Outfit #2 – Leather Backpack

 

Le Donne Leather U-Zip Sling/Back Pack (see more sling backpacks)

For this outfit I decided to update the messenger bag for a cute leather backpack! Summer is one of my favorite seasons because of all the local events there are! Between time on the patio, farmers markets, street fairs, and music events I end up carrying a ton of stuff and a purse of any sort ends up being more of a bother. When I spotted a great genuine leather one I knew I had to switch my bag choice!

Unfortunately it was a bit worse for wear. The leather was rather dirty and needed to be cleaned, and I knew some of the patina gave it a bit of unfavorable grungy look. If that wasn’t bad enough some of the piping was worn through and would need to be fixed. So that is where I started.

I used a scrap of leather from a previous project and tucked the edge into the existing crease with the help of a bamboo skewer. I used E6000 for the strong yet still flexible hold I needed. From there It was time to get cleaning and to do something about the overall color of the bag! I recently read a tutorial about darkening the leather slightly by using shaving cream. I was willing to take a gamble and give it a try.

The shaving cream worked wonders! You can see the nice color change that happened from the before on the right to after on the left. I then cleaned the leather again. This step might be unnecessary, but I am allergic to shaving cream so I wasn’t taking any chances. Leather naturally patinas over time and this bag was carried by the back loop a considerable amount from the previous owner. This gave the loop a really dark color, and even knowing full well it was clean it didn’t look very nice.

I decided to simply weave some butcher twine to cover/add interest to the handle. I also decided to add some tassels for a nice bohemian feel, and to replace a missing zipper pull.

As a final touch I added some wood beads to the outer tassel! Happy refashioning everyone!