YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 10 Apr 2026 14:20:51 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Angie on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-332030 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:56:08 +0000 Angie 332030@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You win the crafty clever award of the year rae on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-332019 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:40:10 +0000 rae 332019@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yay, I'm glad the experiment will help others in addition to improving my own bag collection! Aida and Kari, I've added dye details to the main post. Kari, I've done some strap hacks in the past... can you describe the breakage? Depending on the situation, you might be able to do something with leather glue, rivets, creative knots, etc. Diana, I've rubbed the bag and boots on my carpet and worn the bag with my favorite black/white shirt... I feel safe to say it's colorfast. MNsara on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-332013 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:31:42 +0000 MNsara 332013@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow - it turned out so beautifully! You must be thrilled with your 'new' bag :-) Thank you for the pics and tutorial because this is truly inspiring. I hope I can think of something to try this on! Diana on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-332009 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:29:50 +0000 Diana 332009@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Wow, the bag looks amazing! Is the dye colorfast? Kari on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-332002 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:25:43 +0000 Kari 332002@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rae, you are just the craftiest and bravest for your DIY-leather dying experiments. I love your "new" blue bag! Can you remind me what brand/color of dye you used? I think you mentioned it in another tread, but I lost track. I'm really tempted to do this for some of my bags that are a bit stained - such as my beloved yellow Franco Sarto crossbody bag. I wish I could use this method to salvage all of my bags, but unfortunately the most common casualty of my bags is that the straps crack/break off. Crafty lady that you are, let me know if you come up with a cool DIY method of strap repair/replacement! firefly on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331942 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:04:34 +0000 firefly 331942@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rae, I'm in awe of your creativity I'm starting to wonder if I can pick up a cheap bag to practice on! taylor on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331938 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:00:53 +0000 taylor 331938@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It turned out beautiful...you must be quite pleased:) Aida on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331909 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:19:50 +0000 Aida 331909@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ YESSS thank you for this Rae! And thank you for answering my question I'm absolutely inspired to dye my leather jacket now. Is this the cadet blue color you were looking at? lyn* on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331899 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:55:51 +0000 lyn* 331899@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ WOW! I love it! Kappy on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331898 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:54:15 +0000 Kappy 331898@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You are amazingly talented!!!!! rae on "Tutorial: How to dye leather (continued): Blue bag" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/tutorial-how-to-dye-leather-continued-blue-bag#post-331896 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:51:52 +0000 rae 331896@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here I go again! Dying the bag was a tiny bit harder than dying the boots, simply because there were more design elements to work around: buckles, straps, folds, zippers. However, it was still super easy, and I love the results! I made it a point to put in as little effort as possible, and it still turned out really well. Original tutorial here: <a href="http://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/patience-what-patience-tutuorial-how-to-dye-leather" rel="nofollow">http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ye-leather</a> 1-2: Before pictures. The discoloration in the leather didn't photograph well, but it's there. 3: When I spilled the preparer fluid on the bag because I applied it to my sponge while holding said sponge over the work area. Oops. It didn't matter at all. :) 4-6: Applying first coat of dye. This time around, I did not paint every single seam with the brush before using the sponge. I used the sponge from the get-go, and just tried to make sure I got every nook and cranny. This saved a lot of time, because you have to sponge over the brush strokes anyway, in order to prevent glooping and keep a nice, even color. 7: I make the decision not to tape over much of the hardware, and I also gave dying the zipper fabric a shot. A bit of dye leaked through the zipper fabric, so if you want to preserve your lining *and* dye your zipper, then you should tape off the edges of your lining first. I painted over much of the hardware, then tried to remove it with acetone -- this was a problem, as it was impossible to avoid touching acetone to the leather, and it caused color loss. I ended up rubbing the rest off with tissue, and it came off easily without damaging the leather -- MUCH better. 8-9: Finished product. I love the bag much more now! I think the hardware pops against the blue like it never did against the pink. The saturated color is much more my style, too. It looks brand new! To address a question Aida posed in the original thread: the leather does NOT feel stiff, and the slouch/movement of the bag was not affected. It's an floppy, unstructured bag, and its movement feels the same as before dying. I would say that if you are dying distressed leather, none of the distressing will carry through. It may seem obvious, but the dye definitely makes the leather look brand new... so don't dye if you need to preserve a super matte/sueded/nubuck type look. 10: my hands post-dye. I didn't bother to wear gloves, and you shouldn't, either. This stuff washes off in a snap! I hope I gave a good overview of dying a more complicated item. It's a great way to revive old leather goods! And truly, if you can finger paint, then you can dye a handbag. :D ETA: D'oh! Forgot the dye details! I used the Tarrago brand Self-Shine Color Dye kit: $12 shipped on Ebay. Tarrago suggests 1 bottle of dye for a pair of shoes, 2 bottles for an average handbag, and up to 3 for a pair of boots. I used less than 1 bottle on my boots, and about 1.5 bottles on this bag, so the degree to which you're changing the color matters. The color I used is color #58: Air Force Blue.