What can be done with the wife's old purse

[azdonw]

I noticed an old leather purse my wife had in the closet she got in Mexico as a teen. So I asked her if I could salvage it. I wish I thought to take a picture of it before I performed surgery on it, because it needed help. It had two strap handles at the top and no flap, so I removed the handles and cut down the front and sides so that I could build a flap. Then I moved the clasp down the front of the bag so the new flap would work. Next, I re-mounted the handles to the side of the bag to create a strap. I used part of an old belt to extend the length of the strap. The result:

Then, with a piece of leftover leather from the surgery, I made my new capper:

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

Pretty dang cool :thumbsup:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Old purses, boots and coats from resale shops are good sources for inexpensive project leather. I have used this stuff frequently.
However, trying to remake a purse into a shooting bag often doesn't work. Too often they still end up looking like a purse. :shocked2: DAMHIK :redface:

 

[necchi]

Sorry, I gotta agree with Frank, it's still a purse.
I've "Been there-Done That" too :redface:

It's the flap and the clasp,,

 

[omarick1948]

Still looks like a Mexican purse to me!..Hey! Trade it to Double Deuce 1 ____ :rotf:

Sorry! :surrender:

PS...I remember the first lazy stitch seed beading I did on my rifle case of my interpretation of a buffalo and all my friends looked at it and called it a Lion!..

:redface:

 

[Billnpatti]

Nice work. :thumbsup: I think it needs to have the strap that comes over the top of the bag cut more straight instead of the flare and change the modern clasp to perhaps a leather loop under which the strap over the top will tuck to keep it closed. I just think the modern clasp takes away from an otherwise good job. :2

 

[azdonw]

Nice work. :thumbsup: I think it needs to have the strap that comes over the top of the bag cut more straight instead of the flare and change the modern clasp to perhaps a leather loop under which the strap over the top will tuck to keep it closed. I just think the modern clasp takes away from an otherwise good job. :2

That sounds like a great idea!
And thanks all for the opinions/tips.

 

[50cal.cliff]

Well if the old purse has money in it.......... :rotf:

Sorry couldn't resist that. Good re-purposing project! :thumbsup:

 

[azdonw]

Well if the old purse has money in it.......... :rotf:

Sorry couldn't resist that. Good re-purposing project! :thumbsup:

It did have a really old quarter! :wink:

 

[azdonw]

Okay, so I took the suggestions:

If you didn't know the history, would you still think it use to be a purse??

 

[necchi]

It's a pouch, OK?

Once a feller starts looking into the actual "Traditional",
(Like the name of the forum)
, pouches that are still around or have been logged and displayed,, yours doesn't look like those.
It's the Mexican paper backed leather, the Mexican embossed stampings,
Yes, it still a purse.

 

[azdonw]

OK. I knew I wouldn't be able to transform it into a period piece. I just didn't want to be embarrassed showing up at the shooting range with it--not a frontier reenactment.

 

[Rick Son]

Asth long as you wear matching high heel moccs i wouldn't...Make eeem squeel like a pig!
Just sayin Bill.Put some deer skin thongs on it where those other are and maybe deer skin to replace the threading around the pur uh bag..

Then again 30.00 at octobercountry.com will get you a from scratch bag that is real nice and you can do it up.

Find them keys yet :blah: :rotf:

Of course if anybody says any thing,you can hit them with it like Ruth Buzzie,KASWAP! I'm not that kind of mountainman! :rotf:

 

[Rick Son]

OOPS i thought that was Bill makin that,my bad!Hope you got a sence of humor,i ain't been shot in quiet some time :surrender:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

If you didn't know the history, would you still think it use to be a purse??

I think the modern tooling on the front is what gives you away. Have you thought about disassembling it and turning it inside out, and resewing it? You got rid of the clasp but you might want to close it with a horn or pewter button to be sure stuff doesn't tumble out. Rough-side out is acceptable on leather items in many instances.

LD

 

[azdonw]

OOPS i thought that was Bill makin that,my bad!Hope you got a sence of humor,i ain't been shot in quiet some time :surrender:

:applause: :grin: :v

 

[azdonw]

I think the modern tooling on the front is what gives you away. Have you thought about disassembling it and turning it inside out, and resewing it? You got rid of the clasp but you might want to close it with a horn or pewter button to be sure stuff doesn't tumble out. Rough-side out is acceptable on leather items in many instances.

LD

Interesting idea.

 

[omarick1948]

This is starting to turn into a major opinion pole of to many idea's! __ How about just hanging that purse back in the closet as a Mexican relic and get yourself some decent medium weight leather and make yourself a shooting pouch! __ No matter what you do to that purse, it is still going to look like a revamped purse. __ Heck! Someone here might have an extra pouch laying around, that they might send you! __ Lots of good folks here!

 

[suzkat]

Dude...it's still a purse. Seriously, enough. I would NOT show up at the range with that. Shopping yes....range no.

 

[BrownBear]

If you didn't know the history, would you still think it use to be a purse??

Truthfully, there's so much variation in bags that wouldn't be my first guess. Its' distinctive enough I'd be asking you about it, but what the hey. Lots of other bags around I don't take a second look at. Recreations of known examples of bags from some dusty collection aside, everything else is an interpretation.

I'm betting the closer you got to Taos in the fur trade era, the more it would look like stuff carried by the locals. And heck, there were Mexicans trapping fur down there before the English settlers climbed on the Mayflower.