Camera Straps

We carry them around our necks and capture the moments of our lives with them. We're talking about cameras, and today four of the Fiskars design team members are joining us to share ideas for crafting custom camera straps. For any season and in color scheme- take their ideas and have fun crafting!

Designer: Janna Wilson
My camera is over seven years old now and I’ve said many times it’s the best money I’ve ever spent!  I think it’s time to dress it up a bit, give it a little pizazz!  I’m going to show you how you can add a bit of personality to your camera strap to reflect your style by making a sassy strap covering.  Beware…all of your friends are going to want one!

Note: My camera is a Canon Digital SLR and the coverable part of the strap measures 1 ½” x 24”.  The ends of the strap are a firm rubber type plastic and they are rounded.  Your camera strap style my not be exactly like mine, but with these directions you should have no trouble putting this together for most strap styles. 

First measure your strap.  Add 1 ¼” to the width measurement and add 1” to the length measurement to arrive at the size of your fabric strips.  Rotary cut two fabric strips to size.  (My strips measured 2 ¾” x 25”.)

TIP:  Choose a sturdy fabric for a long lasting strap cover…look for upholstery or decorator fabric for best results.  If you don’t use a sturdy fabric you might consider using a fusible interfacing for added sturdiness.

Trace the end of the strap (the plastic/rubber part) onto some paper.   Leave an opening where the smaller/thinner strap comes out of the rubber end (this is IMPORTANT so that you will end up with an opening in your finished strap).  Transfer this pattern onto the WRONG side of one of your strips (both ends) marking the opening points.  Remember: YOU WILL NOT STITCH between these two points.

In order to be able to insert the camera strap into the finished cover, you must leave a 2 ½” opening in the side stitching…mark this on the WRONG side of the same strip you made the end markings on.  YOU WILL NOT STITCH between these two points/arrows. Now you are ready to stitch around the strap cover.  With RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, take ½” seams all the way and remember to stop at the points you’ve marked in the previous steps.  Backstitch at these points to start and stop sewing.

Use the knit picker tool from the 12-in-1 Sewing Multi Tool to turn the casing right side out by snagging  a bit of the seam allowance on one end and bringing it through the 2 ½” opening in the side. Now press the cover and edge stitch avoiding the openings of the strap casing.

Attach the large safety pin from the 12-in-1 Sewing Multi Tool to the end of the strap and insert it into the side vent left in the casing.  Pull it through to the end; repeat with the other end. Close the side opening either by hand stitching or edge stitching with the machine.  Finish the ends (where the small strap comes through the opening) by hand stitching/tacking raw edges in place.  Embellish one end of the strap with a purchased felt flower and button accent.  Glue it in place with the Easy Squeeze Glue gun.

If you’re like me, you’ll want to change your strap out a few times a year.  Just pull out the seam ripper from the 12-in-1 Sewing Multi Tool and pick a few of the stitches to free the camera strap and have fun making another! 

Designer: Katrina Simeck
Covered camera straps are all the rage! I’ve been hoarding a scrap of Amy Butler fabric that seemed just perfect for trying to create my own cover. This strap cover is super-simple, and slides over an existing strap…meaning that I can change it out when I want a different color or pattern.

I started by measuring the width & length of my camera strap. I added an inch to the width & length for seam allowances. The Fiskars Rotary Trimmer is handy for cutting fabric…especially when you’re dealing with straight lines! Fold over approx .5 inch on each end, and machine stitch.

Then pin the fabric, right sides together, and stitch the long edge. Use the Fiskars 12-in-1 Sewing Multi tool to help turn the fabric right side out (you’ll have a long “tube” at this point). Attach a safety pin to one end of your camera strap to help guide, and slide your fabric cover over the strap.

Designer: Patti Milazzo
My camera strap is your basic black strap that came with my Rebel XT.  It’s seen better days but is still sturdy so I’m really not in the market for purchasing a new one.  That’s why the concept of a removable camera strap slip-cover appealed to me so much.  I love the idea that I can create different covers in a rainbow of colors and interchange them as the mood strikes me.  And they’re washable! 

