Does anyone remember the thread asking 'who would treat a Bbag this way?'..I guess it is cos of all the re-habbing I do of wild hurt critturs that I couldn't bear to see something so beautiful suffer, so I bid and won that poor ripped bag..she came with the lining spotted with old dry GUM..yep, chewing gum..she smelled bad..I had paid little and so bit the bullet and scraped off the gum and dunked the whole bag into a sink full ofWoolite suds.
Those with weak stomachs do not read further or look at the pics!.. After air drying her for 2 days,I sacrificed the wide shoulderstrap thingy to patch the ripped off half of the back handle and I removed all of the falling apart lacing, replacing it with a cotton shoelace..then I cleaned and moisturized and cleaned some more using up all of my LMB products..hours later I took her to the Studio and mixed up some Procion dyes to dye the new lacing..I realize that although I love this bag even more than some of her newer, more pristine sisters, she is now without value to anyone but me since I did the patching and the relacing..but what do you think?..is she worth all that trouble? Ooh this bags leather is as thick and soft and buttery as a lambs ear..I learned SO much about how fantastically well these bags are made, and how strong the leather is and most of all how TOUGH these beautiful bags are..she was soaked, lathered, scrubbed, dried off, mended and patched up..and look at her now!
Those with weak stomachs do not read further or look at the pics!.. After air drying her for 2 days,I sacrificed the wide shoulderstrap thingy to patch the ripped off half of the back handle and I removed all of the falling apart lacing, replacing it with a cotton shoelace..then I cleaned and moisturized and cleaned some more using up all of my LMB products..hours later I took her to the Studio and mixed up some Procion dyes to dye the new lacing..I realize that although I love this bag even more than some of her newer, more pristine sisters, she is now without value to anyone but me since I did the patching and the relacing..but what do you think?..is she worth all that trouble? Ooh this bags leather is as thick and soft and buttery as a lambs ear..I learned SO much about how fantastically well these bags are made, and how strong the leather is and most of all how TOUGH these beautiful bags are..she was soaked, lathered, scrubbed, dried off, mended and patched up..and look at her now!
You did such a great job! I think it was totally worth the trouble, it really DOES NOT look like the same bag! You can wear her with pride knowing you saved her from a trash pile! 
WOW, WOW.... blink blink... WOW... thats an awesome job there... 
let me say this again...