After my misadventure with the TopShop flimsy lining, I decided to re-line my handbag. Why? Because it’s cute, and looks small, but fits an amazing quantity of things, including an A5-sized page-a-day yearly moleskine diary. Yes, the big fat black one. And a massive wallet. And all my other clutter necessities. So. Here’s how I did it.

1. Remove old lining. I left a 1.5cm “fringe” of the old one, as I wasn’t sure my machine can stitch through leather. I sewed most of the new lining onto that “fringe”, and am considering cross-stitching on top of it to a) make a prettier edging and b) ensure the new lining stays on by securing it to the leather.
2. Cut piece of new lining wall (with possible 2nd piece for reinforcement)
3. Cut pieces for pockets
4. Put pockets together (gives a better finish)
5. Affix pockets to the bag.
6. Add zippered pocket if you wish (the best tutorial for that is from u-hanblog)
7. Sew new lining to the bag, going all around the edge
8. At this time I also stitched the “TopShop real leather” tag onto the lining. Thought it’d be a cute touch and memento of where the bad lining came from.
9. Sew down the side to form a tube and close the lining up
10. Cut the bottom piece(s). I used a second piece to reinforce this too, even if it won’t be under much strain.
11. Sew the bottom piece as far as you can (from the back, to get a clean finish) using the machine.
12. Finish sewing the bottom piece by hand (good side of fabric to you). I was rushed (wanted to go out in 10 min and use it) and did it very quickly and it’s not pretty, but you know what? It’s at the bottom of the bag, in the darkest recesses of my daily clutter-carrier, and I don’t really care 🙂

    

    

    

    

    
    

    

    

    

    

    
    

I also chose to take this opportunity to add a magnetic closure at the top of the bag, as none had been provided and the bag was infuriatingly left gaping at all times. In a city like London, this is an open invitation for peeking, and less desireably, pick-pocketing too. Adding such closures is the easiest thing in the world, and I recommend it to anyone who has trouble closing their bags. Mind you, you do need access to the space behind the lining in order to secure it in place, but a small opening should suffice.