Today, my pal Kyla Roma is going to share a really fun (and useful!) do-it-yourself camera cozy! Enjoy… One of my favorite things to blog about are every day moments I capture with my husband and friends- but I don't like leaving my cameras rattling loose in my bag, and having a heavy duty camera bag taking over my life is not in my plans! A camera cozy is a quick to make, cute accessory that keeps everything you need close at hand and can swap easily from bag to bag.
Supplies Needed: fabric, pencil, scissors, needle, thread & a sewing machine
1. Choose a fabric for your project. The best type of fabric to choose is something strong and soft, but that won't "shed" and get into your camera. I found a really cute dress at a thrift store that was perfect (because it didn't fit me, and I wasn't going to let someone else snap it up!). If you choose fabric from a vintage or thrifted item, cut out the largest section of flat fabric to work from and iron it before you start working. For this dress, I cut out the skirt and made sure I had enough fabric to easily wrap around my camera twice.
2. If you use more than one camera, use the largest one as your guide. Fold the fabric in half, place your camera on top of it (lens facing the fold) and cut around the camera in a semi circle. Make sure you don't cut all the way around- leaving the pieces joined makes sure your cozy is super strong and durable. Make sure to leave extra room on either side of your camera- I cut the fabric into a baguette shape to leave room for extra lenses, but if you cut yours into more of a "V" shape it will work more like a traditional camera case.
3. Turn your fabric inside out so the "good" sides of the fabric are facing each other. Fold the top edges over and sew a straight edge along it so you have a neat seam. Then sew down along the side of the bag, one at a time (see above, left) joining up the sides of the camera cozy. Once you've sewed these up, you have the basic structure of your bag!
4. If you want to add an extra detail, pin each corner of the bag in two places – one about an inch in from the top corner and one about an inch down from the top corner of the bag. Sew a straight line between these two pins (see above, right) to create a fancier corner.
5. Sew on a long, thin piece of fabric as a strap. You can judge the length that's right for you by trying on the bags that you wear the most and seeing where you're comfortable with the cozy hanging in each- make a quick pencil mark at that point and sew across it, or fold the edges inward and sew them into a point. You can add button holes by sewing rectangles and cutting a straight line in the center of them. To line the buttons up to the holes, I placed the strap where I wanted it to line up on the front of the bag, pinned the strap there and sewed my first stitch for each button through the hole to anchor them in the right position. Then you can finish them up normally without worrying.
Slip your camera inside and button the cozy around the strap of your bag to try it out…
With your camera cozy in tow you'll be prepared for cute, candid moments whenever they happen. Organizational fashion accessories just make my geeky heart skip a beat!
Thanks, Kyla, for this adorable project! I can't wait to make one for my new camera. XO. elsie
58 Comments
This is so perfect! I have a tragic burgundy velvet dress that has been waiting for a DIY like this! π I also have a goal of using my nice big camera more in 2012 for blogging! Sooooo perfect! Thanks Kyla and Elsie! Hearts, janna lynn
Wow,thats dress carnage.Too pretty to repurpose,I think.It wouldve been better if it was an old blanket or towel in my opinion.Nevertheless,great idea.
Perfection! Such a simple and awesome DIY! eep! <3
fantastic! what a great idea. thanks for sharing!
http://www.dragonnfruit.com
Great idea!! I just got a new Nikon dslr for Christmas, and this is perfect!
Love,
Stephanie May*
http://www.maydae.com
That is genius. I love it.
What a great way to reuse a dress. I love this. xo, rv
http://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/
VERY adorable.
I did love the dress but it already served double duty so I get snipping it up for the camera cozy. Cute idea!
Either way, I think I’m going to need a bigger purse. My current one has lots of great pockets, but it’s longer and slimmer and tends to eat things. It is a black hole unto itself. Have any good purse organization solutions? I’ve always been stumped on that one.
this is such a cute inexpensive d.y.i, definitely going to try it!
http://rainbowandtrees.blogspot.com/
Bloggable moment! Nice! π
http://thisisexactlywhatitlookslike.blogspot.com
Thanks for featuring my tutorial, Elsie!
I loved the dress as it was too, but it was incredibly tiny and cheaply made to the point that it was coming apart at the seams in a number of places that would have made it difficult to repair and pass along to a friend.
Instead I made something beautiful that I could keep with me. That’s one of the fun things about thrifting! You get to get out there and save the pretty dresses from both people who’ll love them less than you and girls with scissors like me π
love this idea! so nice for keeping your camera safe- just one thing, i kind of love that yellow dress. kind of wish i would have thrifted it myself π
i WILL be making this, thanks kyla!!
http://www.seacreaturess.blogspot.com
This is so lovely and creative! I love the refashioning idea! Elsie, my hubby got me one of your Red Velvet clutches and I love it to pieces!!! Thank you so much for your creativity and sweet talent! π
Good luck!
skinnymoonstick.blogspot.com
Great DIY gift option for my photog friends!
http://www.designers-artists.com
I like that it’s called a camera cozy π
This is bag-a-rific! Loaf it!
