Button Down Shirt Harness

⭐= inexpensive, no special tools, made with easily found materials

Nutshell: Deconstruct a sturdy shirt into a harness that utilizes pockets to hold your phone and charger.

wwww project: Civic Minded DIY Body Camera

Materials + Tools

Materials:

A used flannel/heavy cotton button shirt with 2 pockets: $4.99 at Thrift Store
- Get a shirt close to your size
Hair-tie from Dollar Store: $1.00
Industrial Strength Velcro: $5.36 on Amzn
Recommended: 3ft charging cord

Tools

Glue Gun
Needle + Thread (any): 9.99 Thread kit on Amzn
- upholstery thread and needles recommended
Sharp Scissors

Step 1: Make Initial Cuts on Shirt

Cut the shirt roughly following the dotted lines.
Start at the shoulder and imagine a straight line down to the button in the middle of the pocket.
Leave about an inch on either side of the button placard. Also cut out each pocket.

With most of the shirt gone, Flip the shirt over and cut straight across the seam that runs along the upper back. See the next image for clarification

You should now have a single long piece that looks like the picture above, front (left) and back (right).

Step 2: Gluing Down your Edges

You could instead sew your edges to keep them from fraying, but hot glue is faster and easier

Flip the shirt over and lay it flat.
Take the square flaps near the collar and fold the outer corners of the flaps into the middle creating a triangular shape.
Crease the outer edge so it stays, then hot glue the flaps into place.

Work your way down the button placard on each side and fold the edge towards the buttons but making sure not to cover the button holes.
Glue the folds down as you go.

Your shirt should look something like the image above, with all your edges glued down.

Step 3: Making your Phone Holding Pocket

Take one of your pockets. Begin by turning it inside out, so that the button is on the inside.

Take a small elastic hair-tie and sew it in the middle of the inside out pocket.
Bring your pocket back to normal by turning it inside in.

Put your phone through the elastic band and into the pocket so that the top of the phone lines up with the top of the pocket's flap.
Fold the bottom excess under and hot glue it down.

With your pocket flipped over, fold the sides of pocket back, using your phone as a guide. Don't fold too tightly.
Glue your folds down.

line up your pocket so that 2nd button from the collar on your shirt and the button hole in your pocket line up.
Add velcro (fuzzy) to the back of the pocket and velcro (hooks) to the button placard so that they are at the same height.
Make sure not to cover any button holes.

Flip your pocket over right side up and attach it to the shirt by pushing the shirt button through the button hole on the pocket flap.
Press down to secure the velcro together. The pocket is removable and you will have to remove it to get into the harness later.

Step 4: Adding the Battery Charging Bank Pocket

Take the second pocket you cut out earlier and place it centered on the back of shirt.
Glue the pocket into place.
Use the pocket to safely hold your battery charging bank.

Step 5: Additional Harness Support Strap (Optional)

While optional, this step is highly recommended, as it will help reduce camera shake and secure the harness to your body. This support strap is adjustable and should be snug but not cut into your body.

Remove the phone holding pocket and undo all the buttons on the shirt.
On the strip with the button holes, cut the strip right below the bottom piece of velcro.

Cut the cuffs off of both sleeves of the original shirt.
Attach one cuff at each end of the button hole strip using the buttons on the cuffs.

Attach one cuff to the strip of buttons on the front at a height that feels comfortable.
Attach the other cuff to the button on the battery charging bank pocket

Congratulations, You Made it! What's Next you ask?

Help us refine the design process by filling out the form below, or submit a photo or video of your recently made body cam

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