Lookee Here!

I have been eyeing my new camera's strap with disdain for about a month now.  (Yes, I finally got my new camera, and am trying to be patient as I learn all of it's bells and whistles.   All the pics I've been posting are from the new camera and I love most of 'em!)

So, back to the strap.  The boring, black strap.  With the brand, NIKON, stitched across it in a screaming, annoying yellow color.  

I'd looked online at several places that make funky, fancy, frilly and fantastic strap covers and replacement straps.  I was thrilled with the choices, the colors, the variety...  What I wasn't thrilled with was the price.  Especially since I usually just bunch the strap up in my hand as I'm carrying the camera.  It's not like it's a necklace or anything.   I'm not really into the whole camera-around-the-neck-Hawaiian-shirt-white-knee-socks-with-sandals-look.  

After looking closely at the pictures for the strap covers sold online, and after letting the idea simmer in my brain for a while, I decided to give it a whirl.  

I bought some funky, pretty material at Walmart.  Total cost for material:  $.50   Yes, you read that correctly -- fitty cent!

Then, using my Greyhaired Momma super duper brainpower, I stitched up a slipcover for my strap.

Luckily for me, the length of the fabric was long enough to create a gathered slipcover.  And, I'd purchased a 1/8 of a yard of the fabric, so that was perfect for the width.  As I see it, it all worked out smashingly, as I don't like fiddling with measuring the width and then trying to figure out how to cut a straight line.  And, don't even begin to mention a quilter's circular roller cutter thingie.  I am still suffering PTSD from the attempts at quilting I did during college.  Excuse me now while I go deal with this quilting-induced eye twitch...

I began by folding the ends of the cloth over to the wrong side and sewing a 1/4" seam.  

Then, I folded the fabric the long way and stitched a 1/2" seam, stopping about 2" from the ends of the fabric.

I then pinked the edge.  Oh, I love pinking.  I love the name of it, I love the zig zag edge of the fabric and I love the little ziggy zaggy ribbons of fabric that are left over after the pinking has concluded.  Oh, pinking, how I love you!  Hmmm... what else in this house can I find to pink???

I digress.  Again.

After pinking (ahhhh!), I finger pressed open the seam.  Who needs an iron when you've got a fingernail?  Not this girl.  

Then came the tricky part:  Sewing the pocket/canal/channel around the top in which to hold the ribbons that would close the ends of the slipcover.  I had thought to sew a nice little three sided rectangle -- ugh, can it be a rectangle if it only has three sides?  So, I thought I'd sew a three sided rectangle a "U" shape around the top edge of each end, flip it to the inside, and sew the pocket/canal/channel.  Only problem?  The little tube of fabric was too small for me to do that on my machine without sewing the whole schebang together.  

You might ask how I know that it was too small.   Did I eyeball it and know?  Did I put it on the machine and know?  No.  And no.  I tried to sew it.  Then I reintroduced myself to my friend, my CLOSE friend, Miss Seam Ripper.  She and I go way back.  She, too, is a part of my quilting past.  And pretty much anything else I've ever tried to sew.   In my defense, most of her use has been a direct result of my sewing machine throwing a tantrum rivaling any three year old and making a big mess of whatever project I'm sewing.  It certainly doesn't have anything to do with my, ahem, skills.  (Un-skills?  Lack of skills?)  At least that's my story.  And I'm stickin' to it...

Out came a needle.  And thread.  And a lot of negative thoughts.  I'm not a big fan of hand sewing.  But, for the sake of the craft, I sewed the pocket/canal/channel by hand.  It wasn't so bad.  But, I'm sure it's like childbirth -- the memories fade over time!

Then I flipped the whole thing inside out.  And threaded the ugly stock strap through my new, funky, pretty slipcover.  Added some ribbons through the channels on each end and tied little bows.  

Then I stood back and patted myself on the shoulder.

Cost of fabric:  Fitty Cent

Time of labor:  About one hour...give or take eye twitching episodes and Miss Ripper's involvement.

Beautification of the standard, stock, black, and boring camera neck strap... Yeah, you know what's coming... wait for it... wait for it...PRICELESS!

I'm thinkin' that I could become a camera-around-the-neck-Hawaiian-shirt-wearing-white-knee-socks-with-sandals kinda girl.  Except without the Hawaiian shirt.  Or the knee socks with sandals.  But with, definitely with, the camera around my neck sporting a cute slipcovered strap!