DIY painted handbag tutorial that is a designer dupe for the trendy Bembien checkered straw tote bag.
I was instantly obsessed when I saw this checkered straw tote bag on TikTok.
When I saw the $280 price tag, I knew I had to DIY it.
The checkerboard pattern has been trending for a while now; however, Bembien Françoise Tote uses checkered black and white in an elevated way that is a bit more sophisticated than the y2k version you might see used in a fun pants outfit.
I’ve also seen other brands come out with checkered handbags that are much different than their OG Louis Vuitton counterpart.
J.Crew, Clare V., and crocheted checkered purses can be seen everywhere. I even researched a crochet bag pattern but decided to paint the checkered print on an Amazon shoulder bag instead.
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You can make your own though.
DIY Checkered Bag tutorial
How do you decorate a tote bag with paint?
Supplies:
Step 1: Thin your paint.
Add a little bit of water to your paint to create a wash. This way, the paint soaks into the straw and makes it way easier for you to cover a square without painting each individual fiber.
The paint will need to be about the consistency of milk.
Step 2: Start painting in the corner of the bag.
Since the corner is rounded, the square measurements will be a little wonky, but once you get the corner painted it’s smooth sailing from there.
Step 3: Mark the outline before you fill in the square.
Start with your small detail brush. Like I said before, this square of the checkerboard pattern is not going to be perfect, so just do the best you can. Look at the loops and start lightly marking the outline so you can see what you are working with. I only painted 6 on top since they are sideways, 5 on the sides, and 9 on the bottom since the loops were vertical and took up less space.
Don’t worry about painting each entire loop right now. All you need to think about is making the outline.
Step 4: Fill in the square with your paint wash.
Pull the liner of the purse so it’s flipped to the outside. This way, no paint will get on it.
Switch to your 1-inch brush and start stippling the paint inside the square.
Don’t overthink it, or it will take you forever. When you finish with the ENTIRE checkered patterned bag, you will go back and touch up any spots that need to be filled in.
Step 5: Outline your next square of the checkerboard.
At this point, your grid will start to come together. I know it’s hard to see in this picture, but all of your square outlines will be on the same row.
Mark your outline, then paint in your square.
I painted 11 loops on the top and bottom, and 5 on the sides of each square.
Step 6: Repeat steps using the 5 by 11 pattern all over the bag.
Step 7: Continue the pattern on the other side of the tote bag.
Since some of the paint will bleed through, paint the squares in the same areas that you placed them in on the front.
The pattern will essentially wrap around the bag.
Step 8: Touch up any spots you missed.
Once you have the entire bag finished, go back and see if there are any spots you missed. One thing that helps the bag look less homemade is to make sure each outside loop is thoroughly covered with black paint.
I used a rattail comb to lift these loops so I could get a good coat on them, but you don’t really have to.
Step 9: Enjoy your DIY straw checkered tote bag!
What goes with tote bags?
Here is some tote bag outfit inspiration for you:
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As always, if you have any questions let me know! Feel free to comment down below, but you can also reach me on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
