Okay, so I’ve been wanting a nice, small shoulder bag for a while now, and I saw this PRADA Arqué Leather Mini Shoulder Bag online. It looked super cute, but way too expensive. So, I thought, “Why not try to make one myself?”
First, I gathered all my materials. I found some faux leather scraps I had lying around from another project. Luckily, they were almost the same color as the bag I wanted to copy. I also needed some fabric for the lining, a zipper, some metal rings and a chain for the strap, and of course, my trusty sewing machine.
Next, I started sketching. I carefully looked at the pictures of the PRADA bag online and tried to copy the shape and size as best as I could. It’s kind of a half-moon shape, which was a bit tricky. I drew a rough pattern on some paper, then cut it out and pinned it to the faux leather. I made sure to cut two pieces for the front and back of the bag.
Then came the sewing part. I sewed the front and back pieces together, leaving the top open, of course. It wasn’t too hard, but I had to go slow to make sure the curves looked nice. I then made the lining in a similar way, just a tiny bit smaller so it would fit inside nicely. After that, I inserted the lining into the leather bag and sewed them together at the top.
The zipper was a bit of a pain. I had to carefully pin it in place and then slowly sew it along the top opening. I definitely messed up a few times and had to use my seam ripper, but eventually, I got it.
For the strap, I used a gold chain I found at a craft store. I attached it to the sides of the bag with some metal rings. I had to use pliers to open and close the rings, which was a little annoying, but it worked.
Finally, I added a little PRADA-like logo I made using some metal letters and a small piece of leather. I glued it onto the front of the bag, and it looked surprisingly good!
All in all, it took me a few days to finish the bag, working on it on and off. It’s definitely not perfect, but I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s a decent dupe of the PRADA bag, and it didn’t cost me an arm and a leg!
Things I used:
- Faux leather scraps
- Fabric for lining
- Zipper
- Metal rings
- Gold chain
- Sewing machine
- Needle and thread
- Scissors
- Paper and pencil for pattern
- Pliers
- Glue
- Metal letters and small piece of leather for logo
It was a fun little project, and now I have a cute new bag to use. Maybe I’ll try making another one soon, perhaps a different style this time. I guess that the important thing is just go for it, and give it a try!
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