Sew Easy Ruffled Camera Strap Tutorial

I've been eyeing all the super cute camera straps that I've been seeing, so I decided to sew one.  I searched online for some tutorials for inspiration, then adapted them to work for my camera strap and the style I had in mind.  I photographed the process to share a tutorial with you.  I am so happy with how my new strap turned out!  I love the extra padding that the interfacing provides.  It's extra comfortable on my neck now, and has so much more personality than the plain black standard strap.

Remove the strap from your camera and measure the length & width of your strap.  Measure the length from the spot where you want your strap cover to end on each side.  I wanted my strap to end in the middle of the leather piece on my strap, so I measured the length from the middle of the leather piece on one side to the middle of the leather piece on the other side.

Supplies:
*Strip of fabric the length of your camera strap +1 inch x double the width of your camera strap +1.5 inches (ex. my strap was 21.5 inches long & 1 inch wide, so my strip of fabric was 22.5 in x 3.5 in)*Piece of interfacing (fusible preferable, but optional) the length of your strap x double the width of your camera strap +1/2 in (ex. my interfacing was 21.5 in x 2.5 in)
*Strip of fabric for the ruffle that is as wide as your interfacing strip x double the length of your strap (ex. my ruffle strip was 2.5 in x 43 in)
*Thread to match or coordinate with your fabric

1.  Cut your fabric strips to the lengths specified above.  You should have one strip for the actual strap, your interfacing, and one strip for the decorative ruffle.  I used a rotary cutter on a self-healing mat and a yardstick to make my long straight cuts on my fabric. 

2.  Center your interfacing on your strap fabric strip.  If you have fusible interfacing, place the fusible side against the wrong side of your fabric and iron to fuse.

3.  Fold the 1/2 in flap of fabric over the edge of the interfacing (see above) and press.

4.  Stitch a hem along the folded edge about 1/4 inch in.

5.  Fold the interfacing in half lengthwise and press to create a crease down the middle.  Fold the extra fabric over the edge of the interfacing lengthwise and press.  (see below)  Put the strap strip to the side.

6.  Take your ruffle strip of fabric and fold both long edges of your ruffle strip in approximately 1/4” and press.  I use a piece of cardstock, folding the fabric over the edge, to help me press a straight crease.

After you've pressed both edges, it should look like this.

 7.  Hem both long edges that you just pressed. (see below)

8.  Change your stitch length to 5 (a basting stitch) and stitch down the center of the ruffle strip.  Do not backstitch at the beginning or end!  Leave a couple of inches of thread when you cut off at the end.

9.  Lay the ruffle strip with the hemmed edges on the bottom on a flat surface.  Grab hold of the bottom thread coming out the end of your basting stitch and pull.  Holding that bottom thread taught, bunch and slide the fabric back to create the ruffle.  As the ruffle bunches, gently move the fabric back, spreading out the bunches to create the ruffle.  (see below)  Work from both edges toward the center until the entire strip is bunched/ruffled and is the same length as your strap fabric plus an extra 1/4 in on each end.

10.  Fold over the unfinished edge of the ruffle on each end 1/4 in, pin, and hem.  Be sure you change your stitch length back to normal!

11.  You are going to pin your ruffle onto one side of your strap, not down the center!  Using the crease you pressed down the middle as a guide, center the ruffle down one half of the strap, lining up the end of the strap and the end of the ruffle on each end, and pin it on.  (see below)

12.  Sew one line of stitches down the center of the ruffle, attaching the ruffle to the strap.

13.  Following the crease you pressed down the center of the strap, fold the strap in half.  Tucking in the raw edges you pressed over the interfacing, pin along the edge.  (see below)

14.  Edge stitch down the long edge where you pinned, making sure the ruffle stays folded back from the stitching, so it doesn't get caught into the stitches.

You're finished!

Slide the fabric strap cover over your camera strap.  Depending on how skinny & firm your strap is (mine is thinner than a DSLR strap), it can be a little bit tricky to feed the strap through the opening.  I tied a piece of twine onto the end of my black camera strap, and knotted the other end of the twine tight around a wooden skewer, then fed the skewer through the strap cover, using the twine to pull the black strap through the fabric strap cover. 

The tutorials I found for inspiration:
Cluck Cluck Sew
Moda Bake Shop by Megan of Brassy Apple
Crap I've Made

Coupon Caddy Love

I have had it on my creative to-do list to make myself a coupon caddy for almost 3 months now!  I thought it was such a great idea that I ended up making a few as gifts before I got around to sewing one to keep.  I came across this fabric at JoAnn's while looking for fabric for another project and absolutely loved everything about it.

I finished sewing my coupon caddy a couple of weekends ago and got to use for the first time on my grocery shopping trip last week.  I loved it!  It easily attaches with a velcro strap on each end.  There is now a spot for my pen to check items off my list, my calculator for when I need to price check for the best deal, scissors if I need to cut a coupon or two, and pockets to sort the coupons I pulled when writing my list from the ones for products I have already put in my cart so they are ready at check-out. 

