Coach Rehab and Rescue Club

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#9,931
whateve said:
Sure! Is there even a Dooney rehab thread? You know what you said about the cardboard bottom? Well, I figured out why my bag was misshapen. Some of the cardboard that should have been along the bottom had shifted. I almost wonder if it was made wrong to begin with, as I can't force it back into the place where it should be because the lining is glued down. I'm wondering that if I wash it, I might be able to mold it into the proper shape if it gets wet enough. I don't know if I want to try that yet.
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I haven't washed a D&B but I've washed a Kate Spade bag with a cardboard liner and it came out okay.
 
#9,932
chowlover2 said:
I can't imagine losing 2parents so close together! It is the toughest thing in the world to deal with, hugs.
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Suzanne B. said:
Oddly enough, I've been following it with interest too. :smile1:
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whateve said:
Thanks! I've washed Brightons before. It's just that cardboard bottom in the Dooney that has me worried.

I'm sorry to hear about your parents.
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Thanks for all you support. It's kinda nice to find a place and somewhat anonymously carry on.
 
#9,933
Maggie's Rescue (torment) Continues

Daelilly said:
Maggie sat helplessly waiting for the final strokes of the restorer's touch. Was this try going be successful. She remembered when her scars we delicately painted to match the rest of her. She knew her color was special and would be hard to match. Those scars were covered and the edges of the acrylics were blended into the rest of her body. Or were they? No, not quite, so the acrylics continued to lightly cover Maggie until she was uniquely new. She was carefully hung to dry. More moisturizers slathered her body. And she proudly made her debut.

Time went on, and restorer was not completely happy with her work. Little imperfections here and there began to bother her and the Saffron was tad darker than she would wanted. Maggie didn't mind her new color at all. She loved and beautiful. Eventually, Maggie found herself soaking in a sink of warm suds again! She loved the luxurious soak and then exfoliater sponge. It was the longest, hardest scrub Maggie would ever know. Every crack and crevice scrubbed until all the acrylic was gone. Maggie's scars of her former life of abuse neglect remained. Now Maggie wondered if she could be over cared for. Too much is too much! Is this another form of abuse? Maggie was stuffed with absorbent towels to retain her beautiful shape and left to dry. Days went by then weeks then months and Maggie waited. Everyday her friend would walk by and glance at her; most of the time without ever really seeing her. Was she forgotten?

Finally, inspiration struck. Rit dye might do the trick. The restorer wanted to keep the grain of the leather but knew something drastic needed to be done. A color change to something darker will be answer. Leather dyes are too dark and others are too opaque. Maggie was glad to be in hands of her friend again. A quick dip in the sink, and a soft sea sponge of deep red dye began take hold. Over and over strokes from the sponge continued. Another quick rinse and another coat of dye. Again stuffed and hung to dry. Will Maggie like her "makeover"? Will the restorer like her work?

The rest is an unfinished story...
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Still the streaks and blotches of the old finish remained. Maggie was extremely with her new look! It was just awful!!! She couldn't believe after all the months of waiting for the big day, this is what it was! She knew she was doomed. She trembled at thought of being thrown away and left to rot away in some forsaken, smelly dump. What has happened to her beauty? Why couldn't her "friend" just leave well enough alone? Inspiration now has become desperation!!! Even her serene lining has taken a rosy hue. Maggie secretly liked her new lining color, but the outside, the side everyone should see...is HORRIBLE!

The handles of her body and trim around her zipper just wouldn't absorb the scarlet dye. Her finish was just to durable in those parts. She could be a tough gal when she had to, and it shows here. Maggie just didn't understand why she was part of the rehab lab. She was created to be "experimented" on. She was created to be admired and make her owner proud to have a purse as trustworthy as she was.



What's this? Maggie saw a mysterious brown package appear on the counter. What was there? Was this ANOTHER experiment? She shuddered at the thought...then she shuddered at the thought of her friend leaving her this way, too. What was in that box? Maybe it wasn't even intended for her after all.
 
