leather tote bag made from old jackets

leather quilt bag and studs

Quilting model called card trick. Green suede and blue/red leather bag. Studs I first placed on the handles to make them more durable to handle weight but after noticing that silver colored studs really make the bag look more interesting I also decorated the pattern in the front. All leather are old jackets that I was not able to mend anymore but pieces that I salvaged works just perfect in this bag.

Tilkkutyötekniikalla ommeltua nahkaa. Lainasin kirjastosta aihetta käsittelevän kirjan ja löysin muutaman mallin joita halusin kokeilla nahkalaukkuun.Tämän mallin nimi on card trick-korttitemppu. Valitsin punaisen, vihreän ja sinisen nahan. Sininen nahka on laukussa myös takakappaleena ja olkahihnoina. Vuoriksi laukkuun löysin tukevaa collegekangasta. Laukun koristelin vielä sisustusniiteillä jotka ensin kiinnitin vain vahvistamaan olkahihnoja mutta kokeiltuani yhtä niiteistä tilkkujen yhtymäkohtaan halusinkin niitä enemmän. Nyt perinteinen värikartta sai uutta potkua niittien elävöittämänä.

handpainted red and orange leather earrings

I often paint and glue my leather parts for the earrings in advance. When I feel like it. Then I use the painted leather when my ongoing design needs it- it can take for a year or a week or just hours. Depends on the flow.

These leather parts I made one summer evening but something more important came along and I put the designs aside. Now when cleaning up my desk and the drawers I found these red and orange leather designs I knew that it was their time to shine.

The metal chain is from old bracelet that I found from charity shop and took apart. I love the way the thin chain moves, reminds me of misty mornings and spider webs in the forest.

The fabric is old IKEA curtain.

Intercoiffure photoshoot “indigo tribe” with Susanoo refashioned clothes and accessory

Intercoiffure Finland spring&summer 2015. Style Indigo tribe, hair Päivi Päivärinta (Shaggy Head), fashion photoshoot Luiza Lehtinen, make-up Ara Koivula (Bang by Ara). Video of the photoshoot Intercoiffure Finland photoshoot

Styling by me Susanoo (Susanna Kaunisto, visual merchandiser/stylist/seamstress/vintage&second hand enthusiastic.)

My favourite material denim! The most outstanding piece of this outfit is the necklace. It is made out of denim which I starched with homemade recipe (sugar+water+time) and pieces from second hand jewellery.

The process of the dyed vest is in my earlier post. Pattern for the denim trousers is self made, as a base I used a pair of old trousers. It took two pairs of old denim jeans to cut the new pattern out. Shoes are brown men´s shoes which I painted black and decorated with leather pieces from another pair of shoes.

Lempimateriaalini denim! Kaulakorusta halusin asukokonaisuuden näyttävimmän osan, korun runko on tukeva metalliverkko jonka päälle kokosin denimistä ja nahasta korallimaiseen muotoon leikattuja osia. Tärkkäsin denimin jotta sen muoto olisi jäykkä. Liimasin koruun vanhasta hopenvärisestä vyöstä yksityiskohtia ja kokosin turkoosinvärisistä helmistä koristeita. Liivin tekovaiheet olen jo kertonut aiemmassa postauksessa. Löysät haaremihousut kaavoitin vanhoista housuista, lisäten väljyyttä enemmän vyötärölle. Housut on tehty kahdesta parista farkkuja. Kengät ovat miesten ruskeat kävelykengät (kierrätyskeskus) jotka maalasin mustaksi ja vanhoista korkokengistä (hopeiset tanssikengät) irrotin somisteet kengän kärkiin. Pitsipusero on second hand jolle en tehnyt muutoksia. Denimtyyliin inspiraatiota hain tulevan kesän haute couture ja ready to wear lempisuunnittelijoiden mallistoista.

Fashion photoshoot Indigo tribe

Susanoo design long cardigan with wool/alpaca scarf

This post is oldie but still goodie, I made it in Delft, Netherlands some years ago (2016).

My long cardigan is self-made from woolen blend jersey. It is a pattern from 1992 Burda which I altered by lenghtening it and also took away the collar. Rounded patch pockets has a lining inside them and pockets are big enough to create an eyecatching element in the front but also super comfy to keep your hands in. My back bag is made from old leather pants and decorated with studs.

