Camera straps are one of those projects I just keep coming back to. (See also this and this.) They’re fast and easy to make and I like having something fun and playful to dress up an otherwise pretty dull looking piece of electronics. The only downside I’ve found is that the cuter the strap, the less likely my husband is to help carry the camera on vacation!

This time I used a stamp I originally carved for some cards to block print on fabric which was just some muslin I had around. I doubled it for strength and then cut a piece that was 28 inches long and 7 inches wide. (I wanted my final strap to be 2.5 inches thick but left a lot for a seam allowance that I later trimmed away.)

Fabric ink will work best for this application, but I’ve used other inks on fabric with moderate success though they don’t wear as well.

After the ink dried, I folded the design in half on top of itself lengthwise and stitched up the side with my sewing machine. Then I trimmed the excess away and flipped the entire tube right side out.

Next, I used some scrap leather to cut two figure-8 shaped pieces and threaded a split ring (just like you have on your keychain) onto each.

To attach the leather to the fabric strap, I started by folding the end of the strap so that it tapered off in the V shape. This way, no raggedy fabric edges will stick out of the leather.

I used a small amount of leather cement along each side and folded the leather on top, securing with binder clips while it dried. Gluing the edges is purely for aesthetics because I wanted it to have a nice, finished look. The glue won’t hold the fabric in there. For that, I used rivets. First I punched two holes through the leather and fabric and then I added the rivets and set them with a hammer.

I did the same thing to add a strap (cut to 8” by 1/3”) to each of the split rings. This is the piece that will attach to the camera.

And that’s the finished product. (It’s hard to take a good picture of a project that’s attached to your camera- I had to use my cell phone for this one!)

Categories: Whimseybox Projects