Tag Archives | fabric

{DIY} Camera Strap Cover

By Lori on November 9, 2010 in Things I Make, {DIY} Tutorials

As is the case with most of you I assume, I LOVE to take pictures. However, the plain black camera strap that came with my camera really doesn’t suit my personal style.

There are some really great camera strap covers out there, such as Shey B, but while I wish I was since I fully believe in supporting small businesses, and especially believe in supporting handmade, I’m just not in a place where I can spend money on things like that.

So, I decided to make my own.
If you find yourself in a similar boat, or just prefer to do things yourself, follow along!

I made my cover very simple. Thought I should stick with the basics for the first one & perhaps embellish a bit later on.
But one thing I knew I HAD to have was a pocket for my lens cap.

I’m ALWAYS loosing it.

So the first thing I needed to do was find out how wide my largest lens cap is.
Mine measured in at about 2.5″, so that was how wide I needed to make the finished size of my strap cover, even though my camera strap isn’t that wide.

If your lens cap is less wide than your strap, use the strap to get your finished width.

I then cut out my fabric for the outside of the cover & the pocket.

The width of the piece you cut out will be:
(width of camera lens) + (2 seam allowances @ .5″ each [1" total])
For me, that was: 2.5″ + 1″ = 3.5″

The formula for the length is similar:
(length of the strap you want to cover) + (2 seam allowances @ .5″ each [1" total])
For me, that was: 23″ + 1″ = 24″

Which gave me a total of 3.5″ x 24″ (cut 2)

For the pocket, since a camera lens is round, I was able to just use the width measurement and make a square:
3.5″ x 3.5″ (cut 1)

Zig-zag, or serge the top & bottom of your square.
Fold the square for your pocket over .5″ on one of the serged sides, pinning in place.
Sew about 3/8″ from the folded side.

On the wrong side of your pocket fabric, draw a line with a fabric pen . 5″ away from the opposite serged edge.
With the fabric right sides together, place your pocket so that the line you just drew is 2.75″ away from the end of the larger fabric.
Pin in place and sew, using the line as your guide.

Fold the pocket fabric so that the right side of it and the strap fabric are both showing.
Iron.
Pin the pocket to the strap fabric on both sides.

Baste in place by sewing about 1/4″ from the edges on both sides.

With right sides together, place the other piece of outer fabric on top, making sure to match up all the sides.
Pin 1 side in place.
Sew that seam up using a .5″ seam allowance.

For the contrasting inside fabric, the easiest way to know how big to cut it, is to measure what you have to far, opened up.
For me, this was: 6″ x 24″ (cut 1)

If you want the formula, it is: (width of lens cap x 2) + (2 seam allowances @ .5″ each [1" total])
(2.5″ x 2) + 1 = 6″
Length is figured the same way as before.

Place the 2 pieces right-sides-together and pin in place along the top and bottom edges (the short edges).
Sew .5″ away from the unfinished edge on each side.

Flip the fabric so that the wrong sides are now together and iron the folded edges.
Sew a top-stitch about 1/4″ from the folded edge on each end to secure.

To make sure the inside fabric stays in place, top-stitch 1/8″ to 1/4″ away from the long, center seam on your outside fabric.

Fold the strap cover so that your outside fabric is in the middle.
Pin in place & sew using a .5″ seam allowance
Finish the raw edge by either zig-zagging or using a serger.

Turn the cover right-side-out.

Iron flat and your ready to slip your camera strap inside!

And now that you have the basics, feel free to embellish with ruffles, buttons and any manner of fun fabric!

Hope you enjoy!!

xoxo Lori Danelle

Comments { 11 }

Rosette & Headband Tutorial

By Lori on March 16, 2010 in Things I Make, {DIY} Tutorials

I’ve been seeing these fabric rosettes popping up all over the place and decided I needed to learn how to make them when I saw this pillow by dwellstudio for Target. I looked at quite a few tutorials online, as well as purchased the pillow so I could see how they made/attached theirs. (I would link to those tutorials, except I took screen shots of the blog posts & now have no idea where they were located!! Sorry!!) Between all of it, I took a little bit from here and a little from there, and figured out a way that works well for me.

