Tasha Chapman
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Leather Dye DIY

6/20/2013

6 Comments

 
Recently I came across a product I had to share, Tarrago Self Shine Color Dye.  This stuff is amazing!  It can change the color of anything leather and make it look brand new and nice again.  And it's really easy to do.  And it's not a huge mess. It's the perfect DIY project!
I found it by researching leather dyeing online.  After reading about some great results on the Friendly Fox blog, I decided to give it a try.  I had this sicky olive green J.Crew purse that was technically a nice bag, but that I never used because of the awful color.
You can see it in the photo right there.  Gross green.  I decided to change it to a color called Pelican.  It can be ordered for cheap on amazon.  Determining the color is a little hard since you're picking off of a computer screen, but I could at least tell that this would be some kind of grey, and I like all grey.  If you like color, they have a lot of different ones also, as well as pearl and metallic shades.

So then, step by step...
Take the leather to be dyed and rub it all over with the included preparing solution.  From the smell I'd guess this solution is just acetone, but it's removes any coatings that might on the leather already, to allow the new dye to adhere properly.  I also rinsed the bag afterwards, which might not have been necessary, but seemed like the right thing to do. Before starting, tape off any hardware so you only dye the parts you want to and put down some plastic to protect the work surface.  Also get yourself a snack because you're going to literally be sitting and waiting for paint to dry.

What I found worked best was to use the included brush to paint the seams and stitching and then the sponge to paint the rest of the bag.  The idea is to use very light coats and rub the dye into the leather.  The photos to the right are after the 1st coat. Expect it to not look very good at first.  Don't worry though, you haven't ruined your purse.  Keep going!
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The photo to the left to is after 2 coats.  Already it looked pretty good.  This plastic hanger helped a lot to hold the bag while painting, without touching the parts that were wet.  The dye does dry quickly, but with so many angles to paint it's easy to nick spots.  I ended up doing 3 coats, letting it dry overnight and then a few little touchups the next morning.  And tah-dah!

It's so pretty!!  And I'll use it now.  I'm really happy with it and would definitely do it again if I got another ugly bag or a bag I had started to look worn.  It a fun, easy little project that gives new life to old stuff, and that's always good.
6 Comments
Shannon Wilcox
10/27/2016 07:03:15 am

Thank you. I want to try this with a red bag I was given to give it a nice new look.

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Susan
2/21/2017 09:29:52 pm

Hello! Love this post!! Can you tell me how the bag has held up over time? Has the new color held up? Many thanks!

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Julie
8/6/2017 10:22:31 am

Hi! I saw this post on Pinterest and I'm curious of how well the purse held up over use. Is there a follow up post to this? It looked incredible initially, but what about after several uses?
Thanks much!

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Kelly link
12/7/2017 01:33:04 am

The bag you dyed looks incredible! Like everyone else, lol, I’m curious how it held up. Did you need to use some type of sealant after dying? Thanks! Great job!

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Helen
5/3/2019 09:15:07 am

I love the results of your handbag! I have a light gray leather tote that I love but is very scratched and worn and I'd love to match the original color as closely as possible. I bought a bottle of Pelican as well but when I received it, the color in the bottle was a creamy light yellow, even though it said #19 Pelican and the label was a light gray. SInce you've used this color, can you tell me if the color changes after applying? Or do you think I received the wrong product?
Many thanks!

Reply
Diana Mulroney
11/9/2020 10:29:36 am

Does the colour rub off on your clothing?

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