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DIY Backpack Makeover using old Clothes

Give an old or oddly branded school bag an update with this easy DIY backpack makeover idea using upcycled clothing!

Do you have a dated backpack that needs a facelift? Or maybe the design isn’t age-appropriate any more. Learn how to use old clothes and some Mod Podge for a simple DIY backpack makeover, just in time for back-to-school!

Back-to-School is Around the Corner

School begins in the middle of September in Greece.  No need to rush things too much.  It is still very hot here and it’s hard to hit the books when you are trying to keep cool. Children begin grade school when they are 6 years old.  There are 3 years in middle school and another 3 in senior  high school.  After that they can either go to a University or a vocational school for higher education. 

elementary school, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

This was the first public school my kids went to in Greece.  They are almost done now.  The youngest is in her last year of Senior high school.  Schools generally start at 8:10 and go till 2 pm depending  on the grade.  

There is no lunch break but they do have a place where they can purchase snacks.  The kids come home at 2 pm and then many of them go to tutorial schools in the afternoon.  We all have to learn English here since Greek is not a  widely used language. 

 elementry school yard, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

This small school bag was given to one of my girls when she visited a factory.  It is nice and useful but not really appropriate for her age. She is a teen after all and teens want what they want! And who can blame her.  

We were going to give it away but it was a nice size, not too big for those days she has few books and it was very sturdy.  The only problem was that sticker on the front. 

before, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

Giving a Backpack a DIY Makeover

      My first solution to this sticker problem was to mix acrylic paint with some fabric medium and paint over it. 

acrylic paint and fabric medium, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    Of course once I was done I realized my mistake.  First of all, I was not painting over fabric but plastic so the fabric medium was useless here.  And secondly, it did not cover at all. 

painting over the sticker, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

      The next idea was to cover it with fabric.  I had this pretty dress which was too small but loved the fabric. I’ve repurposed clothing before to make a seat cover and a pillow.  In fact I make it a habit to repurpose clothing, you can see more in my fabric category. 

A dress to be repurposed, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    Using plain paper, I made templates for the areas I wanted to cover with fabric. 

making templates, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

      I used a fabric glue to put this on. 

glueing the fabric, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    And the bottom, where the pocket is. I then applied two coats of mod podge to seal the fabric in. 

glueing fabric on the bottom pocket, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

      I wanted to create a border on the top section so I just traced over the border with a permanent marker. 

Creating a border with permanent marker, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    My girl wanted some interest on the side, I drew these  to mimic the design on the fabric. 

Drawing the flower design on the side, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

      And then she asked me to cover the straps in the same fabric. I sewed them on.  But of course you can just as easily use glue. 

sewing fabric to the straps, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
The finished bag, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

​​Isn’t that fabric just lovely? 

The pretty straps, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
the sewn straps, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
 the bag hung on her back, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    The straps look so nice in the front when she is wearing it. 

 Straps in the front, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
front view of pocket, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

    I added a metallic grey marker to the flower design to give it more interest. 

side view with metallic paint on flower design, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

Related: If you’d like to sew your own backpack, check out this DIY rucksack sewing pattern at Sustain my Craft Habit.

The madeover bag, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com
Side view, School Bag Makeover, Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge www.theboondocksblog.com

The old backpack makeover is finished just in time for the beginning of the school year.  It looks nothing like the before, it is pretty and feminine with the choice of this lovely fabric.  And most importantly you cannot see that childish sticker that is hiding underneath.  

I believe I went above and beyond with this DIY backpack makeover using old clothes, not just covering the sticker but also adding so much more to make it truly unique.  My girl loves her “new” bag and that’s all that matters. What would you have done with this childish bag?

Completed DIY backpack makeover with upcycled clothing.
Picture

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95 Comments

  1. What a transformation. From boring to all grown up and groovy. I love how feminine this school bag is now and there’s no mistaking it for someone else’s either.

  2. Aww Mary it’s beautiful! I just bought a new bag for my daughter, her old one was broken….maybe I should have bought a plain one and made it look pretty with fabric like you did. What a cool idea and the fabric matches that backpack so perfectly, it really turned out so pretty! No wonder your daughter loves it now!

    1. Katrin you can always transform it later on if she gets tired of it. That is if it doesn’t fall apart first. That can be a problem too. I have been through so many bags with 4 kids, more than I care to remember.

  3. Wow Mary, you can see the bag was made with so much love and you chose the perfect fabric. It’s stunning, so much better than the before. I hope you’ve got a few more of those plastic bags lying around, the other kids are going to want one too.

    1. That’s what I always try to do Michelle, put lots of love into everything I make. Otherwise there is no point to what we do. The boys are not in school anymore, thank goodness and the other girl paints on her schoolbag. So I’m done …whew!!

  4. No wonder why your girl loves that bag, Mary, it is lovely!! When I saw the after picture I would have never imagined it wasn’t like that before, I thought you bought it in a shop! The dress was perfect for it and I agree with you, it gives the bag a pretty feminine look. Are the girls happy to go back to school?

    1. Words to make me happy Pili. It looks like it came from a shop! Thank you my friend. The younger one is l ooking forward to seeing her friends, and the older one is nervous because she is going to a new school this year, new adventures.

  5. This is adorable Mary!
    I love that you used the fabric from a dresser. Now an ordinary backback is delicate and unique.
    Great job!
    Patricia.

  6. Mary, I love this bag now!! That fabric is so beautiful and perfect for your girl’s backpack! I also love the designs you made on the sides, very talented artist!! What a fantastic repurpose!!

