Luggage

Pack my Bags! Fun and Easy Decoupage Vintage Suitcases

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When shopping in thrift stores, I am always on the lookout for certain items on my personal wish list.   Many times I leave empty-handed as these items tend to be harder to find and that is why they remain on my list.  It is the search for these and other welcomed surprises that make thrifting so much fun.  Every now and again I get lucky, and it was truly my lucky day when I stumbled upon three lovely hard case, blue vintage suitcases reasonably priced at Goodwill.  I was also delighted to find the interiors of this cases in excellent condition.  For the larger case, I chose a blue and white fabric from Joann Fabrics, and decoupaged it onto the suitcase surface for my first ever restyled suitcase.  I wanted to make each suitcase unique, so I patiently waited for ideas to come along for cases two and three.

I was walking around Goodwill by my work the other day and stumbled upon a lovely pillow sham.  It was priced right at $1.99.  Usually when it comes to linens and fabrics at Goodwill, it is hit or miss.  This was a lovely pattern of white , red, and a touch of blue.  Whenever I see blue I think of those suitcases and thought this would be a perfect fit for one of them.  The question was if I would have enough fabric to complete the project. Unfortunately they only had one pillow sham in this pattern for sale.

Vintage suitcase pillow sham decoupage makeover

It turns out when I got it home,  I had just the right amount of fabric to restyle the second largest case, and I was thrilled!

First, I cut the decorative fabric away from the plain blue fabric on the pillow cases underside.

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I placed the suitcase on the top of the fabric to get an idea of how much fabric I would need for both sides.  It was easiest to cut it in half.  I allow the fabric to hang over slightly, as I planned on trimming away the excess fabric later.  I applied Mod Podge generously with a foam craft brush to the suitcase surface.

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I then carefully laid the fabric over it,  repeating the same process twice for both sides of the suitcase.

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Once dry, I applied Mod Podge generously over it to seal the fabric.  I also generously applied Mod Podge to the edges where I planned on trimming the excess fabric.

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Once dry, the fabric stiffens and I carefully used a box cutter knife to trim the extra fabric using the suitcase crevice/seam as a guide.  Keep in mind to use just enough pressure as too much can damage the suitcase.

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I applied two more layers of Mod Podge to each side of the suitcase. Working the glue once again in around the suit case edges.

Decoupage suitcase using a pillow sham

I loved how this little suitcase turned out!  Stay tuned for suitcase number three coming soon!

decoupage vintage suitcases with fabric and Mod Podge

 Material Used:

Hard Top Suitcase

Fabric of choice (For this project I used an old pillow sham)

Scissors

Foam Craft Brush

Box Cutting Knife

Mod Podge

Clear Varnish (Optional add for extra protection)

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Travel the Old Fashioned Way: Vintage Decoupage Suitcase

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I love vintage suitcases!  I especially love all of the decoupage and repurposed vintage suitcase ideas I have seen while strolling through the web. I was eager to restyle a suitcase of my own, but hard case luggage proved to be a challenging find.   Over the last two years, I searched for suitable suitcases in every thrift store, yard sale, and managed to stumble across only one along the way.   You can imagine my surprise recently, when I came across not one, but three vintage blue suitcases in the same shopping trip.  The small case was inside the medium case, and the large case was empty. The set was not priced.  I asked for a price check and expected an individual price on each piece of luggage.  Instead, Goodwill decided to price the small and medium cases together for only $3.99!  I checked with them twice, because I could not believe it!  The larger case (pictured below) was priced at a reasonable $7.99.

Vintage Blue Suitcase

 

For my first suitcase decoupage, I decided to keep it simple. I purchased a yard of fabric from Joann Fabric.  I searched for material that would blend with the color of the suitcase, and found a nice blue and white floral pattern. I cleaned the case to remove any dust or dirt. I generously applied Mod Podge with a foam craft brush.

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I carefully laid the fabric on glue, smoothing out any wrinkles or air bubbles with my hands along the way.  I carefully worked the fabric in the creases of the case, and covered the entire area with another layer of Mod Podge.

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Once dry, I trimmed any excess fabric with a box cutting knife applying minimal pressure using the natural crease of the suitcase as my guide.  I added a 2nd coat of Mod Podge. I repeated the same process for the opposite side of the suitcase.

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Decoupage Fabric Suitcase

 

Now, what to do with the other two?