Map Backpack

Perfect for anyone with insatiable wanderlust.

Posted by Lauren

About

For most of last term, I was lugging my university books around in a shoulder bag that just didn't suit academia - it was cute, but definitely not built to handle the battering of books which it received. Over my brief vacation at home, I decided that it was a better idea to invest in a backpack - but instead of finding one I liked only to meet someone else with one identical, I opted, as usual, for a DIY.

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You Will Need (4 things)

  • Backpack
  • (Faux) Leather
  • Modge Podge
  • Printer

Steps (6 steps, 180 minutes)

  1. 1

    Make sure that your bag has a flat area on which to place your map. I had to remove a bunch of plastic buckles and straps from mine to achieve this, so don’t let that put you off!

  2. 2

    Cut out the size and shape of the area on which you want your map from the leather or faux leather (mine was in two sections, so I had two pieces of faux leather, which I painted with a base paint of acrylic paint first, though this isn’t completely necessary).

  3. 3

    Print out your map image. (I just did this on normal printer paper at the print shop down the road!)

  4. 4

    Modge-Podge your map onto the leather or faux leather, ensuring that it is completely stuck down and secured.

  5. 5

    Cover the map in another layer of Mod-Podge and wait for it to dry completely.

  6. 6

    Sew the leather or faux leather onto the backpack, covering the appropriate section.