Last season Burberry had us yearning for our initials to be on a poncho cape, this season their monogramed details ruled again; with models walking the S/S 16 catwalk with personalised initial backpacks.
There's something egotistical and fabulous about having your name on something, it was all we longed for in first school and now it's on trend once again. Far from waiting to see something in the shops with our names on, this time, we're taking matters into our own (DIY) hands...
How to (without a sewing machine)
Choose your backpack of choice (a fabric backpack is best and easiest to sew on, leather or canvas is tricky.) We used this Topshop delight for our DIY. It's burgundy, it's quilted, it's autumnal, its velvet could we ask for more from a backpack?! We think not.
There's a DIY for every ability, choose your level of sewing skill and follow the corresponding steps below. Can't sew, Won't Sew. No judgement here, you can still have your name (or initials) in lights, courtesy of these gold metal letters. Simply position them where you'd like on the bag, peel off the green covering, pop on a teeny tiny bit of fabric glue on the back (just to make them extra sturdy) and hold down for a few seconds. Leave to dry and there you an easy peasy way to work the trend, not a sewing needle in sight.
How to (with a sewing machine)
Own a sewing machine, but aren't a confident seamstress? Start with your letters. In a Word document, type out your initials, in an Arial Black font, font size 85. Print this out and cut out as your template.
Place the cut out letters onto your piece of Burgundy felt (felt is easy to sew on, and gives a sharp edge once cut out). Having an extra piece of fabric means you can practise your letters a few times, until you are happy with the result.
Thread your sewing machine and under-thread with this gold thread. The metallic colour really makes the letters stand out, and contrasts brilliantly against the maroon red of our backpack.
Set your sewing machine to a medium length zig zag thread, on our machine we chose number 5, as shown here. Again, you could practise a few lines of each thread width and decide what you like best.
Start with the first letter, position your needle at the top of your letter, and follow your template around. Now, this depends on the letters chosen, straight letters are easier, so if your name is Louise Lane, we envy you. Curves are harder. Have a few goes and remember you can always go back over the zig-zag to create a thicker look. You're the queen of the stitch, a regular Kirstie Allsopp.
If you're a seasoned sewer, you can follow the template above but sew your letters directly onto the bag. Remember you can always unpick, all hail the unpicker!
Follow steps 1 and 2 above, but this time, place your template directly onto the bag between the zip and logo. (Or in another area if you prefer)
With the tailor chalk, draw around the letters to give yourself a template. Using the gold thread, follow the template in a zig-zag pattern for each letter. If the zig-zag hasn't completely covered the letter, sew again over the top, to create a thick embroidered look. Whatever your sewing ability, we hope you've DIY'd yourself a backpack to be proud of!
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.