I bought 8 rolls of Ambiente black wool/alpaca yarn (not cheap) and crocheted the scarf with 15 sized hook (made from bamboo). Reason why I spent so much for the materials were that I wanted a black basic scarf with quality material; alpaca mixed with virgin wool makes the scarf super soft and quite light to wear. The extra that makes the scarf pop are the tassels I made from the same yarn.  Susanoo remark: the yarn was bought in Delft from a nice, small yarn shop by the canal called Knotten.

Susanna with diy long cardigan and alpaca scarfSusanna with diy long cardigan and diy leather back bag in Delft Netherlands

Fall/winter is the time of the year when you can daringly play with your outfits- layering different materials and shapes takes the whole look into new dimensions. Why not layer a long cardigan with a short leather vest and experiment freely by mixing scarfs together with different sizes and colors.

cross stitch bag “Gypsy Lady” with #

work in process, trying out different ways to decorate

This is a circa 1960s-70s cross stitch of a painting by “Torino” – Little is known about Torino other than he was prevalent from around the 50s to the 70s and there are a few versions (poses) of this “Gypsy Lady” print.

Came across this cross stitch work at second hand store. There it was lying amongst other finished and half finished needle works just for 3€. I knew at once what I wanted to do from it certainly something that will not go unnoticed. First I was playing around with the idea to really make the gypsy lady fierce with tattoos and make-up but after a few try outs I skipped that idea. The cross stitch work is beautifully done and it would be a shame to hide it. I needed a piece of fabric to go with it and choose checkered black and white, to make the whole look more contemporary. When the two pieces were joined it felt like the bag needs a message. Something to do with gypsy way of life, for example fortune telling, freedom and spiritual things. So I came up with the hashtag sign. Under the # one can imagine these words.

Back part of the bag is done out of recycled leather and handles are from old thrifted bag. The leather pieces that hold the handles are parts from a belt and the black rings curtain parts. So again 100% recycled, remake and zero waste.

handles from old bag, leather parts to hold handle old belt

diy gypsy lady cross stitch bag with # decoration

diy gypsy lady cross stitch bag with # decoration

Intercoiffure photoshoot “behind the scene” with Susanoo refashioned clothes and acc.

Intercoiffure Finland photoshoot spring&summer 2015 trends at Suomenlinna Helsinki Finland. With the best crew of hairstylists, make-up artist and fashion photographer. And models were awesome too.

Click here to see the video

What Susanoo did
-styled four different looks based on a mood board from Intercoiffure spring&summer trends.
-designed and sewed clothes for all four styles
-designed all jewellery and accessories

 

Fashion photoshoot Intercoiffure- styling and clothes by Susanna Kaunisto

design bag with hologram details plus one old necklace

This bags idea I got from fabric sofa samples which I found from Kontti second hand store in Finland. Here I connected evenly measured stripes together with zig zag seam and created a modern and sharp background for my holographic decorations. I used earlier these small triangle shaped vinyl decorations for my wristlets to Intercoiffure Finland fashion photoshoot and now after few years “resting”  they still do the trick in this diy bag.

Pattern needed to have right dimensions for the small sized bag so I tried out different variations and found the one that worked for this design.

Strap is made out of old necklace, really thick but light metal chain. Tassel is the pendant from the necklace. Ones again totally recycled bag, every part of it is reused material.

 

My friend called the pattern “Iris” – the blue royal flower. I like the name. Let the bag shine like royalty but act cool and streetwise when needed.

diy bag from fabric sofa samples with holographic details

red faux leather belt bag

Call it a fanny pack, a bum bag, a belt bag—the list goes on. Unlike the 90s iteration, however, this season’s hip-hugging bag is more chic than the fanny packs you’ll find on your average tourist. Through the lens of pure practicality, the fanny pack does no wrong. It’s easily accessible and hands-free.

First I was planning to sew a black belt bag but when I was searching for the right black leather from my stash I came across this red piece of faux leather and thought why not? The bag needed to be a stand out piece (not minimalistic) so I added some decoration from red suede to the bottom and to the flap. And still it looked quite unfinished…until I added studs and tassels from the same red suede. I call the bag little miss Red Dragon.

