pure genius!

*

on our recent road trip i needed something in which to store the various cables. (gone are the days of the most important thing to remember being your toothbrush.) in poking through my studio, i came across this terribly photographed bag that i had altered a bunch of years ago. it worked wonderfully! so much so, in fact, that i now use it as a camera bag.

in the main of the bag sits the camera, as well as the little pouch i use when i just want to toss the camera into my diaper bag. the large pocket to the left holds the cables, with the smaller pockets on the right holding batteries, & miscellanea.

the bag was meant as a travel case, i believe. it was a sponsor gift at one of manlyman's tournies. the outside was black, with callaway written in large white letters. ever so sporty, & ever not so kat. knowing i could find a use for the bag, if only it was not so sporty, i sewed a slipcover for it.

it wasn't all that hard to do. i traced the case on kraft paper, adding an inch extra at the top, a bit more for the sides, & a bit more than that for the bottom. you'd need to take into consideration the shape of your case when deciding how much extra to add. for instance: if yours had a flat bottom, or wide sides, you'd need to allow for that. mine did not, so i did not.

one i made the pattern, i cut out two pieces of fabric. i used samples, & they being small, i needed to use two different designs in the same colors. you can just fold your fabric in half, & cut once. does that make sense? let me know if i am not being clear.

i then sewed the sides & bottom together, right sides facing in, on the machine. no need to do anything fancy, they'll be on the inside, & never seen.

next i folded the opening twice, & ironed it flat. then came the fun part; hand-stitching. i love to sew by hand.

as you can see, i stitched the cover to the bag itself, making sure to give the zipper enough room to work properly. oh, & i used embroidery floss, with a larger needle. i no longer recall why i did, but i am sure there was a reason :)

that is all there was to it. of course, it is not perfect, but i like a bit of imperfection.

the buttons are not an option; they are an integral part of the function of the entire bag. or something like that.

this idea is not limited to travel bags, you know. you could do the same thing to those ugly lunch bags, actual camera bags, & so on. heck, i even made damask sleeves for my freezer packs. happy sewing!

~peace.
ps :: the genius button was from a museum outing, eons ago. the other two (insanely adorable) buttons were found in seattle last month. they are, of course, the work of miss emily, she of black apple fame. i do not see any buttons in her shop currently, but you can ask her yourself if she plans to add any.