Today I obsessed about bags. To be more specific, I started excitedly looking for messenger bags and totes for when I go back school.
I was all over the place looking for real leather stuff, considering Longchamp's classic totes I see almost every female student carrying, things on ebay, amazon, and on and on it went.
Then I remembered my problem. I have a messenger bag that I've had for a few years and that I love: a faux leather one from H&M which cost $30 and had the perfect brown color that goes with everything, and, more importantly, my cowboy boots. It's a sturdy solidly built thing with one weakness. I used it almost everyday this last year until the magnetic button ripped.
After wearing it with the broken magnetic button for months (no one can actually see the button), today I finally fixed it myself! I sewed on a double layer of thick upholstery type fabric and made a fabric belt to go through the back of the button for extra strength. I made tight and close knit stitches to distribute the pressure as much as possible and stitched through the faux leather without breaking the surface on the other side. I'd bet this thing will outlast any button out there. I'm a little proud of myself.
I realized a few things today. Spending 20 minutes fixing something and feeling that you saved yourself from needlessly spending around a $100 feels better than unwrapping that expensive new shiny thing.
Expensive doesn't equal quality and even quality isn't always clear on what it is. A little like a pair of cotton pants I got as a present from Ivory Coast. I wore them around the house for less than a year and then they ripped at the seam. I could've said, ah, cheap quality. Instead of throwing them away, I stitched up the seam. Today, after over 10 years, I still have those pants, still with vibrant colors, and the fabric has lasted very well.
Side note: Yes I can still fit into things I wore when I was 15 :P
Compare this to three different cotton pants I bought at varying prices from medium to pretty expensive: For all 3, none of the seams ripped, but after less than 3 years the fabric became so threadbare it was basically falling apart and there was no salvaging them.
I'm still not sure what the difference is: thread count? thread weight?
Anyway, I like to give items a second chance to prove themselves :)
I was all over the place looking for real leather stuff, considering Longchamp's classic totes I see almost every female student carrying, things on ebay, amazon, and on and on it went.
Then I remembered my problem. I have a messenger bag that I've had for a few years and that I love: a faux leather one from H&M which cost $30 and had the perfect brown color that goes with everything, and, more importantly, my cowboy boots. It's a sturdy solidly built thing with one weakness. I used it almost everyday this last year until the magnetic button ripped.
After wearing it with the broken magnetic button for months (no one can actually see the button), today I finally fixed it myself! I sewed on a double layer of thick upholstery type fabric and made a fabric belt to go through the back of the button for extra strength. I made tight and close knit stitches to distribute the pressure as much as possible and stitched through the faux leather without breaking the surface on the other side. I'd bet this thing will outlast any button out there. I'm a little proud of myself.
I realized a few things today. Spending 20 minutes fixing something and feeling that you saved yourself from needlessly spending around a $100 feels better than unwrapping that expensive new shiny thing.
Expensive doesn't equal quality and even quality isn't always clear on what it is. A little like a pair of cotton pants I got as a present from Ivory Coast. I wore them around the house for less than a year and then they ripped at the seam. I could've said, ah, cheap quality. Instead of throwing them away, I stitched up the seam. Today, after over 10 years, I still have those pants, still with vibrant colors, and the fabric has lasted very well.
Side note: Yes I can still fit into things I wore when I was 15 :P
Compare this to three different cotton pants I bought at varying prices from medium to pretty expensive: For all 3, none of the seams ripped, but after less than 3 years the fabric became so threadbare it was basically falling apart and there was no salvaging them.
I'm still not sure what the difference is: thread count? thread weight?
Anyway, I like to give items a second chance to prove themselves :)
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