I followed this tutorial on Blue Cricket Design after seeing Beckie's version on Infarrantly Creative.  I think the 4th time was the charm for me as far as ease of sewing (and not sticking myself multiple times) because each time I figured out a few tricks that helped during the next round.  I would say I am a beginner to barely intermediate sewer, and there were a few parts of this pattern that were a little bit difficult for me.  I want to share a few of my tips in case any of you want to make a coupon caddy of your own!

 (close-up of the back of the strap)

I found that staples to hold the layers together were hard for me to remove without snagging the fabric.  I really wanted a way to hold the 3 layers together that didn't involve pins and would keep the fabric in place while I stitched on the binding around the edges.  I looked at fusible interfacing, but the double sided fusible was so thick I was worried about my machine sewing through it, especially on the corners which were already thick.  Enter Sulky.  It's a temporary adhesive that the JoAnn's clerk recommended and it worked like a charm.  After I cut out the 3 pieces, I just sprayed each side of the interfacing one at a time and smoothed the fabric on.  It did a great job of holding the 3 pieces together while I worked.

Binding tape.  This was the most frustrating part for me.  The sides were easy, but the corners gave me fits!  At first, I didn't understand from the tutorial that you are supposed to sew it on in one big piece, folding the corners, but instead tried to cut the piece for each side and tuck the raw edges under.  Can you say headache?  It is SO much easier when you sew the binding on in one continuous piece!  I would definitely recommend searching "binding tape corner tutorials" on you tube and watching a few videos to get a rough idea of how to work with binding tape if you haven't ever done it before.  A lot of the examples were for quilting, and were more complicated than I was looking for, so I didn't follow them exactly.  But, they gave me a great starting place to play around and figure out how to fold the corners on my own.  (If anyone is interested in a few more photos of how I folded the corners, I would be happy to take some!  Just leave me a comment.)  I didn't pin the binding tape all the way around before sewing because that was a recipe for sticking myself with pins as I maneuvered the caddy, so I just tried to pin 2 sides ahead of where I was sewing at all times.  This was enough that I had room to work and get the corners folded well without being too close to where the needle was in the fabric, but not so far ahead that I was sticking myself as I turned the fabric to sew.

 (close-up of the folded corner after the binding tape is sewn on)

If you use coupons regularly, I would definitely recommend sewing a coupon caddy!  I can imagine that it would be even more helpful if you often have kids with you at the store that you are trying to manage while also pulling out coupons and referencing your list.  The few opportunities that I've had to mine so far, I have been thrilled with how much more organized and easy it is to shop with coupons when I have this cute addition on my cart!

Oh Baby! (A Dear Friend's, That Is!)

This past Saturday, I threw a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, Jami, to celebrate her little boy who is scheduled to arrive at the end of April.  It was so much fun to shower her (and her husband) with the blessing of celebrating with friends & family and lots of sweet gifts to prepare for Kaiden Judah's arrival.

 

With the beautiful Mom-to-Be

  

The hostesses (Jami & her sister in law, Diana)

I found these precious plates that I just adored at Hobby Lobby and thought the blue, white & chocolate brown with polka dots and nursery rhyme toile would be the perfect theme for the shower.

I used 4 fabrics to sew a festive fabric pennant banner that hung over the cake table, and we added baby pictures of Jami and her husband, Naseem, beside the cake.  I baked a white cake decorated with an almond cream cheese frosting and fondant polka dots.

Kaiden is already a very loved little boy!  About 35 ladies came to celebrate, and we had a huge spread of yummy dips, appetizers and desserts to enjoy.

 

  

  

The strawberry topiary was so easy to make!  I wrapped a new, medium sized styrofoam ball in cling wrap, then used toothpicks to stick the strawberries into the ball.  I sat the ball on the tin bucket, then started placing the strawberries around the bottom and worked my way to the top.  I quickly discovered that they stay on much easier if you leave the leaves on to anchor the strawberry to the toothpick!  

The tin markers that labeled each dish are actually garden markers that I found in the dollar bins at Michaels last week.  I wrote on each one with a dry erase marker and they easily wipe off, which makes them perfect for labeling dishes on a buffet!  You could also tape off the center and spray paint them with chalkboard paint, which would be another cute option. 

  

 

Dad picked out this adorable bib for his little guy. 

 

Done!  Opening all those gifts can wear a girl out!

 

We asked each guest to write a note to the parents and I will add them to a scrapbook with photos of the shower so Jami & Naseem have a keepsake from the day.

Congratulations Jami & Naseem!  I am so excited for you and can't wait to meet your little man!  You are going to be amazing parents.

Rosettes: Felt, Tulle, Organza, Oh My!

