Some of you know that I wanted to rid myself of the color of
my Harbor Freight beige sketch bag, as I am not a beige-kinda-gurl,
and had one failed experiment with De Atramentis Document Turquoise ink.
The ink never-ever stopped coming off on my hands and everything else no matter what
salt-vinegar-wuujuu magic I did, and after letting it dry two weeks.
DO NOT USE WATERPROOF
FOUNTAIN PEN INK!
Undaunted, I bought another beloved $11 tool bag from Harbor Freight.
I mean, I love this bag because it holds an A4 Moleskin easily plus pens and brushes and watercolors and my wallet, and sits flat on the floor. I may have to add shoulder strap someday, but for now, it doesn’t get better than this.
Except the color…
See, beige. No color at all.
This time I went the safe route, buying Rite Dye in Marigold… ROTFL at that name for the insipid color it became even though I doubled the amount for this itty-bitty bag.
Disgusting weird yellow.
Blech on weird yellow dye.
Yes I should have taken a picture but I was so annoyed,
but at least you can see the color on the inside of the bag… sort of a dirty sallow yellow!
I snipped some of the side tool parts so that I had a couple of long pockets.
Finally I brought out the Golden Dairylide Yellow Acrylic Paint and Golden’s GAC,
which helps it become fabric friendly. I sponged the entire outside of the bag with the paint, and let it dry. It is still a bit stiff, but it is not coming off, and I like the color.
LOVE the color!
And it holds my Moleskin!
And it will not get lost
in a crowd of artists!
©D. Katie Powell.
My images/blog posts may be reposted; please link back to dkatiepowellart.
D.Katie Powell Art 
I have the same bag. Only pulled it out yesterday to play with it. Had not thought about changing the color. Although I am concerned if left how it is it will show the dirt. I have a question. It looks like you altered the bag so you can slip in a smaller sketchbook in a side pouch. This is the area that is divided into thirds. I hope I am making sense. Did you and if so any problems in doing so? I love your yellow. I have also thought about a shoulder strap. So cool Harbor Freight has these. I used my husband’s 20% coupon to bring the price down further.
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I have worked with two bags (the blue one really did have to be thrown out after a month of still having color come off.) They reacted a bit differently in terms of cutting the stitches. I used a stitch picker and removed only the outside stitches on the side. In the blue bag the outside stitches were stitched separately so I could choose the stitches to pick. In the new bag when I cut the outside pockets they were also part of the inside pocket and so both released. My advice, then is to go slow on what you want to cut, start on one side… but I definitely wanted a few bigger pockets and then some smaller pockets which I like on the ends mostly. I think my brushes and so forth are more protected there.
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Katie, thanks. It is really hard to tell on mine. I guess the worst that could happen is I would have some bigger outside pockets were there are six small and that would not be a problem. There is no shortage of the smaller pockets elsewhere. These bags are so well made it is hard to believe the price!. I am tossing up whether to dye it or let it get dirty. I was sketching at the Saturday market and my current bag fell of the bar seat into the dirt. Maybe it won’t get dirty. The only way to tell is to start using it. Thanks so much for your posting today and followup information. I find myself always looking at bags and wondering if this one is “the one”.
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It might not be for real travel, without the top closure. But for urban sketching from travel in a car it is great because it sits pretty flat if you load it right. I usually have a bottle of water along and that weights the bag securely so a large sketchbook doesn’t tip it. However, Kamala does a good job: https://dkatiepowellart.me/2016/08/21/kamala-and-my-sketch-bag/
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Dick Blick sells some similar with a zipper and leather handles for I think $26. It is nice but similar measurements to the Harbor Freight. Cats are so cool they love bags!
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It looks like the Harbor Freight bag with leather touches for 2.5 times as much — but no zipper listed. The zipper is why I looked — have you seen them and do they have zippers?
http://www.dickblick.com/products/blick-studio-tote/#photos
http://www.harborfreight.com/canvas-riggers-bag-38124.html
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You did great! Brilliant fix! And color! You will never lose it! ♥
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So true! ❤
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As we discussed when you wrote about the blue one, I have this same bag. I use it for tools and I can say that, it doesn’t stay beige for long. This is pretty, but a bit too bright for me 🙂
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Yes, very bright — it will get dirty. But manly bags are soooooo boring. 🙂
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Such a. Shame the. Blue didn’t set as it is a gorgeous colour,must. That yellow is sunflower yellow in my mind so it seems a lot more fitting for you!
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It really is my color — It is what I wanted originally — though I love that blue!
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Harbor Freight?! My husband’s favorite store…and they always have coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Not talented enough to dye it, so it will have to stay Dirty Beige.
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Such a good bag! I dunno, fabric paint and gloves and a sponge — I think you are up to that!
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Glad you love the color now!
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yesh!
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