    1. It was pretty awful before Keri. That bus had to go. I am really happy with it and happy that my girl participated in the process too.

  7. It turned out very nice. I would not have considered doing a complete “make over” on the back pack. I probably would have just stuck it in the closet or given it away. This solution was much better and more useful.

    1. You know me Krista, I’m all about reusing old things. I got to repurpose the dress and upcycle the bag. A win-win in my book!

    1. Larissa, the summer just flew by. At least the kids will be ready for school with bags like these.

    1. Thank you so much Doreen. It was a labor of love and one that I did with my girl which makes it twice as special.

  8. Mary, you did a fabulous job on the bag. I do believe you went above and beyond, it looks so pretty. I love the fabric, it goes perfect, like it was made for it. It never would of crossed my mind to add fabric.
    Your daughter will have a unique and one of the prettiest bags in school.

    1. Linda, I would do anything for my girl. I wanted her to have a special bag that no one else has.

    1. Yes Erin, we still have two more weeks before school starts, and in this girls case it won’t really get under way till October. You see here in Greece we like to take our time.

    1. Oh.. That is too bad. Because we start school so late, I don’t even worry about school yet.

    1. Oh boy are they! In fact my girl took it out for a spin today and got lots of compliments.

    1. Well now I’ve got you thinking maybe you can transform one too. Thank you Katerina for dropping by.

    1. I know just how expensive they are Marie. I had 4 kids in school at one point. And they wear out so fast. I wish I had been as smart years ago to do this too.

  9. I love the bag! It is so creative what you did with the fabric. Of course I just love red, black and white. I am not so creative so I probably would have just stuck a different patch over the original one!

    1. AnnMarie. We really needed a more grown up look for this bag. She is a teen and did not want a school bus on there. Although red is not her favorite color, she does love Black and White, so this was the perfect solution.

    1. Thank you Ilka. Happy Back to School too. You are very creative, I’m sure you could easily do this if you had to.

  10. Lovely makeover, Mary! That backpack is much more appropriate for a teen. I just love that fabric! Your daughter is so lucky to have such a creative mom to help her out. 😉

    1. Celeste you know me, I love a good challenge. And I just could not see myself leaving it like that, it was pretty awful before. Now we are both happy with it.

  11. I absolutely LOVE this back pack! I love it even more knowing that you repurposed fabric from a pretty dress! This is such a great idea!
    And I also love the picture of the school. The mural is pretty!

    1. I know you can make one of these in your sleep, you are so talented. I hope that I have inspired and that you share with us whatever you make for your little girl.

  12. What a cute backpack! I would never have thought of using an old dress…now that you bring it to my attention that is exactly how my grandmother made my quilt. She used the scraps from the cloths that my mom made my clothes from. Adorable!

    1. There are so many ways we can use old clothes that it is a shame to get rid of them Debbie. I have a real fondness for pretty fabrics and try to use them as much as possible in my crafts.

    1. Marjan, my daughter loves it, I love it, her friends love it… the list goes on and on. I am really happy with the way this turned out.

  13. Hi Mary: I love this makeover, you once again have taken a unused article and gave it some love to make it useful again. So much better than having the same old out of the box article as everyone else has. My favorite part was the addition of the fabric to the straps.

    1. Who wants to have the same old out of the box look. I have found that since I started blogging my house looks like no one else’s. That is the beauty of blogging. No one has my table because it has been redone. No one has my.. you get the idea. I love this aspect of blogging Leanna.

    1. Thanks Victoria, you know how picky kids can be! And when they become teens they are even pickier!

  14. Super makeover! This is adorable. I’m always so impressed by your creativity and ability to up-cycle materials into ‘new’ creations.
    Carol (“Mimi”) from Home with Mimi

  15. I love the make over! and you show us how to do it!
    Thank you for inspiring us at our Back to school link party at #Celebrate365!
    Come on over and party any time!

    1. We all want the best for our kids but there is no reason to break the bank. I hope I have inspired.

  16. Looks great Mary, and your daughter likes it which is the main thing after all!
    I would probably got a badge or patch to cover the old logo, not very imaginative!

    1. Julie it was pretty pathetic before. It needed to have style and character. After all my girl would need to have something unique. Thanks for your sweet comment. The older they get… well your probably don’t have 18 year olds. …Ahh it only gets better. 😉

  17. Oh my goodness! That turned out so cute! What a great way to carry just a few books and definitely more age appropriate. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Celebrate365.

  18. This turned out so nicely! We have a few plain color backpacks that adding some color to would be fun. You should drop by the Ultimate Pinterest Party on Friday and share this fun project!

  19. Hello Mary and Ladies!
    Super cute idea with this backpack upcycle, Mary!!! I pinned several of the photos and because I don’t have any kids in school anymore {except some college classes for Amy} I thought I’d share this for others who do. Hopefully a bunch of folks will come over to see it and try it themselves!
    Really cute!!! Glad your daughter loves her “new” backpack,
    Barb 🙂

    1. Barb you saw the before. No self respecting teen would be caught with something like that. And yet it is a very sturdy bag and it would have been a shame to get rid of it.

  20. What a cool makeover! I absolutely adore the idea to use old or not used items to decorate another one. Recycling and reusing should be an habits for all of us! And if you have such great taste and sense of aesthetic, the result could really be surprising! Good job! I love it! #Senisal

    1. Thank you Silvia. I really loved the pattern on this dress and just had to find a way to use it somewhere.

  21. This is such a cool project, Mary, and so sustainable too! Thank you for sharing with the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Pinned and shared on the party page!

    1. Thank you April. I really loved that pattern on the dress and was determined to find a place to reuse it.

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