If you’d like to try your hand at it, here you go!!

Start with a strip of fabric that is about 4 inches wide. Here, I’m using an unbleached cotton muslin, so I cut into the fabric about 2 inches away from the cut edge and then tore the fabric the rest of the way across, making that edge “thread perfect.” Then 4 inches over, I cut & tore again, giving me my 4 inch wide strip.

Fold the strip in half and press with an iron. This doesn’t need to be too precise, so don’t worry if your edges don’t match perfectly.

Open the strip back up and, working down one side, fold the edge to the middle and press. Again, you don’t have to match things up precisely.

Repeat on the other side.

Lastly, fold back in half and press one more time.

I like to do quite a few at a time so I have my strips ready whenever the urge to make a rosette hits me. (mostly when I’m watching TV or should be cleaning the house. . .)

Now you’re ready to start twisting!

Here’s the tricky part, and my disclaimer. From here, some of the tutorials I looked at had you wrap the fabric around a pencil or something like that. I liked having more control over it than that, but at the same time, things can get more unpredictable, so be patient and use lots of pins!!!

Take one end and twist it a bit so a few inches are twisted somewhat tightly into a rope. Then, start rolling it onto itself like a cinnamon roll, pinning often to keep secure.

Continue twisting, wrapping and pinning, gradually allowing your twisted rope to get looser and looser.

Continue until desired size or until you run out of fabric.

Secure the last flap of fabric to the back of the rosette. In the center of the rose, lightly pull your starting edge toward the back as well so that you can tack it down, too.

With a needle & thread, (and a thimble if you have one!!) start sewing! Stitch the layers together where they overlap, being careful not to let your stitches show on the front side. I like to start on the outside and work my way in, and run my needle all the way through the center “bud” several times, coming at it from several directions to ensure that it is secure.

Again, I read several tutorials that skipped this sewing step and instead opted to pull out the hot glue gun and some felt. I have a tendency to over-do things, so I don’t really trust hot glue over the long run. I worry that over time the rosette will pull away from the felt. However, I do wish I could do things the “simple” way, so if you dread a needle and thread, perhaps the hot glue gun is the way to go!! (Unless you’re my Mom. Then please, please, please stay away from the hot glue. You don’t need the burns, nor the hot glue strings all over!!)

Now your rosette is complete, ready for all sorts of applications! I’m going to make a headband with mine though.

Cut a circle of felt about the size of your rosette. Also cut a 1 inch strip of felt the same length as your circle. Center and pin the strip to your felt circle. Stitch 1/4 inch from each side of the strip, securing to the circle, while leaving the ends open. (Alter the width if necessary to accommodate your headband of choice.)

Now, I know I just said I don’t really trust hot glue, but I can’t figure out a way around it! You could hand stitch your felt circle to the rosette, but then you’d have a lot of stitches that wouldn’t look polished, could snag on something and wouldn’t be as tight as I feel is necessary. So, pull out your hot glue gun!!

Put the glue on to the bottom of the rosette, not getting too close to the edges, but making sure to get pretty good coverage elsewhere. Place the felt circle with the sewn on strip facing down, onto the rosette, pressing into the glue to secure.

(This step is how I justify the hot glue!) Using your zipper foot, with the rosette facing up, sew around the perimeter of the rose, pulling back the layer of fabric directly above so that you can hide your stitches underneath, being careful not to sew the edges of the channel you made with the strip of felt closed. But, if you do, I think that’s what a seam ripper is for. (And just so you know, I sewed mine closed the first time. Oops!)

(If this step sounds a bit over-kill to you, feel free to skip it. Remember, I like to over-do things.)

Trim your felt close to your stitches, making sure that you cannot see any of the felt from the top of the rosette.

Slip your headband in, and:

There you go! One very impressive headband!

