With all the events going on this summer I decided that a small backpack would be the perfect accessory for farmers markets, outdoor concerts, or simply long walks with the dog.
I found this small leather backpack at the goodwill outlet. It had been well loved and was partially broken but for $1.60 a pound I decided it was worth the attempt.
I added a scrap of leather to mend the piping that was worn through. From there I thoroughly cleaned the leather. The color of the leather was rather uneven, because of the patina from the previous owner. To partially remedy this I used shaving cream to slightly darken the leather.
On the right is before the shaving cream and to the left is after. It gave it a nice caramel tone that made a lot of the patina look intentional rather than dirty. In addition I wanted to give it a bit of a bohemian vibe.
In doing this it also solved another issue involving patina. The previous owner had carried it by the back loop a considerable amount. As a result it was quite a bit darker than the rest of the bag and made it look dirty.
This was one of the lesser involved refashions that I have ever done, but it could prove to be one of the most useful. If you want to know more about this refashion please feel free to check it out my blog. Till next time happy refashioning everyone!
gorgeous - great job. nice tip on the shaving foam...
ReplyDeleteShaving cream with leather? I never knew! Thanks for the tip. I love the backpack refashion and it should come in handy for farmers markets and dog walks.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, EOD
Thanks Eimear and Jennifer! Turns out The shaving cream is an old trick that baseball players used to wear in their gloves, and that some military personal use to help break in their boots! There is a warning that it could break down the leather to much or take the sheen off, but with this bag I didn't really care!
ReplyDelete