Every photographer needs a stylish camera bag. The designer camera bags are all so darn expensive, and well they resemble so many bags I already have up on the top shelf of my closet. I’ve got so many large handbags that would be awesome camera bags that I created an insert that to convert them! This way I can change my camera bag easily to keep up with latest bag trends! The insert has adjustable and removable dividers as well so that I can store different lenses or even carry a camera and a camcorder all at once.
This Marc Jacobs handbag is easily transformed…….
……into the perfect camera bag!
You can make camera bag insert out of your favorite fabric or just plain black nylon like I did. I’m often putting juice boxes in my bag for Boo too and I wanted one that was water resistant. The materials for this project cost me around $5.
Materials needed:
32″ Velcro
1.5 yards of Fabric or Woven Nylon
1/2″ foam
Heavy poster board or thin cardboard
There were so many steps to this tutorial that I thought it would be better to create a downloadable PDF that could easily be printed off. Just click, download and print this 9-page tutorial off and make your own!
wow! that is pretty nifty. thanks for the tutorial-i seriously need to do this.
Ashley, this is an AMAZING idea! Love that you can use a trendy handbag!
That's genius! I love my hangbags and I totally LOVE this idea! Thanks so much for the tutorial, I'll be linking.
That's great! Thanks for sharing the tutorial!
YES! this is perfect. I have a hand bag that I love, but it's starting to come undone inside…now I know what to do with it!
Thanks =0)
Awesome! I could really use this!
Genius idea! Thanks for sharing!
fantastic! Thanks for posting!
taidye original
This is just what I needed. I have been looking for a bag I want to tranform into a camera bag now that I have a tutorial makes my life so much easier, thanks this is so helpful.
brilliant! I have been wanting to make a half-diaper bag, half-camera bag. perfect timing! 🙂
OK, Crafty Genius, you've done it once again! I love, love, LOVE this!!! I've been wanting to create one of these myself but my need for it hadn't yet motivated me to figure it all out and create it. So thanks so much for the tute! This has saved me a lot of time and energy and I'll be making this for sure!!!
I kept thinking we could do it ourselves…thank you for the tutorial.
ah- the cosmic conscience at work again- I was seriously trying to figure out how to do this 4 days ago!
THANK YOU for making it easy!
This is really genius Ashley!
I love the 1/2 diaper bag 1/2 camera idea!
I printed this out last night and I am looking forward to this project. Thank you so much for sharing! I have many large bags at home that will be perfect!
Oh, wow! This is so awesome!! My mother bought me a plain Jane camera bag last year and it was over $70. I have a pink vinyl purse that would be PERFECT (and way cuter) as a camera bag.
I linked to your tutorial over on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-diy-padded-camera-bag-insert/2010/10/28/
–Anne
Awesome. Now, if I just had a wonderful purse collection like you have! 🙂 Love that purse!
Ashley,
You are like my little tutorial fairy!!! I just got my first DSLR camera (FINALLY!) and I was about to go out and buy a fancy bag….now I'm doing this instead! I SERIOUSLY LOVE YOU! no really. LOVELOVELOVE you!
Genius! My BFF is a photographer and she needs a new camera bag, so instead of making her a new camera bag, I'll make her one of these and a bag… pure genius. Thanks for sharing!
Just a heads up: The graphic is a bit deceiving…the folding should look opposite what the graphic shows. Look at the picture right before the graphic to see what I'm saying. the graphic was not to scale for me.
Thought I'd help out anyone so they don't mess up like I did 🙁
Thank you! Thank you!! The LL Bean bag I bought specifically to use as a camera bag is now nicely padded and much safer for my camera!
You've inspired me to learn how to shoot manually. I'm taking a photograpy for dummies book and my camera with me on our vacation next week. I WILL BE shooting manually when I return! 🙂
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I made the insert and it fit wonderfully in an old diaper bag! I wanted to let you know that I finally started a blog — been thinking about it for well over a year, and I linked your tutorial in my very first post. I hope to get you some more traffic. You can see a picture of the insert I made from your tutorial. It's amazing what a perfect fit it was.
http://www.sparkcraft.wordpress.com
Perfect!! I'm tired of putting our camera in my knitting bag or gym bag with no padding to protect from bumps or spills. Thank you!
what are the dimensions of this when it's finished? i think the bag i'll be using is bigger than the one you used, so i'll probably have to adjust the measurements, but i'm having a hard time figuring out the dimensions you used. great tutorial though, i don't expect to have any trouble with it!
This is brilliant- thank you for sharing!
x
Michelle
http://www.michellesstylefile.blogspot.com
This is brilliant! Thanks SO much for posting this! I was just about to try and figure this out myself, but you've saved me SOO much time. Just stumbled across your blog and it's fantastic!
Thanks again!
Thanks so much for tutorial. I used it as a base for the insert I just made. I’d like to share your link to your tutorial on my post I’m putting together. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with that.
you are my HERO!!!!! thank you so much for sharing this!
So, it was 40th birthday and my husband got me a new camera and my sister got me a great bag (purse, not camera). This is exactly the tutorial I need. Thanks so much. I hope your days are better than they’ve been and you are getting to enjoy the bit of summer we have left.
where can i downlod the pdf file?i can’t find the download bar.. can you email it to me?i badly needed this..thanks
where can i downlod the file?pls help..thanks
nothing appears whenever i click on the image..please help… your tutorial would really help me..thanks
got already the file.. thank you for this tutorial.. it’s a big help.. now i can make mine..with the help of your tutorial..
I LOVE this! I have a bag with different dimensions, any chance you could help me figure out how big my dimensions should be?
Can this work as a diaper bag inset as well??? I have bags I absolutely love and don’t want to buy expensive diaper bags.
Thank you so so much!! The best after Christmas gift I could have received!! And from someone I don’t even know!! I greatly appreciate your sharing!! Can’t wait to try this!! So many advantages!! I get to choose the any bag “I” like, how many pockets/compartments, color/pattern. I’m sure my husband will also appreciate that my wish list has one less item and it will cost him $0.00 😉
Great idea!! padded dividers for pelican cases are expensive…you could be on to something here.
Just wondering where the pdf is? Couldn’t find the download link?
Thanks,
Steve
ok…I found it…just click the image…
Thanks!!!!
Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is great, let alone the content!. Thanks For Your article about Beautiful Victoria! .
Hi,
Just found your blog…and LOVE IT! I would love to make your camera bag insert but when I click on the picture tutorial nothing happens… not sure if I’m doing something wrong?
Love the post! I made something similar and posted it on my blog! You can see it here:
It is similar, but different too!
Hope you like it!
thank you so so much.
Where can i download this tutorial ?
Just click on the pattern cover and box will pop up and you can view it or save it. Thanks!
This is awesome and just what I’ve been looking for! Thanks so much! I totally didn’t want to spend the money to buy the designer bag and I have inserts for my purses I use on a daily basis – I think this is totally going to rock!