 

Styling the red belt bag with vintage Adidas t-shirt and vintage silk skirt makes it look more contemporary and interesting.

 

Earrings using triangle shaped leather/plastic

I have started to use this way of working with small leather scraps and other materials. First I cut out the shapes I want and glue them on to a piece of leather- let the pieces dry over night- after that I add a quite thick coat of decoupage lack on the surface- after the lack is completely dry I cut out the shape I want. Here I used old leather scraps and one old plastic snake pattern belt. Metal parts are from old bracelet.

These earrings I cut out as half moon shape and added o-rings from an old bracelet to give them more body and movement.

starched denim and hand painted leather

Handpainted leather earrings and starched denim earrings.

Denim starched with sugar and hot water gives endless possibilities to form whatever you can imagine after the fabric is soaked with the mix. Even 3D is possible if you have patience to form it first and then wait for 2 or 3 days until the piece is totally dry.

When the starched denim piece is dry you can  for example paint, punch or glue the pieces how ever you want. Easy and fun.

Big tote with medieval touch

Photoshoot for the bag took place in very mystical surroundings….

This project was started up by two pieces of fabric sofa samples that I found second hand…and one belt. Idea was to make a roomy bag, easy to sew and without any super fancy decorations.

But as the project went on I wanted to do something extra, to give that unique touch to this bag also rather than leaving it just black. I found from my cross stitch stock this “dragon”. It´s almost ten years ago I bought it and now was the right moment for it. By placing it in the middle of the bag it serves also as a pocket. Buttons are vintage too, red ones to boost up the red from the cross stitch.

Canvas belt found second hand had some nice studs on it and looks amazing as handles for the bag. By hand stitching some decor to one of the handles makes it look raw and crafty and the pattern just “created itself” while stitching.

Overall look of the bag is a little bit medieval- maybe thanks to the studs and the dragon. Location to shoot the bag was in this case easy to figure out- it is an old mill from 17th century in Röttle near Gränna Sweden. I think I felt some vibes from times passed by while taking pics there…

 

flip-flop decoration from leather

A pair of shoes works for me as an empty canvas, just have to add or create decorations that will mark the pair as “Susanoo shoes”.

All my decorations are easy to attach and to take away- to be used when ever some extra attention is needed.

 

From my leather stock I found some beautiful green pieces, gold colored stiff material is actually a placemat and minitassels are easy to do from yarn.

 

Here I added the decorations to my flip flops but why not use them with any kind of shoe…maybe over the shoelaces? Freedom of expression.

 

metal/thread/stones neckpieces

 

From second hand store found some metal plates in different sizes. I like to combine different materials and as usual I just started to test and try how it would look like when I crochet silk thread around the metal. It was not easy cause the silk is so slippery but I am happy how the silk looks together with the beach glass that I glued on top of it.

By using some hanging leather decorations also covered with stones the whole necklace looks airy and floating. Here I paired it with my white diy t-shirt.

 

The sand colored smaller neckpiece is done with the same technique only here I wrapped the thread around the metal part instead of crocheting. Stones are handpicked from the shore of lake Vättern.

 

Yellow thread tassels combined with the metal plate. Card is by emmajansson.se

studs and squares

diy leather bag picture taken in Centre Pompidou Paris Susanna with her diy leather bag in Centre Pompidou Paris

Idea of this leather bag began when I found a pair of leather trousers second hand. I often buy worn and outdated but good quality leather clothes second hand…of course if the price is ok, under 10€ is still a bargain of a good leather.

In this case I cut out the front and the back pieces for the bag from the leg part of the trousers because leather on the legs were in good condition and I did not have to do any extra seams. I tryed out different motifs on the bag but finally I ended up playing with the swiss cross and by adding black leather squares the pattern looked deeper. Studs are there to “rock” the bag but the style is still versatile to combine with different looks and outfits: preppy, rebel, chic etc.

Because I wanted the bag to have “one piece look” so adding in handles was out of the question. Instead I cut out holes to the top part, folded the seam allowances from the cut out to the back and glued them with a flexible glue. Lining is done out of leather and denim, I repeated the same cut out hole and then I just glued the front and the back together. So more glue than seams on this leather project. Glue I used was BISON transparent, it was really easy to work with and now after carrying various loads in my bag for a week around Paris I can say that the glue hold the leather together super good.

