look what i made!!….{diy camera bag}

since i got my new camera, i’ve been drooling over some of the camera bags i’ve seen. especially this 2 sues bag by kelly moore bags:

Source: kellymoorebag.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

 

nice and roomy, all those pockets…….sigh. but, sadly, i can’t shell out that kinda money. in my hunt for the perfect camera bag, i saw several tutorials for diy camera bags. could i? should i? we all remember my last crafty adventure.

but what could it hurt, right? so i grabbed my mom’s sewing machine and went on the hunt for the perfect bag. and where else would i go but tjmaxx, right?

found it!

nice, right?? my qualifications:

1. it must be cheap $25 or under
2. roomy interior
3. outside pockets (i gots lotsa stuff to carry!!)
4. cross body strap
5. and it must be cheap $25 or under (can’t say it enough)

this bag fit almost all the specs – it was on clearance for $25, it’s incredibly roomy, you can see the outside pockets and there’s a zippered pocket on the backside. there’s no cross body strap but i think i’ll be able to make my own and attach it to the sides.

(now, before i go any further, please let me point out that THIS IS NOT A TUTORIAL. i am in no way near qualified to be tellin anybody how to do anything. i just thought i’d share with you what i did.)

i didn’t follow any specific tutorial – i took bits & pieces from the very many helpful tutorials i found when i searched google for “diy camera bag”.

materials i used:

1/2”foam – about 1 1/4 yards
material – about 1 1/2 yards
iron-on velcro

 

i wanted to reinforce the bottom of the bag so i cut a piece of cardboard to fit, opened the seam in the lining, put the cardboard in then stitched the seam closed:

 

i already had the bottom measurement so i took the side measurements and cut my foam into 3 pieces – bottom and two sides. instead of covering each piece individually, i made one large case then stitched between each (you can see the sections in the 3rd photo).

then back to the foam to measure out 3 dividers. i made cases for each of those leaving about 1 1/2” extra on each side to attach the velcro (close up in 2nd photo):

then i measured my camera to see how large it’s compartment should be so i could place the velcro (that’s what i was doing in the 3rd photo, second set). then i fused on the velcro and viola!

now i have a nice, padded compartment that can go into any purse, creating a beautiful camera bag!

lessons learned: i don’t like to hand sew. and i only know one stitch (don’t ask me what it’s called!). precise measuring would have made this a bit easier (ya think?!?). fuse the velcro before you put the padding in.

most tutorials i read said it took them about 2 hours, start to finish. it took me all.afternoon. of course, about 1 hour of that was spent trying to figure out how to thread the sewing machine. then i took a break for lunch. then i broke the needle on the sewing machine and had to figure out how to fix it. very adventurous.

but i will try some simple sewing projects in the future…..i’ve actually got my eye on a couple:

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

Source: sweet-verbena.blogspot.com via Kirstie - Bonhomie Jewelry on Pinterest

 

pillow covers and this cute top!

have you done any sewing lately?