Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

[Shoebaglady]

So this Legacy Ali bag was given to me as a Christmas gift many years ago. As I am not a big signature fan (knowing how they fray after many uses), I lent it to my mom to use. Many years later, I find it and this is the condition that it's in. As expected after everyday use, it became dirty inside and out & the fabric has frayed. I brought it to the Coach store and had it sent out to see if there was anything they can do with the fraying, but unfortunately I had no luck. It doesn't look too bad for someone who's worn it out for many years but I was inspired to rehab it and see what I can do with it.

Before pictures:

I gave it a bath in unscented soap and scrubbed gently. It was pretty difficult to see if dirt was coming off of the fabric because once the bag was dunked, the whole bag turned a dark color. I scrubbed in circular motions and got rid of the pen stains with a spray of hairspray followed by the unscented soap to fully get rid of it. Gave it an overnight dry and polished brass hardware. I was also afraid that the leather would bleed into the lining and the fabric, but thankfully, it didn't. I stuffed it with towels to retain shape & still waiting a bit for the leather to dry before applying Leather CPR. I was surprised and very happy with the results.

After pictures:

This is a "during" picture of cleaning the turnlock. I just had to:

I enjoyed the rehab process for this handbag and may even wear it now, knowing how to keep it in pristine condition. I'm just hesitant with fraying the fabric more, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it because it's considered normal wear for jacquard fabric. Well, I hope you enjoyed my rehab. Thanks for looking!

This looks fantastic! I love this bag I'd use a pretty brooch to hide the wear in front. You did great job!

 

[nypnay]

Thank you all!! I had so much fun with this project. And katev, I will definitely check my local Michael's (I don't have JoAnn's here) and look for that. Thanks for the tip! =)

 

[chowlover2]

She looks fabulous! You are brave, I have never attempted to rehab a 65th anniversary legacy bag yet. I don't know of any way to repair the fraying, although perhaps a tailor would have suggestions?

You could try Fray-Check (available at JoAnns) to minimize the fraying and stop it from getting worse. Trim the frayed edges and smooth down the damage as much as possible. Next apply Fray-Check to the edges/areas and let it dry.

Fray-Check has always dried clear for me and I have used it on many different fabrics; but I have never tried it on coach jacquard fabric, so it would be best to test it in an obscure spot first.

Nice job!

I was going to recommend the same thing! Great minds think alike! Test on an inconspicuous spot first.

 

[chowlover2]

What is best to polish brass, wenol or Brasso? I have looked at all my regular stores and struck out, will order off the bay. Who recommends what?

 

[Rarity]

What is best to polish brass, wenol or Brasso? I have looked at all my regular stores and struck out, will order off the bay. Who recommends what?

I use Brasso and like it quite a bit. I apply it with Q tips and leave it on for a few seconds then rub with a paper towel. If something doesn't come off, I do it again but leave it on longer and that seems to do the trick.

 

[katev]

Thank you all!! I had so much fun with this project. And katev, I will definitely check my local Michael's (I don't have JoAnn's here) and look for that. Thanks for the tip! =)

They probably have it at Michael's; here's their site and they offer a "where to buy" search function:
http://www.dritz.com/brands/showcase/details.php?ITEM_NUM=674

 

[katev]

What is best to polish brass, wenol or Brasso? I have looked at all my regular stores and struck out, will order off the bay. Who recommends what?

I like wenol and I order it online, but I can usually find brasso at the local hardware store and it works well too.

 

[chowlover2]

I like wenol and I order it online, but I can usually find brasso at the local hardware store and it works well too.

I never thought about looking at a hardware store, thanks!

 

[Rambler]

I never thought about looking at a hardware store, thanks!

heh heh heh, come to the handy side...

 

[chowlover2]

heh heh heh, come to the handy side...

I'm at Home Depot and Lowes all the time, never thought about looking for it there. My Dad & Grand-Dad were in construction, I was weaned on construction sites. The last indie hardware store near me is closing, so sad to see them go. I will stop in and see what they have.

 

[JOODLZ]

So this Legacy Ali bag was given to me as a Christmas gift many years ago. As I am not a big signature fan (knowing how they fray after many uses), I lent it to my mom to use. Many years later, I find it and this is the condition that it's in. As expected after everyday use, it became dirty inside and out & the fabric has frayed. I brought it to the Coach store and had it sent out to see if there was anything they can do with the fraying, but unfortunately I had no luck. It doesn't look too bad for someone who's worn it out for many years but I was inspired to rehab it and see what I can do with it.

