Glad to see in the New Year!

In about mid-October, we found another leather Gladstone bag in an opshop.  Yep, that brings the tally to four of this style (one in vinyl) - as well as the darker leather medicine bag!

Both opshop purchases weren't planned but we do love a bargain and this bag seemed a good deal at $40.00. 

The previous vinyl opshop bag was $20.00 but then required a $10.00 repair and yes, that was excellent value for the work done.  (Replacing the lining and re-assembling the bag is a mission for early in the New Year).

The $40.00 bag was made by Herbert Caspari, so has been dubbed Herb.  It seemed in pretty good condition, albeit in need of some TLC.

It came away with us, untreated, for our late October/early November camper trailer trip and proved a handy addition to our "monogrammed luggage".  Today I decided to give it an overdue spa treatment - as my last 2020 project.

I cleaned the outside with saddlesoap, treated some scuff marks with magic sponge and applied a few coats of neatsfoot oil as well as one of hydrating cream. Later in the day I went over the bag with a light application of shoe polish, particularly to disguise the wear marks - which worked well.  I  followed with a last generous treatment of the leather cream.

The lining is intact, though the pocket may need some stitching.  I've left everything as is for now.  Reassembling the vinyl bag is next on my project list.  Depending on how easy that goes together, I might consider replacing the lining of this bag. Maybe!

Travel bright!

Nick and I did a lovely overnight trip out to Dalby recently.  It was the first outing for his new luggage set, so there were various photos taken. (I'd used my vanity case for another overnight trip with Erin just prior to going away with Nick).  

I've been pondering improvements to my organisation since returning home.

We were at a chemist yesterday.  While waiting for scripts to be filled, I browsed the travel accessories.  I found a very cheerful orange set - of soap holder, toothbrush case, bottles and tiny jars. 

I tested them in the vanity case last night and liked how they looked with these purple pouches (found in an opshop ages ago). 

Today I bought a face cloth.  True orange was hard to find, so I opted for "rust" instead - and then I embellished it with a strip of paisley fabric this afternoon.

I found a tough plastic zip pouch in Daiso.  It's more upmarket than the ziplock bag I usually pack the wet cloth in!

Jammin'!

Ann very kindly gifted three kilos of mulberries from her backyard tree, when we visited her in Dalby.  I processed one kilo as pie/pudding filling on Friday night, which made three containers for the freezer.

I made the remaining mulberries into jam yesterday, batching one kilo at a time because that's the capacity of my two-litre pyrex jug (which I use in the microwave).

Last year I was able to make just one jar of mulberry/apple jam, using the small berries we can access from branches that overhang into our yard.  The berries are even smaller this year, so I didn't try to beat the birds.  As pretty as that single jar of jam was, I'd overdone the cooking a little so it was almost fruity toffee!

I was very conscious of extra carefully watching these batches, peering through the microwave door to check on the bubbling concoction!

My increased scrutiny worked and I was far more pleased with the end result - six large, fabulously red jars of mulberry jam!

Bags not removing rivets!

Earlier in the week I dropped our $20.00 vinyl bag to a leather-worker.  It made sense to have the handles repaired by someone more experienced in that work.  I returned to collect the bag today but the lovely fellow hadn't finished due to having difficulty extracting two rivets, necessary to enable the repair.  

Nick had the same difficulties removing similar rivets from the second (leather) $20.00 bag, so I'll collect the vinyl one next week.  In the meantime I have ordered waxed thread and harness needles, which I'll need to re-attach the frame to the bag (at the same time as replacing the lining). 

We ordered a different style of rivet to replace all those removed from the brown leather bag.  The new style screws in and can be removed fairly easily, if necessary.

I took out the lining from the doctor bag and unpicked it carefully so I can use it as a pattern.  However, I am still deciding whether I want to make the new lining in the same style or more like the one I did for the other bag.

While I ponder the lining, I removed a lot of the cardboard stiffeners from the bag.  Nick started that mission the other night and then I did more yesterday.  I lay a damp cloth over the old cardboard, which then scraped away fairly easily.  At this stage, the base cardboard has been left in place.  The bottom of the bag bows somewhat and we are thinking of the best method to flatten it.  If we can avoid taking out that last support piece, we will.  We do plan to replace the four side support pieces so as to give the bag better shape and structure.  And yes, there has been a lot of YouTube research about vintage luggage restoration!

I polished the metal hardware on the frame today, as well as two clasp pieces that mount on the narrow ends of the bag.  I used Brasso and fine steel wool to brighten all of them.  Given the replacement rivets will be shiny new, I polished more vigorously than I had for the other two Gladstone bags.  The handle received a bit of attention also. (I'll take some "after" pics of the centre section another day).  

Just what the doctor ordered?!