Photoshoot is done in Musée des Arts et Métiers and Centre Pompidou in Paris. Thank you Paris!

neckpieces with tassels and beads

 

Second hand stores are a great place to find material for cheap and personal diys. I have been collecting and buying embroidery thread now for a while in every color. Tassels are easy to do from these threads and Pinterest is filled with great instructions.

Then it is just up to your own taste how to combine colors and shapes…I usually go with the flow.

 

Taking photos of my designs outside in the nature with my Canon Digital camera is one of my dear hobbies. These pics from my green and turquoise neckpiece are from the beach.

avant garde

diy free hand lettering with silver paint on jumperFinnish designer Anne Linnonmaa long cardigan with diy black back part

The avant-garde (from French, “advance guard” or “vanguard”, literally “fore-guard”)are people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture and politics.

Sometimes creative process can begin with only a word…in this case a word I came across printed on a t-shirt and after studying the meaning I could relate to avant-garde easily…being daring, innovative, experimental and stating out your own ideas with a bold or unusual way. If I have a statement written on my clothes it has to be saying something I can truly stand for.

The gray jumper is of course a bargain found on second hand, woolblend mens basic knit which I shortened leaving the hem raw without any sewing. Cuts in the elbows gives the altered knit a rough and worn feeling. By wearing under the piece coloured or textured layers it is easy to make different combos. Lettering I made free hand with silver acrylic paint.

Another garment upgrade I did to a Finnish designers Anne Linnonmaa long cardigan. Found this extra nice piece also second hand and after a while decided to give it more outstanding look, something that complements the piece but makes it more unique. To the back piece I cut out from another jumper a sleeve which I attached with basic zigzag stitches. From the same jumper I also cut out a pocket piece and placed it on the front of the cardigan only on the other side…cardigan did not loose its original shape or look but it became more outstanding and bold.

shiny leather bag with zig zag pattern

This black leather bag with modest shine is actually a gift so the size of the bag and as well the color combinations are carefully thought trough. Inside the bag needs to fit a smart phone, wallet and home/car keys and the person who is going to to get this likes shades of black and grey…and of course silver color. For easy carrying cross body the strap is longer and a flap with magnetic clasp safeguards carried important items inside the bag.

I took apart my latest second hand bargain, long black leather jacket and cut the parts for the bag from the back and the sleeves of the jacket.  Adding silver colored leather stripe decorations (cut out with my Fiskars zig zag scissors) enhances the shape and personalizes the whole bag. I used the same zig zag pattern in strap fastenings and in the lining.

diy-black-and-silver-leather-bag-with-matching-details

diy-leather-bag-with-silver-colored-leather-details

diy-black-and-silver-colored-leather-bag-with-unique-details

diy-black-and-silver-leather-bag-with-matching-tassel

 

shades of green with black

Green stands for balance, nature, spring, and rebirth. It’s the symbol of prosperity, freshness, and progress. In Japanese culture, green is associated with eternal life and in the highlands of Scotland, people used to wear green as a mark of honor. Green is the color of love associated with both Venus, the Roman goddess and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess.

And green hues are also the base in my artsy small bag, together with black patterned leather and gold colored metallic parts. My wardrobe were one green bag short, that I could notice when I was choosing my outfit one day and the last detail was missing: the green bag. In this design I joined triangle shapes out of different structured leather and fabrics together with zig zag seam. As usual I started up not really knowing how to fix the handles but in the end it all came together part by part. It is totally 100% recycled materials, made out of thrifted bags and belts.

diy-greenish-leather-bag-side-view-of-handle-fastening

 

diy-greenish-leather-bag-with-unique-decorations

I am experimenting different ways to do leather decorations.

I love to take photographs of my designs, usually I take my back bag carrying my Canon and the design plus a variety of stuff you might need when taking photos outside (clamps, tape, silk paper etc.) This photoshoot took place one misty morning upon a hill here in Gränna. The weather was just perfect, mysterious shapes and blurred colors everywhere. Enjoy the pictures, I do for sure!

diy-greenish-leatherbag

Little bit of staging does wonders.

diy-greenish-leather-bag-with-cross-body-strap

diy-greenish-leather-bag-with-metallic-details

moment of reflection

Taking a moment of reflection.

