DIY Purse Camera Bag

I am so very excited about this one ya'll! About a month or so ago we decided it was time to invest in a really good camera. We were tired of buying a new point and shoot every couple of years and I am so happy we did it! We bought a Nikon DSLR and I absolutely love it!

The only problem that I had with it was protecting it. We bought a camera bag that is really awesome (and was on sale!) but it was not ideal for taking to play dates, the park, etc. Throwing it into my purse definitely wasn't an option since there isn't any protection for it or my extra lens.

So..... I made my own camera protection insert and shoved it into my purse! The neat thing about it is it's adjustable so I can use it in most of my (bigger) purses! :) I have seen so many tutorials on how to make a purse into a camera bag that are so awesome but I didn't want something that was one set size. So I made my own and I am sharing my process with you.

I hope you enjoy it and feel free to pin the tutorial to share with your friends and family too! :)

The Parts:

-1 purse

-1 total yard of fabric

(I did change my mind on the blue because seeing items against a lighter color is easier)

-1 yard of 1/2 to 1 inch think foam - this is preference really. I went with 1/2 inch

-basic sew on Velcro (whatever width you want to use) you will need a lot more of the soft side to go around the inside of the main ring twice.

-Basic sewing supplies (sewing machine, scissors or rotary cutter and mat, etc.)

Note: If you are really ambitious and don't have a sewing machine you technically could do this by hand.

Assembly:



First you need to measure the bottom of the purse. Be sure you round the corners if the bottom of your purse is rounded. Cut out the foam.

After doing that place the foam bottom piece inside the purse and measure from the top of it to the desired height of your foam insert. I didn't do my to the top but rather 2 inches higher than my camera.

Now cut out a strip at your desired height and place it inside the purse like so...

Now cut the strip so it is 2 inches shorter than being flush.

Now you need to cut out your fabric. If your using 1/2 inch think foam you will cut out each piece 1/2 inch thicker to account for the thickness.

Once you cut out the pieces you need to sew them together leaving about a 3-4 inch opening on one end, like so...

Be sure to clip your corners to get a nice crisp edge. :)

TIP: start about 1-2 inches in from the corner on one of the short sides to avoid messy corners. This will cause you to end 1-2 inches in on the other side of the short end resulting in sewn corners.

See what I mean? Okay, now turn it right side out and work the foam into the fabric.

Now fold the ends under and either hand stitch or pin and run through the machine. I ran my through the machine because the seam wont ever be seen.

Now do the same steps for your large ring piece.

NOTE: If you use 2 different fabrics like I did 

you can still make it look good and professional by top stitching your seams, like so....

Iron out flat....

and stitch both sides.

Here is the other seam.

Now measure the width between the sides WITH YOUR FOAM IN THE PURSE. If you don't measure with the foam inside the purse the inserts will be to big.

Cut the foam pieces shorter on each side to account for the rough side of the velcro. This will vary based on the width of the velcro you chose to use. Sew the fabric right sides together on three sides.

Attach your velcro rough pieces on each side leaving 1-2 inches free on the bottom to make closing the seam easier.

Now you will need to insert the foam into the fabric just like before.

Fold the foam up out of the way and pin the edges like so....

Now run through the machine to achieve this.....

Now you need to attach the soft side of the velcro. I did mine 2 inches from the top and then the second strip 3 inches from the top strip.

Your almost finished now!!! :)

Fold in half (right sides together) just like the bottom piece and stuff the foam insert into the fabric...

Remember your foam will be shorter on each short end so you can add velcro to each side. (this makes it adjustable)

TIP: Sew the soft side of the velcro to the pattern side and the rough side to the solid side to avoid the most contact with rough side on the interior.

Now all you need to do is place the pieces into your purse and your finished! :)

It works great for baby stuff too!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

I'm linking up!