So yeah, I’ve been eyeballing that Loewe Chicago puzzle bag forever. Saw it in a magazine and just couldn’t shake it off. Grabbed my thrift store leather jacket and an old pair of scissors – thought hey, maybe I can wing it.
The Messy Start
First I sliced that jacket into pieces while binge-watching Netflix. Leather strips everywhere like spaghetti explosion. Tried stitching them together with my grandma’s sewing kit but damn, that needle snapped clean in half on the third push. Leather’s tough as hell.
- Fail #1: Poked holes unevenly with a screwdriver (don’t ask)
- Fail #2: Glue gun disaster on my kitchen table – still picking crust off
- Fail #3: Cut pieces too small, ended up looking like a coin purse
Switching Tactics
Went back to YouTube tutorials at 2AM feeling stubborn. Bought cheap faux leather squares from Michael’s and thicker needles. Actually measured this time! Pro tip: pizza cutter works better than scissors for straight lines.
Spent three nights stitching under a crappy desk lamp. Sweat dripping, fingers bleeding – kept dropping the pliers on my foot. Almost quit when I sewed the front panel upside down. That sucked.
Finally Seeing Progress
After like 20 tries, got the puzzle pattern kinda matching. Used bronze hoops from curtain rings for hardware – sanded ’em down rough. Stuffed newspaper inside to shape it while drying. Smelled like a wet cow but whatever.
- Edges still fraying? Burned them with a lighter
- Stitching crooked? Covered it with marker
- Wonky shape? Blamed “artistic interpretation”
The Reveal
Took it to my cousin’s BBQ last weekend. Got backhanded compliments like “Cute… is it for dolls?” But screw ’em. My Frankenstein bag holds my wallet and keys fine. Stained my white shirt with dye though – totally worth it.
Moral? DIY ain’t Instagram-perfect. My version’s got glue blobs and smells weird, but that “I made this” feeling? Priceless. Might try fixing it with duct tape next weekend.