Making my camera straps more girly : )

So, as you probably know, I use my camera a LOT. I was always hesitant to get one because of the size and also the look... let's face it.. an dSLR camera is not the prettiest thing in the world. I have no shame toting it around while on vacation, because well, it takes amazing pictures, even with my not so top of the line camera! I'm happily stuck with this camera for now ; ) I've been noticing that a lot of women these days carry around this camera. The companies have definitely kept that in mind, making the grips and such much smaller than the old or high end cameras because of our dainty hands. : ) So, what to change about my camera. The straps. I was looking for a strap replacement because I was sick of the "EOS DIGITAL CANON CANON" (yes Canon X TWO) logo on the it. Hey, cool, it's a Canon, I have no idea what the rest of it means, nor do I care to advertise it (plus it's not that comfortable!) So I came across a shop online and saw that they had covers for the straps.... and thought to myself... hey, I can make that, it's just a sleeve! So I did. I didn't copy it exactly, I like the idea of damask, but knew that fleece/plush will get ruined pretty quickly for me. I opted for more discreet comfort and durability. I did look at a bunch of tutorials first though. I didn't spend the 20 bucks needed to get one off line. I spent a whooping $2.57 at JoAnn's today. I bought 3 cuts of fabrics.

• a Damask print (cream and white) from the home decor section ( 1/8th of a yard)
• a black quilted outerwear fabric (1/8th of a yard)
• iron on fleece (batting) to make the Damask fabric a little more comfortable (1/8th of a yard ... it's not necessary to get this... it actually made turning it out a LOT harder.)

I can sew too!

I've learned how to use a sewing machine when I was really little, and have been sewing here and there. (Learning to hem jeans using the original hem has saved me over a hundred bucks in alterations!) My mom watched me the entire time today, she's an expert at sewing, so that was nice. I didn't let her sew any part though, I wanted to do it all by myself : ) She didn't trust that I still knew how to sew, so she made me practice sewing straight lines : / sigh. But sewing is like driving, you never forget. I will continue to sew the rest of the season. I have yet to sew my apron, and I will make a bag for my telephoto lens with the scraps of this project : )


So I outlined the straps, folded in half, and drew a 1.5 cm allowance around the outline of the strap. The ends should be around a 2 cm allowance, 1.5 cm was too small! I ironed the press on fleece to the Damask fabric, then cut those according to the pattern.

Then came the sewing..... I decided to sew some straight lines here and there to give it more of a finished and unique look (I think it would have looked really cool if I quilted it myself.) I then sewed the two together but the "right" side facing in "wrong" side facing out. I gave around a 2-3 mm allowance for the straps ( so sew in 12-13 mm from the edge of the fabric). I sewed these edges 2-3 times for strength. Then, the hard part... flipping it out, because you're essentially sewing on the "wrong" side the entire time. This took me and my mom almost 30 minutes to do. We used chopsticks, wooden spoons, and various fondant tools to do this... what an experience! The fabric I chose was really thick ( and made thicker due to the fleece,) and the hole where the straps should go was very narrow. But we did it, it took a lot of effort, but well worth it in the end. Thankfully, my strap fit very snugly into it's new home.

The hardest part about this.. is explaining it. Trust me, if you can outline, measure, cut, and drive a car, you can sew this strap cover.
Here are some of the key points:

• always choose durable fabric
• outline the camera strap on a piece of paper, and give 1.5 cm allowance, that will be a lot, but you can cut the excess off later, better to be safe than sorry!
• Cut the fabric, make sure that both pieces are the same size!
• Sew the edges in to the "wrong" side
• Now, put the two pieces of fabric together, the "right" side facing in, in both cases
• Sew the edges together ( 12-13 mm from the edge) ( 2 parallel, really long lines )
• See if it fits your straps
• Trim off excess fabric
• Flip it out, so that the right side is facing the outside, straighten with hands or iron
• Slide your strap in, and show it to the world! : D

Yay!!! It is much more girly no? : D !!

I will try to post better pics later. This was taken in horrible lighting with my sis's slr. I don't know how to use hers... I may be sewing her strap cover next! Might as well right? Time to go back to the fabric store. I guess this print is not for everyone. I happen to like damask, it's not too plain, and not too overwhelming. I've been dying to use my pink damask background for one of my desserts! Oh well, if I find something better, it'll be a quick and cheap fix. : )
Toodles for now ! :-D

Check out my updated post on what I did with the scraps with better pictures of the finished product! Click Here