My New Camera Bag

I decided to try and make myself a camera bag purse. You know, one I could carry my usual purse contents, plus my DSLR.  I knew it had to be a decent size and had to have a good amount of padding for protection. What I ended up with is a little too big for an everyday purse, but it is working quite well for my full size camera bag that holds all my lenses, flash, gorilla tripod and odds n' ends. I ended up using it for carrying all my gear to Texas for my sister's wedding and it worked well.

I looked at a few bags online to get an idea of the basic shape and dimensions. I ended up with a bag that is 15"L x 10"H x 6"W. In reality, looking at those dimensions now, I should have realized it was going to be too big to be a purse. I think I just threw that idea out and wanted something to hold all my stuff.  I used 1/2" foam along the bottom and sides of the bag. The lining is a brown liner material and I added a few layers of cotton batting to the interior pockets. That keeps everything from knocking around.

Right now I have a velcro closure hand-sewn in place. I haven't decided if I want to keep it or maybe add some straps with clasps. I had to blind stitch the lining to the bag. I would have rather sewn it in with the machine, but the foam was going to make that difficult.

I love the fabric and the orange vinyl that I found at G-street. I have quite a bit of the vinyl left over, which I have some fun ideas for. It does not scream camera bag, which I prefer, since there is expensive equipment in there. I still have my small Lowepro bag that holds my camera and a lens, which is good for short excursions when I know what lens I want to use. I am still desiring a camera purse, but I think I'm just going to save up for an Epiphanie bag.

I still love my new bag and enjoyed making it from scratch without a pattern. It feels great to make something off the top of my head and see it work out. I think I'm going to make a matching camera strap for my camera to go with my bag next!

What do you think? Too wild for your taste? Most people know I have a serious love of the color orange, so this color combo makes my heart flutter. Does anyone have any suggestions for other types of closures?