<3 Jordan
http://jordanstypewriter.blogspot.com
Kyla, Your comment cracked me up. Love this D.I.Y. to pieces! You’re so talented… and practical too! π
Thanks for all the kind words, everyone!
This is so perfect! I will need to make one! I am now a “carry my camera everywhere” person, but it still makes me nervous! having its own little pouch is great!
Beautiful and creative. Perfect
Oh it makes me so sad when you cut up and repurpose beautiful clothes!!
But this is a good idea. I’ll have to try it with something I have lying around.
such cuteness! i love the sunshine yellow…
Cute, cute, and more cute! What a neat idea!!
cool :)Followed the blog, hope you donβt mind. And who knows, maybe youβll visit me someday too.
xoxo
http://sreebindu.blogspot.com/
I feel silly but is it bad that I am sad for the cute little mustard colored dress that had to die… ::a moment of silence::
I still think this is a great idea though! Thanks for sharing Kyla! You are so gorgeous!
Love & Lollies… Jessa
Confessions of the Cupcake Countessa
I am thinking to call it a nice tech-art work! I loved the details, so I am trying to make a new one.
Great idea.
I can’t wait to make one too π
http://fashionitisyou.com/
sweet diy!
what a nice idea! I often leave the camera at home because I don’t want to take the big camera bag. I was looking for a new sewing project. Now I have one π Thanks for the post!
Oh, great idea! Love it!
What a cool idea!
http://missbobino.blogspot.com
This is such a cute idea, I always throw my camera in my handbag with no protection whatsoever :O I will have to get sewing π
adorable!
http://soffisinglesstyle.blogspot.com/
Oh this is an awesome DIY. =D
Looks so nice and handy! I’m going to make it for sure π
I bought my first DSLR yesterday and all the bags for it are so ugly. This is must–I might use an old fleece blanket?
So simple, so genius! This is what i need for my camera! Love Kila, she looks so cool
What a lovely idea. I got a Nikon DSLR for Christmas and this is what I just need. I can’t buy a camera bag because I have just spent too much this Christmas with all the gifts and stuff. This is a great way of creating my own bag without actually having to spend money on it. π
xoxo
Ida
http://asplashofida.blogspot.com
Ooh! Love this! I am going to do this for my laptop. I want something fun and different and can’t find one, great idea!
velvetcupcakes
nice.. π
http://lovesimplegreen.blogspot.com/
Inspiring!!
I think I’ll try it!!!
http://clothes-and-fairytales.blogspot.com/
I just got a Canon Rebel T2i for Christmas so this is perfect! I am super protective of it still yet tho so It’s still in the cushy camera bag. I’m nervous to carry it around without it. lol
http://julies-thisandthat.blogspot.com/
Such a brilliant idea! And can I just say how adorable Kyla seems?
XO – Marion
Sweet idea!
LOVE this DIY! I really need to do this. My camera is too nice to go without a bag and I hate my bulky camera bag!
<3Chelsea Elizabeth
This is great, I MUST try this out! I might still have some sad little dress sitting somewhere waiting to be turned into awesomeness. Thanks!
So cute and useful, thanks!
Such a cute (and reasonably simple!) DIY. I’m so guilty of letting my SLR roam free in my handbag – I paid for that mistake last year when my 50mm lens smashed in my carry on from London to San Francisco! Almost cried after the 11 hour flight!
Adorable! I just got a new sewing machine (I’ve been using a trusty old Singer from the early 50’s for quite some time now, it’s time to retire her) for Christmas and have been waiting for the perfect first DIY project to start with it!
It looks nice but I don’t think I would keep my camera in that. I’m to scared to broke it π
http://sztukastudiowania.blogspot.com/
oh goodness now I have to go shopping for new fabric because this is a spectacular idea! I HATE lugging around a camera case
This is so sweet! Comes in handy too! Elsie you’re so creative!
~T
I have the ‘unperfect’ dress for this very project.
http://www.houseofavandan.blogspot.com
http:www.vmsloan.etsy.com
you have a fantastic idea. and its nice to share you beautiful idea. im glad to say this.
love this idea! so practical:) xoxo
http://heylyss.wordpress.com/
So cute. I love the idea. Those are really good stuff, i super love the camera anyways. Thank you for sharing! Looking forward for more
Wow. Very creative.. i love it. I want to see more of your work. Great job.