Before pictures:

I gave it a bath in unscented soap and scrubbed gently. It was pretty difficult to see if dirt was coming off of the fabric because once the bag was dunked, the whole bag turned a dark color. I scrubbed in circular motions and got rid of the pen stains with a spray of hairspray followed by the unscented soap to fully get rid of it. Gave it an overnight dry and polished brass hardware. I was also afraid that the leather would bleed into the lining and the fabric, but thankfully, it didn't. I stuffed it with towels to retain shape & still waiting a bit for the leather to dry before applying Leather CPR. I was surprised and very happy with the results.

After pictures:

This is a "during" picture of cleaning the turnlock. I just had to:

I enjoyed the rehab process for this handbag and may even wear it now, knowing how to keep it in pristine condition. I'm just hesitant with fraying the fabric more, but I guess there's nothing I can do about it because it's considered normal wear for jacquard fabric. Well, I hope you enjoyed my rehab. Thanks for looking!

THANKS for posting this...and giving me hope for my first fabric bag...if it's real (fingers crossed). Very nice job!

 

[Jessi319]

What is best to polish brass, wenol or Brasso? I have looked at all my regular stores and struck out, will order off the bay. Who recommends what?

Wrights works well too. I seem to like it more than Brasso but it's more a texture thing for me. And I've been able to find it in my local stores. I haven't tried Wenol. It's harder to find locally.

 

[Rambler]

I'm at Home Depot and Lowes all the time, never thought about looking for it there. My Dad & Grand-Dad were in construction, I was weaned on construction sites. The last indie hardware store near me is closing, so sad to see them go. I will stop in and see what they have.

:shame:

 

[katev]

My cobbler had that conditioner on hand. His recommendation was to make sure conditioner did not have an ethyl alcohol or acetone in it. Otherwise you strip original color. As long as the other conditioners don't have either it is probably safe. I just did it with Leather CPR and it worked. The Cadillac conditioner was runnier so it mixed more like a paint than the thicker CPR did.

Eureka! I have successfully dyed my miserable Navy City Bag! Several months ago I picked up a badly distressed Navy City Bag at the Salvation Army for $3. The bag was in terrible shape and after I bought it I got mad at myself for wasting my time on such a hopeless project.

Much of the color and edging were gone. The bag was filthy, the hangtag was missing, the strap stitching had pulled apart on one side, an extra hole had been punched in the strap, and it had been touched up with shoe polish! The only problems it didn't have were verdigris and bad odors!

I washed and conditioned it in the usual manner and it looked better but not good enough to wear. I took it to the cobbler and he suggested dying it but I didn't want invest that much money into this poor beat-up mess.

I have never dyed a bag myself but when Gallina posted information and pics of a dye job she did using Wood n Stuff Leather Aid Color Restorer, I decided that my $3 buck bag would be a good project for my first dye job. So I ordered a bottle in navy.

http://www.wood-n-stuff.com/leatheraid.html

I applied the dye last night (I mixed it with leather cpr) and it was easy to do and I am very pleased with the results.

I will post some before pics here and after pics with the next message.

The first 3 pics below are "before" photos taken right after I brought it home from the SA. The last 2 pics are after I washed and conditioned it and used blackrocks. It looks better but is still very distressed and not good enough to carry.

 

[katev]

I used a sponge to apply it and I thought that the dye/conditioner mix was much easier to to use than acrylic paint, and I am pleased that it doesn't have that chalky look that you sometimes get with paint. But the color looks more "irridescent" than is typical of vintage coach bags. Maybe the shine will diminish over time.

One area of concern. The manufacturer claims that the dye will not rub off on hands or clothes and it did dry very quickly. But the last step in the process is to wipe it down with a soft cloth and I've just done that, and I got a faint blue tinge on the white cloth. But it may still be drying - I just applied the dye last night - so I will keep an eye on that issue for a few days.

Before I applied the dye I rewashed the bag in the washer in warm water to get all the conditioner and black rocks out of it, and I think that was a good idea.

The directions say to apply the dye straight out of the jar but I decided to mix it with leather cpr because the bag was so dry after washing (and Gallina said that she has mixed it with conditioner in the past.)

But I would do a few things differently if I did it over. The navy dye is brighter and more purple than Coach navy color. I would probably buy a jar of black and mix the two shades to get a darker navy blue. I may still do that and apply a second coat of dye.

I would also remove the turnlock hardware to make it easier to apply the dye. And I would wear disposable plastic gloves. I wore my new pair of kitchen rubber gloves and they were ruined. But it was easy to clean up the dye from other surfaces using plain water.

The first pic below is of the bag after I rewashed it to remove the conditioners and let it dry. The last 4 pictures are after I dyed the bag and I think it is a big improvement but not perfect. But at least I won't be afraid to dye a bag in the future if I think it is necessary!