Looking to dye a bag - what color?

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dramaprincess713

dramaprincess713

O.G.
May 17, 2006
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#1
I have this old, red Dooney & Burke hobo bag, and I really like the bag itself - I think it's the most comfortable hobo I've ever owned. I'm not crazy about the color though. It's too orangy-tomato red for me. I don't like orange tones in my reds. I was going to sell the bag but was hesitating because I like the style so much, and this morning I thought of the idea of dying it.

I'm not sure what color to dye it though. Black seems to be the easiest choice, but I'm not really looking for another black bag. I thought of trying to dye it red to get it closer to my ideal shade of red, but I feel like there are too many variables that I can't control with that, and in the end, I might still not like the shade of red. I also thought of perhaps a darker red, taking it more to an oxblood/mahagony color, but again, I'm not sure if that would work the way I think it would in my head. And then, I saw on the Fiebings website that red and purple can be mixed to make wine, which I would love (I've been searching for the perfect shade of wine/purple-based burgundy bag), so I'm also considering dying it purple.

Obviously, there is an element of risk when undertaking this kind of project, but what color do you think I should go for? Photo of the bag, as it is now, is below. I would love to hear your thoughts!
 

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#2
I've dyed a few bags using tarrago, I get the best results when I stay as close to the original color of the bag as possible-this is using tarrago self shine dyes. They are easy to work with.
A better result would be to use a penetrating dye - this will actually dye the bag and not just put a layer of color over it. I've not tried this but there are a ton of YouTube videos on it and I think it would give you the best result. You have fewer colors to choose from but I think Bordeaux is one. They are messier but much more permanent as they actually dye the leather. It looks like an easy bag to dye though you may need a few coats. Post pictures when you are finished! Would love to see the final result.
 
#3
Shelby33 said:
I've dyed a few bags using tarrago, I get the best results when I stay as close to the original color of the bag as possible-this is using tarrago self shine dyes. They are easy to work with.
A better result would be to use a penetrating dye - this will actually dye the bag and not just put a layer of color over it. I've not tried this but there are a ton of YouTube videos on it and I think it would give you the best result. You have fewer colors to choose from but I think Bordeaux is one. They are messier but much more permanent as they actually dye the leather. It looks like an easy bag to dye though you may need a few coats. Post pictures when you are finished! Would love to see the final result.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts! I would definitely be using a penetrating dye. I'm hoping to get to work this weekend...will definitely post pictures when I'm done!
 
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