Welcome to the 789th Metamorphosis Monday! Almost six years ago, in August 2018, I purchased a Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis bag in the Reverse Monogram style. This bag has been a workhorse! It’s the bag I wear during the fall/winter months the most, especially on days when it’s pouring rain and I have a ton of errands to run. It’s impervious to rain, and when wearing it crossbody it somehow becomes one with your body. I forget I even have it on. So it’s the perfect bag when you’re grocery shopping or dropping packages off at UPS and want to be completely hands-free.
A few years back, the little adjustable strap keeper that is designed to slide up and down the strap (see arrow) came loose and slid off the bag. The other strap keeper that’s higher up is actually constructed into the bag in such a way that it can’t come off, but only two threads held the other keeper in place. I didn’t think to take a photo of the little band/keeper when it was off the bag, but it sat for years on a shelf in my closet, awaiting the time I could get the bag into Louis Vuitton for repair. I was reluctant to take it in because I knew it would take a few weeks to get it back. The ideal time to have taken it in would have been during the spring/summer months since I have another Pochette Metis bag that I wear during the warmer months, but since the strap stayed down in place just fine without it, it was never a priority.
I thought about taking the bag to a local cobbler because I could tell it would not be a complicated repair, but one day, after knocking the little band/strap keeper off the closet shelf for the 100th time as I was reaching for my bag, I decided to see if I could repair it myself. I had saved the tiny scrap of thick thread that had held the band together around the strap, so I knew what color thread I needed. I purchased the thread shown below. When choosing the thread, I was determined to find thread that was as thick as the thread that was originally used when the bag was made. Regular sewing thread would never have been strong enough and would not have looked right.
The previous photo doesn’t really show the colors of the thread I purchased since they are inside a plastic bag, and neither does the photo below which is probably overexposed, but fortunately, one of the spools was a color that matched my bag. The trickiest part in making the repair was getting the needle up underneath the little strap keeper. The thread I purchased came with curved needles, but the needles were a little bigger than the existing holes in the strap keeper. I didn’t want to make the holes larger, so I ended up using a regular sewing needle for the repair.
Here’s how it looks. I couldn’t quite pull the ends of the strap keeper as tightly together as I wanted, but after wearing the bag all fall/winter, the strap keeper never slid down even once, so I guess it’s tight enough. It’s been doing its job of keeping the strap in place very well. The perfectionist inside of me is tempted to cut the thread and resew it again to see if I can pull the threads a tiny bit tighter, but since it’s working fine and not sliding down, I should probably just leave well enough alone.
If you have a bag with a shoulder or crossbody strap and the strap keeper has come loose (or completely off as mine did) this is not a difficult repair. I’m glad I didn’t take my bag to Louis Vuitton for such a minor issue because I’m sure the bag would have been sent off to New York or wherever they do their repairs, and I would have been without it for several weeks.
If you’re looking for a great bag, probably my favorite version of the Pochette Metis is their leather bag. I love their coated canvas bags, but I really love their leather bags with the embossed design that’s more subtle. Their leather Pochette Metis also holds up beautifully in rain, I guess it’s the way they treat the leather. This is the bag I carry the most during the spring/summer months. My Pochette Metis bags are truly workhorses and I could not do without them. I love the built-in organization that’s inside the bag. If you have thought about getting this bag in the past, it’s available in both coated canvas (like my reverse monogram bag) and leather in pre-loved “Excellent” condition here: Louis Vuitton Pochette Metis. I’ve been super tempted to buy another leather Pochette Metis in the Gris Tourterelle color. I love that color and it would easily work year-round.
Looking forward to all the wonderful Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday! Pssst: Did you know Between Naps On The Porch is on Instagram? You’ll find me on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch. Like to know when a new blog post is up? Subscribe for email updates (it’s free) and your e-mail will never be shared. Subscribe for free post updates here: Subscribe.
Metamorphosis Monday: Metamorphosis Monday is a party that’s all about Before and Afters. Please link up your Before and After projects like DIY projects, room makeovers, craft projects even recipes. Please do not link up Table Settings, save those for our Tablescape Thursday party on Thursday. If you are participating in Met Monday, you’ll need to link your post to the party using the “permalink” to your MM post and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on the name of your post, then copy and paste the address that shows in the address bar at the top of your blog, into the “url” box for InLinkz when prompted.
Very clever of you to fix it yourself! Thanks Susan~
Thanks, Jenna! It really was an easy fix.
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It’s good you were able to fix it yourself and avoid having to do without it for several weeks. It looks great! You did a very professional job.
I hope you have nice weather this week. Ours is all over the place.
Thanks, Pam! If it gets loose again, at least I know I can fix it. lol Yeah, our weather has been weird, too. I’m just so happy it’s not raining today…I really over all this constant rain.
Great job Susan, I had to have one of mine repaired at a specialty shoe repair and you couldn’t tell where they did it. Thanks so much for having us over. Have a lovely week!
Debra, what happened to yours? What did they repair? That’s awesome that you were able to have it done quickly!
You did a fabulous job & looks perfect to me. Yes, it’s always a drag when you take items in for repair ‘cuz it does take a considerable amount of time. Thanks for sharing & hosting. XO- MaryJo
Thanks, MaryJo!
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Hi Susan! I found you through Esme’s link party, and I just posted a Before/After of a Garage turned dining area today, so I thought I’d share here! I am really impressed with your blog and decor projects. I haven’t shared your link on my site yet, but I will do that in a little bit…after I finish going through the linked blogs!
Thanks, Julie! Glad you’re here and hope you see lots of wonderful visits!
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Susan,
Thanks again for hosting this wonderful party! I know how much time goes into doing so and I want you to know that I truly appreciate it!! I hope you will have a great week! Thanks for all the inspiration!!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Great job, and I am sure you saved lots and lots of $ by doing it yourself.
My links: American Chinese Crab Rangoons and The Best Super Moist Chocolate Cake