I bought the $20.00 vinyl Gladstone bag last week as an experiment.  It was an unplanned buy but I am enjoying the process of taking it apart - and organising to put it back together.

I'd actually gone into that op-shop to look for a small box, one that might be suitable for carrying a couple of port glasses on our road-trips.  When I explained my vague idea, the lovely volunteer went "out the back" and returned with a $4.50 hinged wine box.  

Nick and I bought some very cheap glasses yesterday, from a different op-shop.  $4.40 was exchanged for four shorter flutes, three small brandy balloons (for port), one 20-cent ice-cube tray and a 20-cent bottle opener. Yep, we had a big spend-up! (Not all the glasses will come away, spares will stay at home).

Later in the afternoon we purchased another $20.00 bag.  This one is leather and a different style.  This version is sometimes referred to as a medicine or doctor's bag.  Ours is being dismantled, ready to be revamped.

As I've researched vintage luggage repairs and restorations, I've seen lots of neat projects. Some clever people converted old suitcases into traveling mini bars. Our latest bag isn't going to be quite that fancy but we are scheming for it to become a port port - or a doctor's bag carrying medicinal alcohol!  

Racing along!

I quite enjoyed making a new lining for the vinyl bag.  It was a very easy, straight-forward task.  

The original lining was a light cotton, whereas the replacement is a quality drill fabric.  I used two remnant pieces from the infamous stash.  I can't remember if I paid $4.00 each or $4.00 in total for them.  Either way, they were a bargain!  

I've overlocked all raw edges and used a generous turnover on the pocket.  I really think my work is far superior to the original and am looking forward to fitting it properly, when the bag returns from the leather repair shop.  We dropped it yesterday to have two handle loops fixed and a patch applied to the hole.  The lovely gentleman quoted $10 for the loops and didn't mention a price for the patch but I don't expect it will be a huge extra.  

After fitting the lining, I'll need to re-attach the frame but have yet to acquire leather-work needles and some waxed thread.  Well, I think that's what I need.  I'm still researching that aspect!

Three times as glad?!

I was very chuffed to finish the renovation of Nick's Gladstone bag. I bragged about it to friends and posted on FaceBook - and I really thought that was the end of our monogrammed luggage story.  Hah!

Just to recap.  My bag was $40.00 and in great condition.  Nick's bag cost $60.00 and came with keys that fit both - but needed a little more work. I opted to replace part of it's lining only as I wasn't confident of completely replacing it. 

I've made a lot of non-leather bags so sewing a new fabric lining would be fairly easy. I was worried about taking the bag apart, properly attaching the new lining and then re-assembling the bag without causing any damage.  The project seemed beyond my skill-set, so I chose a work-around solution.

The day after finishing Nick's bag we were poking around an op-shop and I spotted another Gladstone bag!  This one was smaller than the other two and in worse condition.  It was priced at $40.00 and after discussion, I put it back on the shelf.

When I went to the counter to pay for my other items, I started chatting with the lovely volunteer who found something else I was looking for - and offered the bag for $20.00! 

I'm going to use this bag a practice piece.  $20.00 is a modest outlay for quite a few hours of entertainment.  If all goes well, we could have an extra bag in our monogrammed luggage set! Fingers crossed!

Like the other two bags, this one needed a spa treatment. Some repairs were necessary, as well as a replacement lining.

My rough plan was to remove the frame piece from the bag, take out the lining, repair the hole at one end and also reinforce the same area of the other end, make a replacement lining and then (hopefully!) reassemble the bag.

I've watched several tutorials about re-stitching leather bags and although this bag is vinyl, the principle will be the same.  

The bigger issue is how to repair the handle attachment loops on one side of the bag.  (There is wear to the frame covering on the opposite side of the bag, so we think a previous owner may have carried the bag by one handle).  

I'll take the bag to a reputable shoe repairer to get a quote for having that work done.

I gave the bag a very thorough clean and removed a few marks (magic sponge worked on some and I used goo remover for others).  

Fine grade steel wool and a bit of metal polish worked on the clasp, which was rusty. (Nick sprayed inside with WD40). It's the same lock as the other two, so our keys fit - bonus!

I've removed the frame from the bag body, just using a large unpicker and a bit of oomph.  I'll repair the worn areas of the vinyl before re-sewing it around the frame. That will need some leather needles and waxed thread, I think. (I've also applied leather/vinyl conditioner to the vinyl frame pieces and the bag itself).

Once the frame was off, it was fairly easy to pull the lining out.  I've taken measurements and expect making a new lining will be quite straight-forward. I won't bother covering cardboard with fabric for the base.  Instead I'll buy another sheet of the light plastic that we used for the other two bags. I didn't glue the bases down in those bags, preferring to keep them removable for cleaning.

