How to Dye Leather

I had some leftover dye from the last leather dye DIY and decided to make an extreme change with another bag. My Alexander Wang Rocco Duffel bag in Latte has seen better days. You'll see that a lot of areas became darkened from use, especially the satchel handle and the top part of the bag. There was also some wear on the piping, and though nothing was exposed yet, the leather was scratched and thinning.

The process of dyeing leather is pretty simple once you have the right tools. The dyes cost under $30 and this was the second bag I was able to use these materials on. Take a look at the before and after photos and if you want to learn how to do it yourself, check out our previous post with a video tutorial.








Some frequently asked questions:
Does the black dye transfer onto your clothes?
Nope! With daily use and a mix of dark and light clothes, no transfer at all from this purse or the last one.
Does the dye come off?
The first dye used is "penetrating dye" so it's dye that doesn't just sit on the surface of the leather.
Are there other colors of dye?
Both brands have a variety of colors! I have only tried black so I can't comment on how the other colors match or work.

I recommend the process for those who want to refresh a worn out bag and are willing to commit to a new color. The softened leather of the bag was getting a bit delicate and the dye definitely helped to stiffen it up a little bit and breathed a new life into it!

See the original post with video tutorial HERE:





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Tutorial - How to Dye a Leather Bag

A white purse is a great accent accessory until it picks up stains from regular wear. I quickly learned this with my Alexander Wang SS13 Trifold bag in Glow-in-the-dark leather. It was such a novelty purchase that I thought would make sense but when it began picking up the deep indigo and black dyes from my clothes, I needed to do something. I decided to go all the way to the other end of the spectrum and dye the bag black, but as a DIYer, I wanted to try it myself. It was a huge risk, but turned out really well!



I figured since I was finally going to get back into blogging that I would try to record our first DIY video. It was something I was always nervous about delving into because it's completely out of my comfort zone... but I figured I would put myself out there and give it a try. I'm endlessly thankful for Sam's patience in helping me film this and even though it's not perfect, I think it's a decent start. Depending on how this is received, we might make video blogs a bit more regular... we'll see.

Watch the video below to follow along with how I dyed leather from white to black!

What you'll need:
- Something to cover your surface
- Fiebings Penetrating Leather Dye Kit
- Scotch Brite Scouring Pad
- Tarrago SelfShine Color Dye Kit
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Cotton Swabs

Instructions:
- Prepare the bag by disassembling straps and unfastening hardware.. Remove anything loose, unbuttons snaps and unzip the zippers so that you can reach every part that you would like to dye.
- Use Tarrago Preparer and the scouring pad to remove coatings, polishes and dirt. Scrub in a circular motion and don't miss scrubbing any part that will be dyed
- Use Fiebings Penetrating Dye and the included Dauber to paint the entire surface while still damp with preparer. Let the dye dry. It will dry a bit matte and streaky. Paint an optional second coat if any of the old leather color is showing through.
- Use Tarrago SelfShine Dye for painting on the finishing coat for a nicer shine. Brush onto all seams and cracks first. Then paint the dye onto the sponge to apply a thin coat onto the leather. Apply with the sponge in a circular motion. Let it dry for 5 hours.
- Use alcohol and cotton swabs to remove any dye from hardware
- You're all done!

Would you try this DIY?



Bag-spiration:

More to come..

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Click through any of the pictures to see the instructions on how to make them yourself & remember to comment, like, tweet, or +1 if you apreesh our efforts ;)

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Hey boos,
It's Thursday again & this week I went for a really ridiculously simple but cute DIY. I just had these boring vintage oxfords laying around & I really wanted to put them back into regular wear. What better way than to give shoes a new look right? I know that it's a bit nerve-wracking to DIY shoes sometimes because they can be costly, but do this to refresh an old pair!

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ANYWAY, here's a diy on how to make a cute little bralette with an existing bra! YAY! This bra was basically dead to me but now it's gonna be a summer staple. Click on any of the pics to check out the tutorial.

Don't forget to comment, like, +1, pin, tweet etc. I LOVE YOU.