Reba's Quilts and Machines

Louis Vuitton Clutch zipper replacement and repair May 2, 2017 In 2017, in advance of my friend's move to Australia, I decided to repair her favorite Louis Vuitton wristlet/clutch.  This is an authentic Louis Vuitton.  I am a huge believer in recycling and upcycling, so I searched for a purse at Goodwill that would have an acceptable zipper and hardware, as I wanted something coordinating with the traditional LV monogram colors.  It had to be the correct size and the correct color, a tan or brown to coordinate with the LV leather. After searching for several weeks, I found a fabric purse with coordinating brown leather and a coordinating tan/brown zipper and acceptable gold metal accents.  I carefully seam-ripped both the original purse and the LV purse.  As many of you know, the lining of the authentic LV purse is a tan suede leather, so it can easily rip.  Also, as many of you know who have sewn, you do not pin leather before sewing, the proper m...

So my next big project in 2018 was a pair of Birkenstock’s for my friend in Australia.  Nannette has size 43 shoes; she is a tall woman.  She was in a bad car accident at 18 and has suffered problems to her feet as a result  This was exacerbated by an accident on a train platform in Australia, so comfortable shoes are a must.  And what is more comfortable, than a pair of Birkenstock’s?  But they couldn’t be just any Birki’s.  They had to be Louis Vuitton Birki’s because Nannette is an LV nut. I started with a used pair of Birkenstock’s with good platforms from eBay.  I took them to our local cobbler who deconstructed and separated the leather tops from the platform. I then used the Birki leather as a pattern.   I had an LV purse to deconstruct, but there was not enough leather for the necessary 4 straps.  I needed another 2 pieces of leather for the sides, so I shopped at my Goodwill for a red purse with gold buckles. However, upon in...