Making the lining is my next mission and I might then consult a repairer to see what options are suggested for the handle repair. It may not be as involved as I think - and if the cost is quite reasonable, I'd be happy for someone else to do that work.  We'll see what happens.

Monogrammed Luggage - the movie!

 

Glad it's (finally) finished!

Nick's bag is finally finished - hooray!

Replacing the end lining pieces was more of a mission than I expected and I needed to revise my thinking a few times. 

The guitar fabric was leftover from where I covered a notebook for Nick earlier in the year.  I cut it carefully to create two rectangles. 

My original plan was to sew the pieces to the existing lining edges but that proved more difficult than envisaged, so I used strong adhesive instead.  As you can can see in the second collage, the raw edges of the original lining were still visible beside the fixed guitar pieces.  

I then decided to use some green webbing to create a better finish between the sides of the replacement lining sections and original lining edges.

I'd used E6000 for the first part of the project but originally bought it to repair some jewelery pieces (and didnt want to buy more), so opted to use Aquadhere on the webbing pieces.  

The E6000 had a tacky consistency.  In contrast the Aquadhere was quite liquid. Yep.  It was a messy operation!

I'd used kitchen weights (and wrapped rocks) to press down the lining panels but those options weren't very effective for the webbing, so I tried a couple of makeshift methods - i.e. the foldback clip with a piece of sponge as well as a few pins.

Nick walked past and remembered some proper clamps hiding downstairs, which were much easier to use - and far more suitable!  

The clamps stayed in place overnight and I removed them this morning.  Happy to report they worked well and held everything in place nicely.  I'm very pleased with how the complete bag looks - and so is Nick!  

The small guitar buttons hold the replacement pocket elastic in place.  I needed to remove the label from it's original position when I replaced the end linings.  It's now on the pocket, secured by one of the buttons.

(I've now published  footage of all the bags to give a better overview of how good they look)!

Glad tidings!

I had intended to finish Nick's Gladstone bag as a birthday gift but the leather repair was something I pondered for quite a while before taking action.  

(As you can see, Nick did most of the actual repair work).  

At this stage, the end lining pieces of the bag still need to be replaced - and I'm just about ready to do that task!

Nick received a vintage toiletries case as his birthday gift.  Like the bags, his "new"case also received a full spa treatment!  

The kit had many of it's accessories, though some had seen better days. Prior to gifting I replaced some of the manicure tools.  I also sourced a new brush, which fit the former soap-box loop.  

However, finding appropriate sized containers for the other loops was much trickier.

On the birthday, I gifted the case with the original items as well those I had replaced. I wanted Nick to choose how the case would be organised - because he would be using it.

Nick and I talked about the case this morning.  After inspecting the loops more closely, we decided to remove all but two of them.  

Once that was done, we took the case with us to Daiso and found a spray bottle to fit the former toothbrush holder loop. (We'll decant deodorant into the bottle).  

We also bought a nice soap holder and a small case to fit over the head of his new toothbrush. 

The razor was on special at Woolies and is same as his usual one.  (The small cologne was birthday loot).

Since taking these photos I've found another, smaller soap box which fits across the bottom of the case nicely.  It holds the toothpaste, dental floss and cologne - so the razor now wedges between the deodorant and black soap box.

I've published some footage of the toiletries case, my beauty case and our two bags. I'm really pleased with how they all look together!

You beauty, a day out!

Nick and I had a lovely day out, prompted by my latest purchase. The seller had offered to post for an extra $10.00 but we decided an outing was preferable. We were playing music and chatting as we drove South, so missed the first two GPS-instructed exits but luckily didn't overshoot into New South Wales (cos then we'd need a permit to get back into Queensland)!

What did I buy?  Another beauty case!  You can see my other two, here.  

I paid $10.00 to an op-shop for my first case, which I used for it's intended purpose.  I took it away with us on various adventures and then it did daily service during our stint of caravan living. My second case was $5.00 and became our much-used beverage case.  

In reviewing that post from 2015, it seems the second case came with a key and I'm now curious as to the key's location (hah!) - and whether, if ever found, it might fit my latest case, as they both have the same style latch/lock.

The original $10.00 case has some water damage due to extensive use (and isn't the right colour for my Gladstone bag), so is being de-commissioned.  I've cleaned it and put in a black plastic lining piece to cover the warped bottom.  My plan is to use it for sewing notion storage.

I've put a plastic lining piece in my newest ($30.00) case, for protection against spills etc.  The plastic pieces were intended as base plates for grocery bags and only needed their corners re-trimmed to be a good fit for the vanity cases.  (I found larger sized pieces of similar plastic at Officeworks and each of our Gladstone bags also has a wipe-clean removable lining base).

