So I’ve been eyeing this PRADA Arqué Leather Mini Shoulder Bag for a while now, and I finally decided to just go for it and try to remake it myself. I mean, why not, right? The design looked pretty straightforward, and I figured it would be a fun little project.
Getting Started
First things first, I needed to gather all the materials. I went down to the local leather shop and picked up some nice, soft black leather. I also needed some metal hardware – a buckle, some rings, and a zipper. I found all of that at a craft store.
- Picked up the leather from a local shop.
- Got the metal hardware (buckle, rings, zipper) from a craft store.
- Printed out some pictures of the bag for reference.
Cutting and Sewing
Next, I printed out a bunch of pictures of the bag from different angles to use as a reference. I roughly sketched out the shape of the bag on some paper and made a makeshift pattern. Then came the scary part – cutting the leather! I measured twice (maybe even thrice) and cut once, trying my best to follow the pattern I made.
Once the pieces were cut, I started sewing. This took a while, I won’t lie. I used my trusty old sewing machine for the straight seams and hand-stitched the trickier parts. Let me tell you, my fingers were pretty sore after that.
- Sketched out a pattern based on pictures of the bag.
- Carefully cut the leather pieces using the pattern.
- Sewed the pieces together using a sewing machine and hand-stitching.
Putting it All Together
After what felt like forever, I finally had all the main pieces sewn together. It was starting to look like a bag! I attached the hardware, which was surprisingly easy. The zipper was a bit of a pain, but I managed to get it in there eventually.
- Assembled the main body of the bag.
- Attached the hardware, including the buckle and rings.
- Installed the zipper, which was a bit challenging.
The Final Touches
The last step was adding the strap. I made a simple strap out of the leftover leather and attached it to the rings on the sides of the bag. And…voila! It was done. My very own handmade PRADA Arqué bag, or at least a pretty decent imitation of it.
It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m super proud of how it turned out. It was a fun challenge, and now I have a unique bag that I made with my own two hands. Plus, I saved a ton of money! What do you guys think? Should I try another one? Maybe a different color next time.