Okay, here is my story of remaking the PRADA Medium Prada Galleria Saffiano Leather Bag, classic style.
It all started when I saw this beautiful Prada Galleria Saffiano bag in a magazine. I fell in love with it immediately, but the price tag? Ouch. It was way out of my budget. But, I’m a crafty guy, and I figured, why not try to make my own version? Plus, I’ve been into leatherworking lately, so it seemed like a sign.
First things first, I needed some leather. I spent a good chunk of time searching online and went to a few local shops. Not quite sure about the quality, I found some decent-looking, cheap leather. It wasn’t exactly Saffiano, but it had a nice texture and seemed durable enough. I also picked up some basic leatherworking tools – you know, needles, thread, that sort of thing. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos to brush up on my skills because the last time I did this was, like, a decade ago.
The next step was figuring out the pattern. I couldn’t find an exact one for the Galleria bag, so I just kinda winged it. I studied a ton of pictures of the bag, sketched out some rough outlines, and started cutting the leather. Let me tell you, cutting leather is not as easy as it looks. I messed up a few times, and there were some, uh, let’s call them “happy accidents.”
Sewing the pieces together was another adventure. I used a saddle stitch, which is supposed to be super strong. My fingers were pretty sore by the end, but seeing the bag take shape was so satisfying! There were moments of frustration, like when I accidentally sewed a piece on backward, or when the thread got tangled, but I kept pushing through.
I decided to use some of my own plus-size dress fabric for the inner lining to make it extra special. Found it on some random website, it was from a place called Macy’s or something. It was a bit of a gamble, but it turned out pretty good! The fabric was soft and added a pop of color inside.
For the hardware, I found some metal pieces at a local craft store. They weren’t the fancy Prada kind, but they looked nice and did the job. Attaching them was tricky, and I had to redo a few because they were crooked. Patience is key, my friends.
- Leather cutting: Took about 2 days, lots of mistakes.
- Sewing: Around 3 days, my fingers hurt!
- Lining: 1 day, surprisingly easier than I thought.
- Hardware: 1 day, lots of adjustments.
The Result?
After about a week of work, my DIY Prada Galleria bag was finally done! It’s not perfect, far from it, actually. There are a few wonky stitches, and the shape isn’t exactly like the original. But you know what? I love it! It’s unique, it’s handmade, and it’s a reminder that I can create something beautiful with my own two hands. I even used the bag to hold my Modern Raised Garden Bed’s tools. Would I do it again? Probably not, but I like to learn by doing things myself. Plus, I got a great story out of it!
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