Adjustable Side Release Buckle Tutorial

My son's birthday is fast approaching and I wanted to make him a camera bag with adjustable strap and side release buckle (for safety reasons). I had all the hardware I needed in my stash, so I assumed it would be a quick and easy sew.

In fact, it took me most of the day to make it - many hours of which were spent sitting on the couch trying to work out how all of the pieces needed to be threaded with the strap. I searched my house high and low, but could not find anything with a similar strap on it to copy! I googled it, hoping for an online tutorial, but found nothing suitable.

In the end I worked out something that I'm happy with - so here's my tutorial!

For the purpose of this tutorial, I have used a 20mm side release buckle and strap adjustor (bought from a fabric chain store). I have also made my own strap using a fabric that coordinates with the bag this strap will be attached to. Alternatively, you could purchase webbing or tape to fit the size of your buckle. I made a linen/cotton blend strap that measured 18mm wide by about 1.5 metres long.

Please note, I only used one of the strap adjustors pictured above.
Thread strap through the smaller of the two openings on the buckle.
Folding the end over to neaten, sew a fabric loop to secure the buckle. Cut the strap to the desired length.
Attach the end to your bag. I have inserted the end of the strap between the outer and lining fabrics, then sewn them all together.
This next part was the confusing part for me. I may have done this incorrectly, but it worked for me (any suggestions here are welcome!).

Looking at the photo above, I started threading from the left hand side.

Holding the strap adjustor by the tab, insert a length of strap through the opening furthest away from the tab, then back through the opening closest to the tab. Feed a bit of the strap through.

Thread the strap through the buckle insert piece next.

The same end now needs to be threaded back through strap adjustor to secure to the bar furthest from the tab. Please refer to the photo above.
Folding the end slightly to neaten the edge, sew the end close to the strap adjustor to secure it.
It should now look like the strap pictured above. Cut to desired length, then attach to the other end of your bag. Finito!

I hope you find this useful. If you find any glaring errors, please leave a comment and I will amend the tutorial as needed.

Please feel free to link to this tutorial on your blog, and send me a quick line to let me know.