My $10 Thrift Store Coach Bag Makeover
What You Will Need
1. The Bag
I always seem to be able to find good deals on a variety of used Coach bags at many different thrift stores around the city, including Village Styles, No Relation, and Urban Jungle, just to name a few. Leather is ideal, though you want it to be able to take a beating, so make sure you inspect the bag for weak spots and tears before you buy.
2. A Pack of 1/2" Cone Studs
I ordered my studs off of Angryyoungandpoor.com,though there are many other websites that sell these kinds of studs and others for a low price. About 100 studs will be enough to fill a small area, but it is always better to buy more than you think you will need. Even if you end up having extra you can always stud something else!
3. An Awl
4. A Rubber Mallet
You will need items 3 and 4 to poke holes in the leather so that the studs can go through easily.
4. A Wooden Board
You are going to need a wooden board or a hard surface you don't mind poking holes in for the studding process.
5. Time
Studding something, no matter how big or small, takes time. This project would be good for a rainy day, when you are stuck inside and looking for something to do.
The Process
1. Give yourself some space on the floor to lay down the wooden board and all of your materials.
2. Before you start making any holes in your bag, pick the area that you want to stud and plan out the pattern or design that you want to create. Generally an area that you can lay flat works the best, like an outside flap. It is important that you space out your rows before you start studding to make sure that the studs will fit with the spacing you planned on. I did two rows of planning using some loose studs first, and was then able to do the whole thing by sight; but you can use a straight edge to draw a line on the bag with some chalk, and use that as a guide. Also be sure to see if the area has any embellishments like a clasp, that might get in the way of your pattern, and plan out how to work around them.
3. Once your have planned out your design, and have made sure everything will fit, you are ready to begin studding. To start, press the prongs of the stud into the leather along your guide to mark where you will be making the holes. Place this stud to the side, and make sure you will be able to tell which one you used so that later on you won't pick a stud thats doesn't fit into the holes you made, as not all studs are identical.
4. Take the awl, and place its metal tip in one of the the two depressions you made. Then using the mallet, hit the wooden end of the awl with enough force such that the metal tip goes through the leather. This may take a couple of tries until you get the feel of it, but two hearty swings usually does the job. Repeat these steps for the second depression you made.
5. Once you have made the holes, take the original stud and push the prongs through the holes. Make sure that you push the stud through enough so that the cone part of the stud sits flat against the leather. If you can't get the prongs through all the way you may need to make the holes a bit bigger, and you can do that by going back in with the awl and the mallet.
6. After pushing the prongs all the way through, flip the surface over and push the prongs down so that the stud stays in place. You may not want to use your fingers to do this, so I would suggest using the back of your awl, or some tool with a flat head to push the prongs down. Eventually the underside of the surface you are studding will look like this:
7. Repeat these steps for each stud you wish to insert, and after a few hours, (and a few breaks), you will have a great looking bag for a cheap price, and a little bit of DIY labor!
Here's my end result
Good Luck and Happy Studding!
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