket right side out and repress fold & seam for crisp edges.
Back to the two main strips. Hem both ends of each (turn up half inch & iron both ends twice; then topstitch 1/4" from edge).
Pin pocket approximately 1" above one end of the top piece. Sew a quarter inch above the bottom of pocket to topstitch and secure the pocket in one step.
Pin two sides of the straps right sides facing (pocket will be inside) & sew half inch inseam along both long sides of the strap.
Turn strap right side out & topstitch (a quarter inch) along each long side. Done and ready to slip over the strap of your camera!
On to the tutorial...I had pinned this tutorial awhile back from Doodles & Stitches, but I wanted more of a finished look and a pocket to hold my lens cap like some I had seen on Etsy. So I created my own plan merging the two. This is my first sewing tutorial, so no promises on eloquence or clarity of directions. :) Here's my plan, a few pix, and the changes I would make were I to do it again:
- 2 pieces of fabric for the main strap cover based on the size of your strap. My desired strap dimensions were 28" long x 2" wide, so I cut 30" x 3".
- 1 piece of Pellon Wonder-Under for padding and body (29" x 3" to make hemming each end easier)
- 1 piece of fabric for the lens cover pocket (3" x 4.5")
Here are the layers for the strap...cute fabric is a must have!
Iron Wonder-Under to fabric intended for the back side of the strap. (I also used it in the pocket, but it turned out to be too bulky, so I wouldn't recommend that.)
Iron fabric for pocket in half (right sides facing) the hamburger way (yep, comments like that only come from a teacher).
Sew 1/4" seam along side opposite of fold. Turn pocket right side out and repress fold & seam for crisp edges.
The pocket will look like this...all set to keep that cover safe!
Back to the two main strips. Hem both ends of each (turn up half inch & iron both ends twice; then topstitch 1/4" from edge).
Pin pocket approximately 1" above one end of the top piece. Sew a quarter inch above the bottom of pocket to topstitch and secure the pocket in one step.
Pin two sides of the straps right sides facing (pocket will be inside) & sew half inch inseam along both long sides of the strap.
(Just beginning to sew along the second side. The seam running across is the bottom of the pocket.)
Turn strap right side out & topstitch (a quarter inch) along each long side. Done and ready to slip over the strap of your camera!
Finished!
Changes:
Skip the Pellon in the pocket. Start with a longer strip of fabric for the back of the strap since it shrunk when fused. Use a 3/8" seam allowance instead of 1/2" along two long sides to make it easier to turn, slide over the strap, and allow for more lens cap room.
Note:
Be sure to measure the diameter of your lens cap. If you have a full-size DSLR then the width of this strap will be too narrow. Our lens cap is very small, for now. Hopefully this year we will upgrade our camera, which will mean that I have to make a wider strap! Oh shucks...guess I'll have to go get more fabric from Modern Textiles...maybe by then I'll be better at scribing sewing directions and can write version 2.0. :)
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