 

zig zag cross stitch bag

Cross stitching crazyness! Really how can people give/throw away these beautiful and extra nicely stitched piece of art works? I believe there will be a time when these vintage cross stitch handcrafts will be worth gold.

But until that, let`s do a bag out of one zig zag patterned, thrifted cross stitch. It was a pillow cover when I found it from second hand Erikshjälpen Jönköping. Mostly when I come across these old handicrafts they are pillow covers or wall decorations. The colors on this one are bold and I like how the lilac color pops up from the whole palette. I had a piece of brown leather from one earlier project and decided to go towards gold color in the metallic parts and decorations. For the lining I choose sturdy denim so the bag will stay in shape even when empty.

 

Again all parts fort this bag are recycled from second hand bags. My mission is to buy as little as possible straight from the craft stores but to do a bag with good and functional elements requires a lot of different metallic parts. Such as magnetic closures which I usually take apart from my second hand bags. Handles and straps are also quite tricky;  to do a long leather strap requires a lot of good leather and usually that is hard to achieve with leftover leather scraps, so again second hand bags to the rescue!

I am pleased how solid the outcome is, all colors match together and even the gold colored labels fit in with the look.

diy bag photoshoot by the waterside with hand lettered board

diy bag with recycled cross stitch and leather

diy vintage cross stitch bag photoshoot by waterside with thriftwood

 

 

 

 

walk on the wild side

I am amazed how this pair of single colored, old and basic sneakers turned out after some camo pattern refresh! For the camo patterns I used old leather scraps from which I cut out rounded shapes and simply glued them on! I were inspired by a cool designers outfit.

The botanical pics I took here. Great place for inspiration and downshifting.

diy camo sneakers with shape cut leather decorations

matrix rings

Found laying around in the garage a piece of metal with holes. I used tools which made easier to bend and cut the metal. Outcome is a pair of rings with a rough and unfinished look! And why not use the bigger one also as a pendant with a leather cord?

Rei’itetty metallilevy, peltisakset, vasara ja metalliviila ja vahva visio mitä teen sattumalta löytyneestä metallinpalasta.

Muotoilin sormuksen metalliputken ympärillä pyöreäksi ja viilasin kaikki terävät kulmat pois. Toisesta sormuksesta tein peukalosormuksen josta taivutin metallin ulospäin. Hain sormuksiin viimeistelemätöntä, raakaa ilmettä. Pujottamalla reikiin nahkaa, ketjua tms. sormuksen ilmettä pystyy muuttamaan ja pitkänomainen sormus toimii myös kaulakoruna.

hyped up wristlet

These hologram wristlets I made for a fashion photoshoot. The style that had to be created stated “futuristic”. My inspiration came from sport fashion and fencing. Material on the wristlets are soft plastic that was easy to sew and the reflecting part is self adhesive vinyl. I wanted to create the feeling of weightless body armor that just floats on your skin.

Muotikuvauksiin tekemäni hologrammirannekkeet. Rannekkeet täydensivät tyylisuuntaa tulevaisuuden klubbailijasta, yöelämän futuristisesta tähtösestä. Inspiraatiota hain urheiluvaatetuksesta mm. miekkailusta ja show-painista sekä avaruus/tulevaisuus aiheista. Materiaaliksi rannekkeisiin valitsin taipuisan ja ohuen muovin jota pystyi helposti ompelemaan. Päällystin rannekkeet hologrammiteipillä niin että käytettäessä ihoa näkyisi myös rannekkeen alta ja hopeinen hologrammi ikäänkuin leijuisi käden päällä. Rannekkeen sivuihin ompelin mustaa kangasnauhaa tukemaan kiinnittämisessä käytettäviä muttereita.

diy plastic wristles with self adhesive holographic vinyl

 

dare to be SNOBBIG

avant

This clutch is actually a placemat called SNOBBIG from IKEA. Structure was quite stiff so it was easy to handle.  First I sewed the lining and decorative ruffles and the belt while the placemat was still flat then I joined the sides together.  For the lining I used one old t-shirt from which the ruffles are also done. Studs are actually plastic ones and each of them hand sewn.The lock is an old belt.

