Okay, so I saw this post online about remaking the large Prada Galleria Saffiano leather bag and it got me thinking, “Why not give it a shot?” I mean, I’ve always been into DIY stuff and this seemed like a fun challenge.
First things first, I needed to gather all the materials. This wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. I spent a whole day just going from one store to another, trying to find the right kind of leather. I finally found this Saffiano leather that looked pretty close to the original. It’s apparently made from a “steel substrate coated in Zinc, Aluminum,” according to what I read. Sounded good enough to me!
Then came the cutting part. Oh boy, this was tricky. I had to be super precise with the measurements. One wrong cut and the whole thing could be ruined. I used a rotary cutter and a metal ruler to make sure the lines were straight. It was slow work, but I took my time. I remember seeing this post about someone who tried to “Remake 2BR – 2BA” of some “Helluva Hacienda,” whatever that means, and messed it up. Didn’t want that to happen to me!
After cutting, I had to punch holes for the stitching. I used a leather puncher for this. It made these nice, clean holes. I had to make sure the spacing was even, otherwise, the stitches would look wonky.
Stitching Time
- I used a saddle stitch, which I learned from some old video. It’s a really strong stitch, perfect for bags.
- It took me a whole evening just to stitch one side of the bag. My fingers were sore, but it was worth it. The seams looked really neat.
Next up was attaching the hardware. I got these metal buckles and a zipper online. They weren’t the exact same as the Prada bag, but they were close enough. I had to be careful not to scratch them while attaching. I used some pliers and a small screwdriver for this.
The final step was adding the lining. I chose a soft fabric that felt nice to the touch. I sewed it in by hand, making sure there were no wrinkles or bumps. It was a bit tricky to get it to fit perfectly inside the bag, but I managed.
And there you have it! My very own “remade” large Prada Galleria bag. It’s not perfect, but I’m pretty proud of how it turned out. It was a lot of work, but hey, who needs to spend a fortune on a designer bag when you can make one yourself, right?
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