Get Rockin' with a Guitar Strap Cover

by Sarah Reed

Play guitar? Customize your gear by adding a simple, removable fabric cover to your guitar strap. (Come to think of it, you could also do this for a messenger bag strap.)

What you’ll need:

• 1 yard of durable fabric
• 1 store-bought guitar strap (the simpler the better)
• 1 spool of matching/contrasting thread
• Disappearing fabric pen or colored pencil
• 1 yard of fusible fabric stiffener (optional)
• 1 package of 1/4" or 1/2" self-adhesive Velcro strip
• 3–4 straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Fabric scissors
• Iron

Difficulty: (Some sewing skills, but the shapes are easy to manage.)

Time: (Once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly.)

Step 1: Shop and Fit!

• If you don’t already have one, buy a guitar strap. Keep it simple. Putting a cover on a bulky or already fabric-covered strap can make the final strap fussy and uncomfortable.
• Buy enough durable, woven fabric to cover your strap.
• Test the fit of your strap according to how long you need the strap to be when you're using it with your guitar. This will help you to determine the length of the cover.

If you’re making this for a friend, make sure you fit the strap to your friend’s measurements.

Step 2: Measure and Cut!

• Measure the width of the strap, and double that measurement.
• Add at least 1.5” to that width measurement. This will leave the extra room for the Velcro closure strip. These will give you the overall length and width of the fabric piece you will need (see picture). For example:
  Guitar strap = 4" wide x 42" long (before adjustment piece)
  Fabric = 9.5" wide x 42" long
  Velcro (fuzzy side) = .25" wide x 42" long
  Velcro (prickly side) = .25" wide x 42" long
• Cut your fabric and then cut a piece of fusible fabric stiffener the same size. Cut your Velcro strip the same length as your fabric.

Step 3: Fuse and Iron!

• Use the iron to fuse the piece to the fabric. Trim fabric stiffener to the same size as the fabric (see picture).
• Fold the short ends over by at least .25" inch and then again by at least .25”. Iron these folds to help the fabric hold these creases (see picture).
• Then do the same to the long sides. These ironed folds will help to make sewing easier.

Step 4: Pin and Sew!

• Trim the Velcro strip so it is just a bit shorter than the length of the fabric. For example:
  Original Fabric Dimensions = 9.5" W x 42" L
  Folded and Ironed Fabric Dimensions = 9.5" W x 41" L
  Velcro Strip = .25" W x 40.5" L
  (You many need to cut a .5" wide Velcro strip in half to get the narrower width.)
• Peel paper backing off one self-adhesive Velcro strip and position along a length of your fabric.
• Pin the Velcro strip along the long folded edge and ironed crease. Do this for both the fuzzy and prickly Velcro strips, one type per long edge (see picture).
• Begin sewing over the Velcro strips which are sticking to the edges. This sewing will both close the edge and bond the Velcro strip to the fabric securely. It is best to sew through the Velcro more than once to ensure it does not pull apart with frequent taking on and off of the cover (see first picture, second picture; these pictures show the first sewn line through the Velcro and edge).
• Sew matching hems on the short ends so that the finished side has similar stitching on all four sides (see picture; this picture shows all sides sewn).

Step 5: Rock out!

• Next crease the entire cover down the center by simply attach¬ing the Velcro strips and pressing down where the cover naturally bends (see picture).
• Wrap the cover over the guitar strap and secure the Velcro edge and your custom guitar strap is ready for its debut on stage (see picture)!

For more fun musical crafts, check out the current issue of Kiki on your newsstand, or order it online!