This particular rose is quite large, so yours probably won’t look this big on your headband. Also, experiment with all different colors, fabrics and if you want to have your rosettes fray a bit, cut your fabric to 2 inches, fold in half and start twisting! So many possibilities!!!

Also, if you love the look, but aren’t quite the do-it-yourself-er, never fear! I will soon be listing these headbands in my etsy.com shop. (Didn’t know I had one of those, did you?) I’ve decided it has sat unused long enough and will get things going very soon! I’ll let you know for sure when it gets populated, but if you don’t trust me and want to check for yourself, here’s the link. One day, it will have more than rosettes and headbands, but I’ve got to start somewhere or I’ll never start at all!

Have fun twisting and Please!! If you give these rosettes a try, send me pictures of your creation! I’d love to see them!!

xoxo—Lori

Let me know if you have questions too in the case I didn’t make a step clear or whatever!

Comments { 5 }

An arrow in my heart

By Lori on February 13, 2010 in Things I Make

Loved the way the bracelets looked all together on their cards. So before they all were dispersed I thought I’d grab a photo of them. Too Cute!!

xoxo—Lori

Comments { 3 }

No sleep for the crazy

By Lori on February 12, 2010 in Things I Make

Not sure why I do this to myself. I mean, I love doing it, but why can’t I do it within a normal time frame and at a normal hour??

Since last year when I saw these, I knew just what I’d be doing for the girls’ valentine’s exchange. But I didn’t fully realize how long it would take nor factor in the fact that I’m too busy with kitchen cabinets.

Regardless, last night I was up very, very late making these.

Big Sister helped for awhile before going to bed, but that mostly consisted of me telling her not to turn off my sewing machine, not to cut anything, and not to stab herself with pins. In the end, she “helped” by taking the pins out of the hearts that I had already pinned together and putting one pin into each separate heart.
Cute.
Not helpful, but cute.

I showed them to the girls this morning and they LOVED them. Big Sister was so excited to give them to her friends and Little cried when I put them back in the bag. Sort of makes the whole thing worth it, don’t you think?

xoxo—Lori

Comments { 2 }

Using my Christmas toys!

By Lori on January 18, 2010 in Things I Make

Every single person at our house was sick last week. All of us. There was a bit of overlapping going on, but at some point, we all had to stay home. So much fun. (I hope you sense the sarcasm.)

However, I did find a somewhat quiet moment on a day when I, myself was not sick, to use a new gift I’ve been itching to try.

I’ve been wanting a rotary cutter for about a year now, but every time I went to purchase one I became cheap and left without it.

So, I asked for one for Christmas.

Why, Oh why didn’t I buy it sooner? I finally got a chance to use it last week to trim out the quilt I’m making Little Sister. So easy—Like I knew it would be. Such straight, clean line—Like I knew it would be. And I was done in at least half the time it would have taken me to measure out & cut with scissors—Like I knew it would. . ..

xoxo—Lori

Comments { 0 }

Picture day & New dresses

By Lori on September 22, 2009 in Family, Things I Make

Today is picture day at school for the girls and I wanted them to wear the dresses I made for them.

One problem.

Big Sister’s dress still lacked button holes and I lacked the equipment to complete them.

What’s a girl to do?

Go to Target, buy a sewing machine, carefully note how it was packaged, sew the button hole, repackage the machine and return the thing the next day. Maybe not the most correct thing to do, but sometimes you just have to get things done!! (And Jenny, thanks for you’re offer and I may take you up on it sometime between now and when I get my new machine, but I just didn’t have time to make it to your house!!)

Turned out pretty cute! I’ve made a few adjustments from the last dress and we’ll give this one a few wears before I call the design complete.

I made the skirt even fuller, because really, there is no such thing as a too-full skirt. As a child I was a firm believer that dresses were for twirling and if the skirt didn’t fly up properly then the dress was pretty worthless. So basically, I’m trying to fulfill my childhood dreams of the perfect dress. Hopefully, the Sisters and little girls everywhere will appreciate my efforts!!

xoxo—Lori