This is the bag Nicole ended up with! (Yeah, I know my photography pales in comparison…but my bag doesn’t!) 😉
Even better? The clearance price tag. (Actually, we did look first and foremost for a leather bag…but nothing existed within our price range…and I didn’t know how much she ACTUALLY loved the bag she pinned!) I was OK with buying a more inexpensive bag knowing that the inserts could be removed and placed in another bag should, a) she become tired of/not like the bag, or b) the bag gets worn out because she loves it so much. 😉
So, we brought it home, I ripped the seams open, pulled out the dividing pocket and used a blind stitch to close it back up. (Meanwhile, watching Beauty and the Beast…one of my Christmas presents from the Mr. since it’s out of the vault right now!)
And voila! A wide-open bag, ready for a custom insert.
OK, so here’s what you’ll need:
- Bag, of your choosing. Just make sure it has a square/rectangular base. It needs to sit squarely and solidly–and it will be much easier to make a base for your insert if there is a flat bottom (and, how many people want their camera bag slumping or falling over?)
- Velcro–I bought iron-on, but I actually ended up sewing it after I ironed it for some extra durability. I did like, however, that it stayed in place after I ironed it. That way, I didn’t have to worry about anything shifting while sewing it on! One package was enough for one bag.
- Fabric–this depends entirely on the size of your bag and inserts! I almost always default to buying a yard if it’s a project like this…and I almost always end up with extra, but I’d rather have the “too much” problem than have to run to the store again mid-project! (Also, a yard was enough for me to make inserts for two completely separate bags.)
- Headliner fabric. This is the fabric on the inside roof of your car. I figured if it was good enough for my noggin, it was good enough for our cameras! (Yep…I made an insert for one of my bags too.) However much fabric you buy, it might be a good idea to double that amount in headliner fabric because you’re going to double wrap each insert piece. However, it does come on a wider bolt, so take that into consideration when deciding on yardage. (I found mine at JoAnn’s.)
- Plastic canvas. This will make up the framework of your insert. Once you have your bag, it should be easy to determine how much of this you will need. I bought several sheets for 59 cents apiece at JoAnn’s.
Now, to make the insert:
1. Cut out pieces of plastic canvas. You’ll need to make one for the bottom and one for each of the four sides. Make these pieces slightly smaller than you think you’ll need since you’ll be adding padding, fabric and velcro (oh, and camera equipment). You don’t want things to be too crowded in there! I found that a good rule of thumb was to have the pieces be a couple of rows short of touching. Close, but not too close.
2. Double-wrap the individual pieces in headliner fabric. Sew them closed…it doesn’t have to be pretty, you just want everything to stay nice and tight since you’ll be shoving these into tiny little fabric pockets. 🙂 I actually ran my stitch through the top row of the plastic canvas, too, so that nothing would turn or shift around.
This is what everything should look like once it’s all wrapped and sewn closed! (Imagine the four outside pieces standing up and it makes a rectangular box.)
3. Sew the fabric pockets for the inserts. This part is a little bit harder to explain and you could do this various ways. Turning my fabric together (good sides facing each other), I traced the bottom and two side pieces (those that run long-ways with the bottom) onto the back of the fabric with a piece of chalk.
Sew together three sides like you would a pillow, then turn everything right side out. Make sure that the three inserts have enough room inside, but still fit snugly, then trace the two sides of the bottom (middle) piece. You’re going to run a seam here, making three pockets–one for each insert.
After making a seam down each chalk line, place your velcro along the two sides. I chose to have one piece running down the entire inside so that inserts could be moved wherever. (Also, I sewed the “soft” portion of velcro here so she wouldn’t have to worry about the “sticky” part of the velcro scratching her equipment.) Now you’re ready to put the inserts into their pockets. This should fit like a snug pillow case–you don’t want loose fabric! Close up the open end with a blind stitch.