Shirts are my older DIY designs, necklace a showpiece for a photoshoot. Ankle boots and hats all vintage and second hand findings.

Susanoo diy and collected vintage items show case

fabric sofa samples- a bag

I do find the Finnish Red Cross Kontti second hand department stores very exiting and worth a visit every time. They have a special deal for all the craft items they sell…it is priced by weight. So these fabric sofa samples (at least over 20 pieces in one bag) were all together 2€.

 

My first try out from the samples is this bag. I used five of the samples and the lining and handles are made out of old jeans.

I added the chain which is an old necklace and the decoration parts in the handles and on the both sides of the bag are actually from various old bags.

And a bag is not finished until the tassel is there! Inspiration picture for statement bag, click!

diy bag from fabric sofa samples with recycled jewellery and parts from old bagsdiy bag from fabric sofa samples with recycled jewellery and parts from old bags

davinci

Delicate and dreamy leather pendants. Top that is used as the background is one of my old designs, simply a pattern with triangle and a circle. The jewellery I started calling DaVinci…cause at that time I was reading more about his designs. All materials are again recycled…pieces from old jewellery.

Symbolism and mysteries fascinates me and one way or another leaves their signature in the outcome…

 

Headpiece is also one of my old designs.

 

diy dreamy and delicate leather pendants called davinci

pouches with art

For carrying mobile phone cross-body. All pouches are made from recycled materials; denim, leather and all the metal parts are from thrifted bags or jewellery. Lining is made out of old scarves, as long as they have silky and smooth surface to easily slide in and take out the phone. I used various type of cords for the strap…from shoe laces to self made ones.

Some of the pouches I painted and stamped with lines and circles and the swiss cross symbol was just perfect for the more simplified and sharp look. Love to use also washing instructions from old garments as decoration.

Now I just need to find homes for these unique pouches…

diy denim pouches black and white artsy picture

work in process stamping, painting and decorations

blue pipes with “Dream boat”

diy blue leather jewellery background art Robert Giusti

Arts and crafts. Because I love leather, because I love finding different ways to express my love for leather, because combining recycled jewellery and leather makes awesome and unique outcome.

I searched for some cool backgrounds for my “blue pipes” and found a book graphis annual 83|84 from which I picked these ones to tell a story with my jewellery. I think  the pics I found are just spot on…especially the one with the bird…”Dream Boat” by Robert Giusti.

diy leather pendant with second hand silver colored rings

diy leather pendant with second hand silver colored rings

leopard print backbag

diy animal print back bagdiy animal print back bag with recycled decorations

The leopard print fabric and the cute Hawaiian motif one were a gift from a friend. What to sew out of these fabrics? I am not a big fan of animal printed clothes…so I came up with the idea to join both fabrics in the same item – a backbag. The Hawaiian print fabric I used as a lining. Shoulder straps are from thrift shop; a belt with gold colored studs 3€ and the chains from an old necklace. It is more my style to wear animal print as accessory – as a contrast or matching part of my outfit.

 

Photoshoot took place at harbour; beatiful sunny day and glittering water. From nationalgeographic.com: “Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.”  ;-)

|| mindful ||

Some pics of my jewellery diy year 2015.

I was trying out different techniques, such as self made clay and ways of decorating the clay with paint and nailpolish. In my older posts you can find more about these experiments. Some of the pieces turned out nice and few (above and under) became my favourite.

diy pendants from natural stones and odd metal parts

I picked up small stones whenever and wherever I found interesting ones. I let the shape of the object guide the way I am decorating and painting, by doing this I am merely enhancing the hidden beauty already existing.

collage of diy pendants from different materials

 

cobalt combo

diy bracelet with leather cord and second hand jewellery diy bracelet with leather cord and second hand jewellery

More small craft projects from denim. A pendant and a bracelet…both are easy to pair with any clothing and colors. The good thing is, these bracelets stands alone well, or can serve as a foundation to any arm bracelet setup you feel up to.

Black cord bracelet has a collection of old, various glass and metal beads. The clever, small magnetic closure for the bracelets is more neater than just using the clasp…and much more easier to put on your wrist.

Denim jacket is an old project, soaked in bleach from its arms and hem so that the outcome of the bleached parts is uneven and dramatic.