I'm very pleased with how well the new case co-ordinates with my larger bag and am looking forward to using them together.  (I bought the R keyring a while ago and have now ordered a second one - for my "monogrammed luggage")!

Holey moley, it's dry!

I've done more work to our Gladstone bags this past week.  When checking the leather on Nick's bag, after my spa treatment, I noticed a small tear.  It's near the edge of one of the end gusset pieces, so not hugely noticeable - but I will mend it.  

Once I'd decided to repair the tear, I chose to also replace the holey lining on both ends.  I cut out two pieces, as neatly as possible.  Fully replacing the lining is probably beyond my skill-set and enthusiasm at this stage but I think I'll do OK with these smaller sections.  Fingers crossed!

Once the worn fabric was removed, I could see how dry the leather was - in spite of conditioning the outer side. I gave each end a liberal dose of conditioner.  I'll leave that a few days before trying to patch the tear.

After pondering, I decided to remove the pocket elastic.  The trickiest part was working in a deep bag, in a poorly lit room!  Yes, I could've found a head-torch rather than balancing this little one but where's the fun in that?!  

I threaded a double length of new elastic through.  It's pinned firmly, ready for the next step.  We have a property inspection later this week.  I find them stressful, so am probably doing a lot more preparation than is necessary.  On the bright side, while I'm busy with those other missions I'm also thinking about the best way to patch the leather tear - and attach the replacement lining sections.  I just hope the reality will be a good match for my vision!

Two Glad?!

I really enjoyed using my Gladstone bag on our latest trip.  It was such a good thing that I went searching for another one.  I was lucky to find a Gumtree seller not far from home, so bought this second bag for Nick today!

Measurements had been posted as part of the ad, so I thought the two bags would be similar in size.  When I got them home I sat them side by side and as you can see, there isn't much difference between the two.  (I saw one advertised further away but decided against it, as it was a smaller version).  

The styles are quite similar, though not identical - which is fine.  Both are lined in tartan, which seems standard.  The pockets were made differently, so Nick's has elastic which has aged.  I might be able to replace the failed elastic but will need to have a closer look at the interior first.

From chatting with the seller, I learned she had never used the bag.  I'm not sure whether she bought it new but she still had the keys.  Even better those keys also fit my bag!  Hooray!

As I'd done with mine, today's bag was also given a spa treatment.  Many of the scuff marks were removed or lessened - and a liberal application of leather conditioner was given. I'll check tomorrow to see if more moisturiser is needed.  Erin had some 0000 steel wool, so I used that to give the metal fastenings a bit of attention.  I wasn't trying to make them look new, just a little brighter.  They've come up really well and I'll do the same on my bag (when Erin finds the rest of the steel wool).  

I'm very chuffed with our lockable luggage!  Total paid was $100 - $40 for mine and $60 for Nick's.  I reckon that was money well spent.  I'm keen to take both bags away on our next adventure, whenever/wherever that might be!

Staying home ...

We're living in very interesting times - and I've been revamping my garden as distraction from the ongoing world-wide chaos.

Of course, if anything grows/thrives as a result of these most recent efforts, it would be a marvelous bonus (and I'd be hugely chuffed)!

The first stage of my project was our back verandah.  It's used far less often over the hot summer months, so was looking neglected.  I re-potted various plants and have planted seeds for new herbs also.

Heavy rain in February restored green-ness to our yard and the back paddock.  Sadly the wet conditions provided excellent breeding conditions for mozzies and other bitey insects.  Fingers crossed their numbers dwindle as the weather cools.

My gardening efforts last year resulted in small amounts of home-grown produce.  It was a better yield than previously, so I am hopeful of even more success this year. 

I haven't ventured to Bunnings or any local nurseries to seek seedlings or plants.  I'm not sure whether those expeditions would be successful.  Instead I've decided to work with seeds already on-hand.  Erin grows some greens for lizard food and has contributed her seed packets also.  Between us we had quite a few leafy green varieties that are relatively quick growing, so those have been planted in the square beds. 

Some seeds have already passed their best-before date.  I've used them anyway, heartened by my kitchen bench sprouting experiments.  The alfalfa is sprouting nicely even though the seeds were to be used by 2015.  Mung beans of similar age have also done well. I'll try some other combinations while I'm waiting for the garden beds to start producing.

Last year I grew dwarf beans in the taller metal bed.  I might try those again - or some peas.  I'll do some more pondering before planting either.  (My right forearm is currently painful, so Nick has been treating the area with heat gel and massage.  Of course, I also need to pace myself more slowly to gain the most benefit from his assistance).

The large black pot has some tomato plants that still have a few flowers.  I'll leave them for now.  We might get a couple of extra tomatoes - if we're lucky!