For this strap, I used two different fabrics to make it reversible, a pocket to fit an additional CF card, an embellished flower yo-yo (just because it’s cute!) and ribbon tab (or D-ring) to clip on or attach things if needed. My slip-cover design involved creating two tubes of fabric that are then stitched together to create a tube that would ultimately be the slip cover.  I started by measuring my strap with the Sewing Multi-Tool’s measuring tape.
I wanted my slip-cover to partially cover the black end pieces of the strap so I added a couple inches to my final measurements of the strap – 1 ½”W x 22”L.   Using the Acrylic Ruler and Comfort Grip Rotary Tool, I cut 2 pieces of fabric (1 each pattern) 5 ½”W x 22 ½”L - I added 4” to the width and ½” to the length.  I also cut a 4 ½”W x 7”H piece of floral fabric that I made into a pocket.  This would be the time to add any interfacing or line, if you choose.  I didn’t for this slip-cover, but did for another I made later and liked the extra padding the lining provided.

Once the 3 pieces were cut, I folded over and pressed the ends (strap pieces only) for a finished edge, then stitched the tubes along the length of each with the right sides facing in, pressed the seams open and then turned out each piece.  For the pocket, I stitched the 4 ½” edge with right sides facing in and then turned the piece right side out.  Again, I love the convenient features the Sewing Multi-Tool offers like the magnet tip on the tool.  It helped keep my pins from being everywhere on my work surface. 

Once the pieces were turned out, I pressed them flat with the seam running along the center of each piece – this part would be the inside of the strap (and pocket) and wouldn’t be visible.  I trimmed the sides of pocket with Pinking Shears to minimize fraying.  I stitched 3 of the strap ends closed with a zig-zag strip.  I left one undone where the pocket would later be attached.  I also used this same stitch to finish the top of the pocket – do not stitch the bottom. 

I wanted my strap to have a little flower yo-yo embellishment on the pocket, so I set aside the stitched pieces and used my Circle Shape Template to cut 2 circles from yellow fabric.  Then I folded in ¼” around the edge and did a gathering stitch as I moved around the circle.  I kept my stitches small all the way around, then pulled tight and secured with a knot.  Once the larger (4”) and smaller circles (3”) were done I layered them and added buttons to the center.  Attach the yo-yo to the outer side of the pocket

With the yo-yo attached to the pocket, I pinned the pocket to the unstitched strap end and used the same zig-zag stitch to secure the pocket bottom in place.  I folded behind and sandwiched the pocket edges between the floral and polka dot pieces and pinned in place.  I also pinned a small folded piece of ribbon to make a loop at the other end of the strap.  Then I stitched along the length of both edges of the strap twice.  Once my slip-cover was complete, I simply slid it onto my existing strap.  Voila!  A fresh look for my camera!

Designer: Susan Weinroth
I have always admired the “home-made” creative camera straps available for purchase on sites like Etsy.  And so when I was asked to create a camera strap project for this article, I was beyond thrilled.  After all, I was going to be adding something I adore – fabric – to one of my greatest loves – my camera.  What could be better?!

I decided to create a “slipcover” of sorts for my existing Canon camera strap.  I choose a fun fabric from Anna Maria Horner’s chocolate lollipop line, with a small print that would show well on the finished narrow strap.  Using my Fiskars comfort grip rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler, I cut a straight 4.5 inch wide strip of fabric – the length of a standard bolt (44 inches).  Next I folded the strip in half so that it was 4.5 x 22.  Fold down the rough selvedge end and crease with an iron, as well as creasing the folded middle part.  Machine stitch a ¼ inch inseam at both ends to secure.  Next fold the fabric in half lengthwise (with clean sides facing each other) and iron to crease (2.25 x 22) – machine stitch a ¼ inch seam along the open edge.  Turn strap-slipcover inside out.

For an added little extra, create a fun fabric flower like mine to embellish your camera strap cover with.  I used the Fiskars circle shape cutting template to trace circles onto fabric with pencil, and trim them out with Fiskars No. 5 Microtip scissors.  The more layers the better your flower will look!  Machine stitch a small spot in the middle of your layered flower (to hold everything together), and then add a button to the center.  Either pin or use fabric glue to fix your fabric flower in place, and enjoy.

By fiskars design team