A trip to the Dallas International Guitar Festival was in order this weekend. The first thing that caught my eye were the colorful vintage guitar straps. Who could resist being drawn to examine beautiful patterns like the one above (offered by a Chicago company called “Souldier”?
Not me! I was fascinated that they recycled vintage materials and old car seat belts to make a variety of beautiful items: dog collars, purses, camera straps and belts. The saleswoman told me that they had bought vintage 1960s and 1970s fabric from several factories that were discontinuing the lines. I guess they scour junk yards to get the old seat belts.
This is one of the most creative ways to recycle those old seat belts … can you imagine how many you would find in a typical junk yard?
Perhaps they weren’t as elegant as the coat made by designer Korto Mormula which was made on Project Runway, but it’s a good start.
I wasn’t spending my money, but that didn’t stop me from drooling over the colors of those straps. I don’t have a dog either, but I remembered back in the 1960s when my friends and I wore “chokers” around our necks. I think I once took the collar off my Great Dane and wore it! Thankfully, no pictures of that event have survived (unless my sister has some hidden and plans to blackmail me).
I wouldn’t be so ashamed of it if my dog had worn collars as lovely as these. In fact, with that “chicken neck” I’m starting to get, a dog collar would be a great way to hide the wrinkles!
Hmmmm!
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Very cool straps – I’d love a camera strap like that, if they added a bit of padding.
Robins last blog post..Tel Aviv Beach, April 2009
Very cool legs. I’d love a pair of legs like that
Steves last blog post..Motor Monday – Hybrid Vehicles: The Pollution Solution
*Heading out back to pull all the seat belts from the junk cars! What a creative way to recycle / upcycle those things! Thanks for the seatbelt solutions!
Thornes last blog post..I Am the Anti – Pioneer Woman!
Ah yes – great way to recycle seat belt straps!
Steve
Steves last blog post..Motor Monday – Hybrid Vehicles: The Pollution Solution
I have been thinking about moving to Texas – I mean the International Guitar Festival! – I just love the Music heritage of Texas.
It has got to be those crazy governors with IQ’s at body temperature that scare the heck out of me.
Sheila Atwoods last blog post..Tweet Tweet – Why I Use Twitter
I was not able to attend the guitar show this year. Fly fishing took first place this year over my other string fantasy. I don’t have near enough money to play in that arena.
Here is a web site for a very close friend of mine that is a guitar builder that now lives in Alpine, TX. Michael Stevens.
http://www.stevensguitars.com
@dooty Oh, I’m gonna forward that to my husband (he’s upstairs on computer while I’m downstairs—we communicate via e-mail, lol). Mostly we were at the guitar show so he could look. I have no clue how many guitars he really has…somewhere around 30.
Since I’m a collector, too, I probably shouldn’t complain. At least his collection has value!
Thanks for the link!
@Sheila, All of our governors haven’t been crazy idiots! Wait, I take that back.
@Thorne, Do you have a car graveyard on your ranch? If so, then you are one up on that Pioneer Woman!
@ Steve, What legs?
Oh, those. They are pretty skinny, IMHO.
@Robin I forgot to look for that crucial camera strap padding! I know exactly what you mean!
Hi, I enjoyed a visit around your site, and clicking on a few links.
You have a great writing style. Interesting and friendly! I stumbled across this page looking for guitar stuff. I have a couple of old Yamaha acoustics that have been with me forever (one of them for over 35 years!) Keep up the good work .. and good luck with your website. Cheers, John
Yamaha Acoustic Guitars
Thank you, John. Glad you stopped by. My husband would sit and talk with you for hours about guitars. He collects them. I keep trying to tell him that stamps are much smaller, but he replies, “But, the licks aren’t the same.”
Hmmm.
My husband bought me a Souldier custom camera strap for Christmas. He even let me pick it out as he would have gotten it all wrong. They have tons of patterns that you can customize with different colors of recycled seatbelt, hardware coolor, and , yes, Padding. Great grippy padding that doesn’t slip off my shoulder. Absolutely love it. Good job hubby, even though I picked it out.
Hmm. I’m going to have to talk with my husband about that! I’ve been pining for one of these straps for MY camera, and he hasn’t taken the hint. Do I have to just order it and put it on his credit card?