#9,934
Daelilly said:
I love the color combinations in your pics. Very well displayed. The floral heels are to die for. I'm enjoying all the eye candy and it gets better! You add the purple colored card holder! I forgot all about the rehab project you were sharing! LOL
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:heart: thanks! I'm in love with the Poppy satchel in the bg... :loveeyes: I want itttttt but I feel the need to find some thrift finds first! :roflmfao: and rehab my bags :D

I still have no idea how to clean it that yellow card holder though... :wondering
 
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#9,935
mzmir said:
:heart: thanks! I'm in love with the Poppy satchel in the bg... :loveeyes: I want itttttt but I feel the need to find some thrift finds first! :roflmfao: and rehab my bags :D

I still have no idea how to clean it that yellow card holder though... :wondering
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I love a lot of the Poppy line, too. I have a few but I have never rehabbed one. I would love to find a nice one. I kinda hoped I would be able to create a waxed finish like those Poppys' had a couple of years ago on my Maggie I'm working on. It's not working out though. :-( Maybe ill find a Maggie to rehab.
 
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#9,936
whateve said:
I would just bathe it in lukewarm water with Dawn or something similar, working on the stains. Rinse really good, stuff with towels to dry. Then condition with leather CPR and Blackrocks. You shouldn't lose any patina.

ETA: I just thought of something. It is possible that the embossing was custom. It might have been done by someone other than Coach after purchase. I can't remember if the previous one I saw was ever identified.
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http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/dressed/2012/09/exclusive-a-tour-of-the-coach.html

Scroll down a bit and you'll see the bags. They're Federal bags from 1972 according to the article.
 
#9,939
Daelilly said:
Maggie's Rescue (torment) Continues






Still the streaks and blotches of the old finish remained. Maggie was extremely with her new look! It was just awful!!! She couldn't believe after all the months of waiting for the big day, this is what it was! She knew she was doomed. She trembled at thought of being thrown away and left to rot away in some forsaken, smelly dump. What has happened to her beauty? Why couldn't her "friend" just leave well enough alone? Inspiration now has become desperation!!! Even her serene lining has taken a rosy hue. Maggie secretly liked her new lining color, but the outside, the side everyone should see...is HORRIBLE!

The handles of her body and trim around her zipper just wouldn't absorb the scarlet dye. Her finish was just to durable in those parts. She could be a tough gal when she had to, and it shows here. Maggie just didn't understand why she was part of the rehab lab. She was created to be "experimented" on. She was created to be admired and make her owner proud to have a purse as trustworthy as she was.



What's this? Maggie saw a mysterious brown package appear on the counter. What was there? Was this ANOTHER experiment? She shuddered at the thought...then she shuddered at the thought of her friend leaving her this way, too. What was in that box? Maybe it wasn't even intended for her after all.
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I can't wait to see what color she ends up! I love the color of her handles; the "distressed brown" looks awesome! Your story is super cute. I write Petfinder notes for the shelter that I volunteer at and I write them in the pet's voice. I also print a copy and put it on the pet's cage/kennel. Oh, I have customers WEEPING while they are reading them!

I have a vintage Willis that I may start today. It has a few pen marks so I have etoh handy as I saw what happened after I soaked my Beekman! Oh, I just panicked! Now you would never know that ink was there.....this thread is soooo great. Just a wealth of info. I LOVE the older Coach leather.

I soaked a British Tan Compact Flap pouch from the early 90's about a month ago. I liked the distressed look of it so I decided not to put any moisturizer on it--no leather CPR, no Leather Honey, nothing. I just cleaned the brass turnlock and let it dry after it's bath. The craziest thing has been happening to this bag!! It's been self-moisturizing, I swear! I would pull it out of it's homemade dustbag and look at it and each week, it looked less and less distressed! Now, it is not distressed at all. I guess it's natural oils have been coming through the pores? What a strange phenonmenon. I love leather.
 
