What can you make from an old suitcase?

Sometimes a suitcase, no matter with or without a handle, becomes completely unsuitable for use for its intended purpose. Then a situation emerges when it’s a pity to throw it away and it’s pointless to keep it at home. Smart housewives in such situations act as follows - they give things that are unnecessary in everyday life completely different functional duties, giving them a second life. Let's find out what you can do from an old suitcase.

Several methods to repurpose an old suitcase

From an old suitcase that has become unnecessary and inherited from your grandmother or mother, you can make very useful and beautiful things. A little imagination and free time, and having the materials necessary for work on hand can turn a travel bag out of regular use into an organizer for storing sewing or knitting accessories, cosmetics, and necessary little things.

Attention! Before starting the rework, you need to clean the surface from any existing contaminants. If the suitcase is leather or plastic, alcohol-containing detergents will help remove stains.Contaminants are removed from fabric using special wet wipes. There is no need to wipe off dirt from a bag covered with paint; it is recommended to clean it off before starting the alteration.

The cleaned lid and lower part can be spray painted, coated with a layer of colored varnish, or covered with fabric. Next, take thick cardboard and cut out long strips from it, which will act as internal partitions. Their number and parameters depend on the purpose for which the suitcase will be used. If there should be as many small sections as possible for storing threads, needles, buttons and other sewing items. If the organizer is prepared for larger items, then the departments in it should be larger in size.

The cardboard sections must be fastened together with superglue or high-quality PVA. If desired, even before fastening, the sectional partitions inside the bag compartment can be painted with a paint that matches the tone, covered with shiny paper or decorated with rhinestones.

An excellent use case would be to use an old suitcase as a picnic box. In it you can store things necessary for a fun time in nature: dishes, tablecloths, blankets, napkins, or dishes prepared and packaged in durable containers.

The step-by-step modification method looks like this:

1. The outer surface is cleaned of stickers, dirt and unevenness;
2. Use a utility knife to rip and cut off the inner lining;
3. The elements chosen for decoration are painted over or varnished;
4. A sheet of plywood is attached to the bottom, to which a piece of fabric cut to its dimensions is attached;
5. The same actions are performed with the upper part of the box (under the lid) and its inner side parts;
6. The rubber band that will hold plates, spoons, forks and other accessories is attached to the plywood using a furniture stapler.

Important! The location of the elastic bands and the size of the objects that they will hold must be calculated in advance. For those things that elastic bands cannot hold, you can sew a small fabric bag and secure it to one of the sides.

How to paint and decorate an old suitcase

You can transform the appearance of the top cover and side parts using acrylic paints or the decoupage technique. Each of these methods is very labor-intensive and requires perseverance and care.

In order to paint a suitcase with acrylic paints you will need the following materials:

• paints (in a can);
• paint in a tube and brush;
• acrylic lacquer.
• ball pen;
• stencil;
• sandpaper.

Attention! Acrylic paint is quite toxic. Spraying it from a can in a closed and poorly ventilated area is strictly prohibited. If possible, it is better to carry out such work in the fresh air, remembering to wear a protective respirator.

Before painting, a suitcase with a leather outer covering is carefully sanded with sandpaper. Then it is evenly coated with paint in two or three layers. After the coating has completely dried, apply a stencil to the lid and carefully trace its contours with a ballpoint pen. With a brush I paint over the outline drawn with a pen, filling it completely. After the drawing has dried, it is opened with varnish.

Decoupage is a special technique for decorating hard surfaces based on transferring an image to an object and then opening it with varnish. Decoupage is divided into several stylistic directions, including:

• shabby chic;
• Provence;
• simplecity;
• ethno;
• Victorian;
• vintage.

This kind of decoration procedure can be divided into several stages:

1. Preparation. The lid is cleaned of existing contaminants, sanded and degreased;
2. Padding. The surface is primed using a roller and a paint brush;
3. Painting. The suitcase is carefully painted with a single-color background paint;
4. Decoration. A fragment cut out of paper or napkin is applied to a thick film (file). "face" down. The napkin is moistened with water and, together with the file, is applied to the surface of the suitcase treated with glue. The file is removed. After the composition has dried, the picture is opened with a layer of varnish.

What to make from an old suitcase: useful uses

In addition to the organizer and picnic box, you can make from a suitcase:

• small but functional coffee table;
• toy house for dolls;
• pet bed;
• dresser;
• mini bar;
• distribution;
• bedside table;
• armchair or ottoman.

Music speakers made from an old suitcase look especially interesting. They can be used both in an apartment or in a house, in a car or on the street during family holidays and feasts.