Hi everyone!

Happy Tuesday! Hope everyone is having a great one so far!! It’s such a pretty day out, we decided to have a fun photo shoot outside for today’s post! And even more prettiness coming your way with our current Neon & On FQ Bundle Giveaway that ends tomorrow. Be sure to enter HERE if you haven’t yet! :)

Speaking of photo shoots, today’s How To’s Day is inspired by just that! Here at the Camelot Design Studio, we are always looking for new and progressive ways to improve the look of our blog. We try to post interesting and refreshing things daily, and we hope you have been enjoying our posts thus far, but there’s always room for improvement! One thing that we are trying to get better at is our photography skills. A well-written post is one thing, but having an eye-catching photograph is what will grab the reader’s attention. What we have learnt through practice is that no matter how fantastic your camera is, lighting is key to a brilliant photo! However, studio lighting such as softboxes, umbrella lighting, and reflectors can be a pretty pricey investment…especially if you don’t need to use it every day.

We have come up with a pretty brilliant DIY project that is 1) cost-effective and 2) a great way to improve your photography skills/photos. Our DIY Soft Light Reflector uses our satin and, if you can believe, a hula hoop! How’s that for being resourceful? :) We have found that our soft light reflector reduces shadow lines and softens the appearance of your subject, thus creating a better, smoother, and prettier photograph!!

Now you can be your own professional photographer at home, no matter where you live. Take us for example: we’ve had to make due with our urban surroundings of trucks and warehouse buildings. Looks pretty good though, right? You never would have believed! :)

Click HERE to see the full tutorial!

Soft Light Reflector Tutorial

Supplies

– 1 yard of satin (58” wide) from Camelot Fabrics in 92/A #01 White
– 1/3 yard of Fresh Solids quilting cotton (44” wide) from Camelot Fabrics in 214-0001 White
– 1-1/2 yards of white double-fold bias binding
– (1) plastic Hula Hoop – 34” diameter
– Small plate or bowl
– Basic sewing supplies: sewing machine, needle & coordinating thread, iron & pressing surface, fabric shears, straight pins, measuring tape, and a fabric marker

Notes
– Please wash, dry & iron your fabric before beginning.
–  WOF = Width of Fabric.

Cutting

1. Place your hula hoop on top of your satin, with the satin’s Wrong Side facing upward. Trace the inner circumference of the hoop onto the satin; cut out this circle.

2. Fold the satin circle in half and press each end of the fold. Trace one quarter of your plate’s circumference onto the satin at one end of the fold as shown, and cut this piece out from the fabric. Repeat with the other end of the fold. Unfold the satin circle.

3. Fold the satin in half again, with the fold line perpendicular to your previous fold. Trace & cut the quarter-circle as your did in Step 2.

4. Cut (3) 4” x WOF strips from your quilting cotton for the Edging.

Assembly

1. Place one end of your bias binding against the beginning of a cutout as shown, with the outside of the bias tape against the Wrong Side of the satin.

2. Sew the binding to the satin along the fold line closest to the satin’s edge, following the curve of the cutout in the satin. Trim the ends of the bias.

3. Baste a line of stitches down the center fold of the bias. You’ll use this for gathering in a few minutes, so don’t backstitch or trim the ends of the thread.

4. Wrap the bias tape around the raw edge of satin, tuck the edge of the bias toward its center fold and topstitch its remaining fold to the satin with a scant 1/16” seam allowance.

5. Place the satin on a large flat surface and gather the basting seam from Step 3 until the bias binding lies flat.

6. Repeat Steps 1-5 with the remaining (3) cutouts. Your satin circle with its (4) bound cutouts should look something like this:

7. Join your (3) cotton strips end-to-end and press the seams open.

8. Fold & press a 1/2” hem along each long side of the composite strip, Wrong Sides together, to create the Edging. Fold & press a 1/2” hem at one short end.

9. Beginning with the folded end, pin the Edging to the outer edge of the Satin. Sew it in place in the same manner as you sewed the bias binding to the cutout edges, following the fold line closest to the fabric’s edge.

10. When you come to a cutout, sew to the edge of the cutout, backstitch, and lift your needle & foot. Bridge the cutout gap with the edging, and resume the seam on the far side of the gap. Take care to allocate just enough edging at each cutout to cross the gap, without stretching or compressing the curve of the cutout. This will be much easier if your pin the full length of Edging in place before your start to sew.

11. Lay out the satin circle on your work surface, Wrong Side up, and place the hula hoop on top of it.

12. Wrap the Edging around the hoop so that its raw edge is tucked in, the same way that your wrapped the bias binding around the cutout edges in Step 4, and pin it in place. Begin by pinning the “North & South” points of the circle, followed by the “East & West” points, then pin the Edging in place in the remaining spaces.

13. Topstitch the Edging closed along its remaining fold. Our sewing machine couldn’t manage this seam without parts of the presser foot bumping into the hoop and mucking up the stitches. If your machine is hula-hoop compatable, hooray! Save yourself an hour or two and use the machine – you’ll probably have to remove the presser foot & needle, squeeze the hoop under the presser bar, and re-install the foot & needle.

If your machine, like ours, can’t handle the hoop, a simple running stitch is your best bet. It may be tempting to go for the sleek finish of an invisible hem stitch or ladder stitch, but with the tension the satin is under already, these delicate stitches cause “pull lines” in the fabric.

We hope you have found this week’s How To’s Day informative and helpful! For anyone with a blog, or just looking to improve their photography skills/photographs on a budget, give our DIY Soft Light Reflector a try!! And if you do, be sure to let us know what you think. Have a fantastic day, everyone! :)

Happy Sewing!