#9,940
jailnurse93 said:
I can't wait to see what color she ends up! I love the color of her handles; the "distressed brown" looks awesome! Your story is super cute. I write Petfinder notes for the shelter that I volunteer at and I write them in the pet's voice. I also print a copy and put it on the pet's cage/kennel. Oh, I have customers WEEPING while they are reading them!

I have a vintage Willis that I may start today. It has a few pen marks so I have etoh handy as I saw what happened after I soaked my Beekman! Oh, I just panicked! Now you would never know that ink was there.....this thread is soooo great. Just a wealth of info. I LOVE the older Coach leather.

I soaked a British Tan Compact Flap pouch from the early 90's about a month ago. I liked the distressed look of it so I decided not to put any moisturizer on it--no leather CPR, no Leather Honey, nothing. I just cleaned the brass turnlock and let it dry after it's bath. The craziest thing has been happening to this bag!! It's been self-moisturizing, I swear! I would pull it out of it's homemade dustbag and look at it and each week, it looked less and less distressed! Now, it is not distressed at all. I guess it's natural oils have been coming through the pores? What a strange phenonmenon. I love leather.
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The original washing instructions that Coach bags came with said this: "After it has dried, the leather may appear to be a little stiff, but as COACH Leather is rich in natural emollients, it will soon regain its characteristic suppleness."
 
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#9,941
whateve said:
The original washing instructions that Coach bags came with said this: "After it has dried, the leather may appear to be a little stiff, but as COACH Leather is rich in natural emollients, it will soon regain its characteristic suppleness."
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Oh wow! And it's still true, over 20 years later, this bag is self moisturizing! Thanks! I guess prior to the Dawn bath, the pores were clogged...I just love that Compact Flap. Now I want to buy one for all of my friends but apparently so does everyone else, LOL. They always get at least several bids on the auction sites. I keep watching them though with thought in mind of something that you posted awhile back; how vintage Coach goes through phases of certain items going for high prices and being very popular and then it will run it's course and another bag will take it's place in hierarchy. Now that's a strange phenonmenon.

BTW, I am LOVING your new avatar!!! That is our tPF mascot. And lil Abby is our tPF doggie.:doggie:
 
#9,942
jailnurse93 said:
Oh wow! And it's still true, over 20 years later, this bag is self moisturizing! Thanks! I guess prior to the Dawn bath, the pores were clogged...I just love that Compact Flap. Now I want to buy one for all of my friends but apparently so does everyone else, LOL. They always get at least several bids on the auction sites. I keep watching them though with thought in mind of something that you posted awhile back; how vintage Coach goes through phases of certain items going for high prices and being very popular and then it will run it's course and another bag will take it's place in hierarchy. Now that's a strange phenonmenon.
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I think right now it's the bags that look like the current styles that are going for higher prices. The compact flap is similar to the penny which could account for its popularity. The Lightweights soft satchel, which I love, was a lot more expensive when I got mine than they are now.
 
#9,944
Hi,
I just received this bag and I'm not familiar with this type of leather at all. It looks like pebbled leather but is much shinier.
Does anyone know if this is the kind of leather I can give a bath to? It needs work but I'm not sure how to proceed.

Thanks for your help.

DSCF2723.JPG
 
#9,945
Rarity said:
Hi,
I just received this bag and I'm not familiar with this type of leather at all. It looks like pebbled leather but is much shinier.
Does anyone know if this is the kind of leather I can give a bath to? It needs work but I'm not sure how to proceed.

Thanks for your help.

View attachment 2278224
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Katev gave a bath to a Madison fairly recently - I think there is a thread for it.
I didn't bathe my Biltmore. I scrubbed the lining with Soilove. The exterior was in good shape. I wouldn't be surprised if there was cardboard used for stiffening in these bags.
 
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