Recycling a vintage leather skirt to make a bag

I've been busy with a recycling project last week!

A challenging sewing project that stole my brain's energies, but gave me real joy when finished: I recycled a vintage leather skirt and made a bag for a woman who asked me for it.

 

 

She purchased the skirt nearly 20 years ago and wore it a lot. But years after years she gained some kilograms and couldn't wear it anymore.

So she saved the skirt in a drawer, because the leather was still in good conditions and she hoped to do something with it.

And then she met me :)

 

She asked me to make a bag similar to one she saw in a famous brand's catalogue and I tried.

 

 

Making a bag isn't a difficoult thing for me, it's my favourite craft activity and I think it will be forever!

But with this project I understood that imitating bags by others, well, it's really a challenge! And difficulties are bigger when you have a small amount of fabric/leather to work with (it was a size 42).

I haven't copied a bag from a catalogue before and I don't want to do it in the future!

 

However the finished bag is not bad! :)

I'm happy to recycle old things and give them a new life: this rewards me for the effort.

 

 

I hope my friend will like it.

It's a zippered bag, medium size, with squared bottom (strenghened with a rigid panel), lined and with a big pocket inside.

I used webbings for the handles (covered with the same fabric I used for the lining). Webbings are a new material to me: I used it for the first time for this bag and I really like it!

 

This is a photo of the skirt (already unstitched) before starting sewing:

 

 

And now that this project is finished, I have the time to go on with my snowflakes :)