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Limeylass

Restoration of vintage purse/handbag

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I bought this from a jumble sale for £1, and I would like to restore it. I am interested in cleaning it and fixing the whipping at the corners. I could also replace all of it, if necessary. Also happy to have any other advice! As far as I have been able to tell it seems to be made for the the tourist market sometime from  the 1920s to 1940s, but happy to be told otherwise! I'm not sure whether is is suede or leather, the main part of is suede like but the embossed parts are more like leather.  

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13 minutes ago, Limeylass said:

As far as I have been able to tell it seems to be made for the the tourist market sometime from  the 1920s to 1940s,

I think you're right . 

IMO, I wouldn't be doing too much to it, no cleaning or recolouring etc. repair the lacing  and  perhaps any other minor repairs  ,  and thats it. I'd be keeping the patina in tact as much as possible . Be observant of how the lace was done to keep it original .   Good find  :)

HS

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I would replace all the lacing, otherwise it isn't going to match.

Nice find!!

Agree with HS - don't try to fix the wear and tear on the finish of the outside of the bag. I'd give it a good cleaning with saddle soap, and use NFO on any part that seemed too stiff and dry. 

Edited by Sheilajeanne

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Thanks both, for advice, yes the lacing does seem to be done in a very specific way. I've googled flat, thin leather lacing but it all looks much chunkier than the original, any tips on what to look for to do a like for like replacement?

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Standard lace is 3mm x 1mm. But you can get 6mm x 1mm. What size is the lace on this?

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It looks like Florentine lacing. Something I have no seen available for some time. I have a similar reair to do for a friend, but can't find the appropriate lace.

 

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Re the lacing, it's 18mm and almost paper-like with a slightly dotted texture. It is a bit shiny as well, I guess I'll never find anything exactly the same, but I think the important thing is the thinness of it as that makes it it flat against the edges. If anyone can advise what that might be called? Thanks so much for all this advice!!!IMG_5130.jpg.cf0f32318930ec92ef545f9433856c3b.jpg

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I reckon you're going to have the lace cut. or do it yourself. The advantage of that is you can buy leather which matches the original

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On 12/12/2023 at 10:27 AM, tsunkasapa said:

Florentine lacing

I actually googled that, all I got was biscuits ( cookies) and shoes . It looks very thin almost looks like Ostrich . 

HS 

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1 hour ago, Handstitched said:

I actually googled that, all I got was biscuits ( cookies) and shoes . It looks very thin almost looks like Ostrich . 

HS 

I suspect it is lamb/kid/calf.

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or goat

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