Upcycled Challenge: Pet Food Bag to Camera Wallet #freefromtrash

We just recently switched the dogs to this new grain-free food called Arcana due to skin allergies.  The dogs really like it and it comes in this really pretty turquoise bag, which I thought would be perfect for this upcycling challenge.  I've already used the pretty patterned part for several projects including decorating some baby formula cans for my crafting area.

I've also seen on etsy some crafters who make reusable totes from pet food bags, like this shop Prancing Pony, and this shop Cluck Cluck Craft.  

I decided to make a case for our new Kodak Playsport video Camera.  This bag is a very heavy duty foil, the kind that you can't rip and that helps the food the bag holds retain moisture. To prepare the bag, cut it into sections and wash it because it smells like dog food!  Dry it well.  For this project I used an 8.5inch x 4inch rectangle and a 5inch X 4inch rectangle. I also had some left-over felted wool from my wool soaker project so I decided to line the inside of the pouch with it.  

Back (turquoise) and front (lettered)

attach felt to insides

I used a zig-zag stitch to attached the wool to the inside sides of the foil.  I did a horrible job keeping everything straight.  Be careful because if you have to rip out a seam the foil retains the needle holes, unlike material where they usually can be closed up.  Also I tried to leave a margin around the wool for attaching the front and back sections but i did a horrible job at that too.  The wool is very stretchy and the foil material is very slippery - a disastrous combo for keeping things looking neat.  Now if I had been thinking I would have attached some sew-on velcro to the front and back sections BEFORE I sewed them together.  You could also use stick on velcro dots but I don't have any handy right now. 

foil is slippery and gets all curly

Because you can't easily turn this type of material ( i tried!), you will have to top-stitch to fasten the front and back together.  The playsport fits in snugly which is nice and the felt protects the screen.  I like to allow the cord to hang out because then you can use it as a wristlette for carrying your camera, but you could always stick it in to the pouch.  Unfortunately this isn't waterproof (maybe "water-resistant") because of the stitching, but it would probably protect the camera in a light rain.  I need to make another one with more attention to detail.  What do you think?

Kodak PlaySport fits snugly

I should have sewn on velcro before I put the sections together!

back detail

I just made this up as I went along but if you are looking for a compilation of wallet or camera case patterns, check out these sites.


http://tipnut.com/wallet-patterns/


http://tipnut.com/camera-cases/




This post is part of the Upcycled Crafting Challenge (#freefromtrash) hosted by Calley, The Eco Chic, and is part of a one month challenge to create from trash.  This challenge will hopefully open your eyes to the number of items that we still end up trashing every day that could be used by ourselves or our kids to create fun and useful items.  To find out more about the challenge and to see other projects click on over to Calley’s announcement post. 

This craft was shared with:

Making the World Cuter