It’s been a while since I’ve done any serious leatherwork, but with Michelle picking up her photography and wanting a daily solution for carrying a good camera, I decided to create a custom camera purse for her. We designed the purse to be small enough for everyday use, but large enough to hold the Tenba BYOB 7 (Bring Your Own Bag) with a little room for her phone, wallet, keys, etc. The Tenba bag insert is just big enough to carry the Sony a6000 with two smallish lenses. Currently she is carrying a small 35mm and Sony’s 55-210mm tiny telephoto lens, but we have a few other lenses that could work, depending on her mood.

We went for a vintage-y look, so we were able to get some good leather with a few flaws for a good price at Tandy Leather. We looked for some hardware that fit the bill at Tandy, as well. Of course, we both love the steampunk look, so I used some Tandy steampunk conchos for the strap. They did not have any antique brass D-rings or Trigger Snaps, so I bought the regular brass and distressed them by soaking them in apple cider vinegar and then baking them. It was kind of a fun process! I also had a good time experimenting with dip-dyeing the leather and using some new stitching and burnishing techniques.

The finished product.

A fun little propeller for some character on the strap. Our macro lens really brought out the texture in this, which is about twice the size of a U.S. quarter.

What’s in your bag?