Camera Purse

After years of wanting a DSLR camera I finally bit the bullet and bought a Nikon D3000. In order to get the best deal I ordered it online and I am patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for its arrival a week from today. So while I've been waiting I have been looking for a great camera bag. Not one of the big bulky ones that is impossible to balance with my purse but one that serves a dual purpose...ahh a camera purse! So, I went online in search of the perfect bag. My favorite bag was from Emera, it reminded my of a Kate Spade bag but for your camera. However, it was $170 and after spending so much on a new camera I couldn't bring myself to buy the bag.

So, bringing my crafty side out I decided to make my own bag. Below is a quick tutorial on how I made my fabulous camera purse!

First, I bought a new bag that would work. I needed the right dimensions, a zipper, and preferably some outer pockets for easy access. I found my bag at TJ Maxx for only $25. I then went to the craft store and bought 1" foam, 1 yard of fabric, and velcro. I also gathered my quilt batting from home to use for additional padding.

Everything I need for my camera purse

Great space inside for my new camera and all my other stuff

To start I measured all the dimensions of my bag. I then cut foam and quilt batting for the bottom of my bag and all 4 sides.

Foam and quilt batting cut to the correct side

Before I began sewing my fabric covers I put the pieces in my purse to make sure they fit correctly.

Checking to ensure the foam fits

Once I knew the foam fit I began cutting my fabric. Unfortuntaley, I picked a directional fabric which meant I had to pay a little more attention to how I cut my fabric and where I placed my seams (to make this project even easier I would suggest using a non-directional fabric). I cut and sewed the fabric to make a pillow case for each foam piece. I then ironed each case, stuffed the foam and quilt batting inside, and sewed it shut. I machine sewed the final seam shut and hide the seams between the other pieces.

From left to right: Pillow case, foam wrapped in quilt batting, and the final foam piece sewed shut

At about this point I realized, Opps! I had covered all my foam pieces and forgot to sew on the velcro. So, I decided to make the two final inserts without velcro and hoped that they would stay up based on making them a bit larger than I had planned.

Purse with main padding in...but opps forgot the velcro

After putting my inserts in without velcro it was obvious that they fit well and were not going to move. Yay, success and an even easier project! In less than 2 hours I had a great camera bag that I didn't pay $200 for.

Purse with inserts in. They fit perfectly without velcro!

Camera purse! Looks awesome inside and out!