Finally, for each end piece and subsequent divider (I designed these inserts so that the end pieces were separate for a reason–first, it makes the insert a bit more versatile for other bags and, second, these end pieces can now be used as additional dividers), you’ll…
a. Sew the top, bottom and left side of your fabric together, leaving the right side open. Turn it right side out. Double-check that the insert fits snugly before proceeding!
b. Figure out where you want your velcro placed, iron it on.
c. Sew a seam just to the right of the velcro at the closed end…this will make a fabric “tab” and keep your insert from sliding over under the velcro (and if it doesn’t make sense now, it will by the end).
d. Slide the insert in, bumping it up right next to seam you just made and sew another seam on the right side of the insert, essentially closing it in.
e. Now blind stitch it closed!
f. I mentioned above that I sewed my velcro on, even after ironing it, for some added durability. This is the back side of the fabric “tab,” so you can see how I sewed it on.
g. Repeat until you have as many inserts as your heart desires and your camera equipment calls for! As you can see below, I made two small dividers and one long one for Nicole’s bag, to give her some variety and options (the long one can be looped in a circle (as pictured), snaked like an ‘S’, zig-zagged between lenses, etc…the short ones can be turned horizontally to make a second row, etc. etc. etc…)
And soon enough, you’ll have a custom insert that really only cost you time. In classic Alina style, I have to give you the breakdown…
Original bag: $309
Nicole’s bag: under $40 (+ about a week’s worth of evenings spent designing and creating, haha!)
So, now you can spend some time making a custom camera bag insert (for any bag you want! The possibilities are endless!) so that you can spend your dollars on new camera equipment!
Much love, friends!
Wow, found this via Pinterest — very cool! I love how you matched the inspiration bag so well, what a great find! 🙂
I love it so much! But where did you find this perfectly amazing cheap bag?!
I seriously love you Alina! I wouldn't be mad at all if you decided to make me one for my birthday (March 20th)! 😉 I think you're simply amazing! AMEN sister-friend!!!
Thank you so much! We found it at JCPenney! 🙂
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Thank you, Laurel!
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WOW! I can't believe it was less than $40, and it looks way better than the $300+ bag!
Wow, thanks, Monique!! What a nice compliment. 🙂
HOLY COW!!!! That's AMAZING!
HOLY COW!!!! That's AMAZING!
This is awesome!
This is awesome!
Very Impressive!!! When I heard (from Nicole) you got her a killer deal on a $300 camera bag I had no idea you MADE it AND it was under $40.. YES, it is AMAZING!!! I will need to make this bag for my new camera 🙂 Thanks
Very Impressive!!! When I heard (from Nicole) you got her a killer deal on a $300 camera bag I had no idea you MADE it AND it was under $40.. YES, it is AMAZING!!! I will need to make this bag for my new camera 🙂 Thanks
Thanks, Abby! Coming from you, that's quite a compliment. 😉
Thank you, Beth! Congrats on your new camera!
Thanks, Abby! Coming from you, that's quite a compliment. 😉
Thank you, Beth! Congrats on your new camera!
I am so happy I found this site. I just got a new camera for Christmas, and got to open it early :D. I have been searching for a somewhat Halloweenie bag, or at least one in orange or green, now I think I will just put one together myself. You did an amazing job putting everything together and explaining the steps clearly. Happy Holidays.
I am so happy I found this site. I just got a new camera for Christmas, and got to open it early :D. I have been searching for a somewhat Halloweenie bag, or at least one in orange or green, now I think I will just put one together myself. You did an amazing job putting everything together and explaining the steps clearly. Happy Holidays.
What a lovely and logical bag ! Making a photo bag like this seems so funny and creative 🙂 I decided to make a small one for gentlemens 🙂
i absolutely adore that bag! where did you find it?
YAY! This is so cool! I was wondering what I was going to do. I just bought a film camera and I wanted to find something nice but pro bags are super expensive. Found this on the flicker site! Thanks! I’m heading to TJ Maxx after work to see what I can find :)!
YAY! This is so cool! I was wondering what I was going to do. I just bought a film camera and I wanted to find something nice but pro bags are super expensive. Found this on the flicker site! Thanks! I’m heading to TJ Maxx after work to see what I can find :)!
This is awesome! My husband and I are going to NYC in a few weeks and I have been having such a hard time to committing to spend over $50 for a purse/camera bag (just ask my husband- I’m sure he’s over it!) haha. Anyways, this is awesome! I was just wondering if you know what the dimensions of the bag were and also if she had space to carry other things (like wallet, phone, water bottle) since we will be walking all over NYC. Awesome job though- I’m so inspired!
This is so fabulous, I recently got some new equipment and have been searching for a bag – well, I found it. Do you recall how much fabric you actually used/bought? Thanks so much for the instructions, darling!
Hi, Nicole! I am so happy I found this blog and I loved your idea!