I've been wanting to create some of the unique rosettes I've been seeing around blogland for awhile now.  I created several different styles to tuck into my best friend's 30th birthday gift.  I gathered bits of felt, tulle, organza & muslin, and some beads I had on hand from jewelry I've made, and started playing.

 

I was really happy with how they turned out and they were so fun to make.  They are the perfect project to work on while I catch up on some of my favorite TV shows.  

 

I used a needle and thread to layer on the petals and just arranged and fluffed as I went.  I backed each rosette with a coordinating piece of felt, and then hot glued flat-backed pins or alligator clips to the back.  They are such cute additions to a shirt, jacket, bag or headband and can be removed for washing.  The alligator clips tuck into a ponytail or beside a barrette for a fun hair accessory.

I kept the colors pretty neutral in making these gift pins so that they could coordinate with many different outfits and colors.  I adored the muslin rosette and will definitely be making a couple to keep for myself.  (Kel, it took willpower to part with that one and tuck it into your package!)  I also have some printed fabric and bright colored felt designs planned for a few pins to add to my own accessory collection, so I hope to post photos of new pins soon! 
 

Towel Purse Tutorial

My mom had seen some bags made from towels while she was out shopping and thought they were cute. When we came across these super cute beach towels at TJ Maxx, we knew the pattern would be perfect to make our own towel purses! Because they are made from towels, they are as easy to clean as throwing them in with a load of laundry. They are perfect for running errands, taking to the pool or beach, or really any use you'd have for a large bag.

They were easy to make, so I thought I'd share a simple tutorial.

Supplies you'll need:
a large towel (beach towels work great!)
1-2 paper grocery sacks
scissors to cut your fabric
pins
sewing machine
thread to coordinate with your towel

The beach towel we used was more like a sheet! It was so large that we easily cut two purses out of one towl. First, I cut the towel in half lengthwise. If you were using a smaller towel you could skip that step.

Fold it in half as shown above. Cut the folded edge so that you have 2 pieces.

I created my own pattern using a paper grocery bag. I cut the grocery sack open to be one large flat piece and laid the grocery sack on my fabric to make sure it fit within my piece of towel. I actually taped two grocery sacks together to make a large enough piece of paper. I traced around another purse that I wanted to copy the shape of, modifying it just a little bit. I folded my grocery sack in half lengthwise, tracing half the bag, then cut out my pattern. See the finished pattern below.

(You could also free hand draw a bag shape; fold your grocery bag in half lengthwise, drawing the shape you want on one half of the bag, then cutting your drawn line while the bag is folded in half, then unfolding.)

You can make your bag any shape you want!

Take one of the towel pieces, and lay it flat on the table right side facing up. Set the other piece aside. Pin your pattern to the towel, and cut around the pattern, leaving a 1/2 inch of fabric all the way around.

Next, cut the circle out of the middle for the strap, also cutting a 1/2 inch out from the pattern.

Remove the pins and the pattern from your cut piece of fabric. Lay the second piece of towel flat on the table, placing the cut piece on top, right side down. Be sure that the right sides are facing each other and the side that you want inside your bag (in my case the plain side) on the cut piece is facing up.

You don't need to pin because the texture of the towels will hold the pieces together. Use the first cut piece as your pattern to cut out your bottom piece. Don't forget that you don't need to leave the extra 1/2 inch around the edge this step! Cut the bottom piece to match the top piece.

After both pieces are cut, pin the outside edge together. (See photo below.) Make sure that the plain sides are facing out, with the right/patterned sides facing each other!

(Unfortunately, because my thread was cream colored, you cannot see my stitching in photographs, so there are no photographs for the rest of the sewing steps.)

Sew a seam around the outside edge of the bag, 1/2 inch in from the edge. I used a straight stitch, but you could also use a zigzag if you'd like. After sewing around the entire outside edge once, I sewed back and forth across the bottom 1/3 of the bag another time to reinforce the seam, using a zigzag stitch and following just above the first seam. Since the bottom of the bag holds most of the weight, it's a good idea to reinforce the bottom seam!

Remove the pins and flip the bag right side out. Now you need to sew the hole on each piece separately for the strap. Fold the raw edge in 1/2 inch (plain side to plain side) and pin. If you want to hide the raw edge you can double fold it, tucking the raw edge inside. Sew a seam about 1/4 inch in from the edge, going all the way around one circle. Repeat on the cut out hole on the other side.

I then folded the two strap pieces together and sewed them together to make the strap. Do not sew the bottom of the hole closed as this is the opening of your purse! Start about 3 inches up the strap from the bag opening, sew a seam up and around the top of the strap, stopping 3 inches above the bag opening on the other side.

I left my opening without a closure, but you could easily sew a velcro closure to the inside of your bag in the middle of the opening.

Here is my finished bag! It took less than 2 hours from start to finish. I think I will modify the shape to have a wider opening on my next bag, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Let me know if you make your own towel purse!