Customer Reviews

Chic Bags: 22 Handbags, Purses, Totes, and Accessories to Make

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book really is an above-average look at sewing bags. The bags are all stylish and modern, none of that "what were they thinking?" kind of stuff. There are several bags that I am going to make from this book. Usually with these types of books I am lucky if I find one I want to make.

The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that the author doesn't include a suppliers list. There are several really cool fabrics that are used that I would like to purchase (the grey fabric for the Dots and Feathers bag is so cute, if anyone knows the name of it please write a review and tell us!). There is no manufacturer's info, not even the name of the fabric. Other than that, this is a book worth having.

My husband gave this book to me for Christmas this year and I was pleasantly surprised by his insight! In fact, just weeks prior, I had been drooling over this very book at my local Borders Bookstore. The patterns contained range from beginner to advanced and all are quite accessible. The illustrated directions are well laid out and easy to follow. And the bags are all quite unique. Some of the fabric choices are hideous (in my humble opinion), but it is not a far stretch for me to imagine the bags in my own fabric choices. And as I am learning, a girl can never have too many bags!

My sister gave me this book for my birthday since she knows I love sewing bags of all shapes and sizes. When I looked through it, it got me very excited to make a few of them. I haven't made any yet but I read through the patterns and they seem very well written and easy to understand.

The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 was due to the amount of varying fabrics she uses that are kind of hard to find like industrial felt and vinyl. She also requires hardware like grommets and snaps which I do not have but am anxious to purchase. Another reason is for the patterns in the back which need to be photocopied in order to be used. The book is laid out very well and, if you enjoy making bags of all types and are adventurous, it is definitely the book for you.

I have dozens of bag making books both from US and Japan, and this book is the best among the ones from the States. Unlike many others, this book has really cool style and originality. I see dozens of books titled "stylish bags" and it's usually a big bummer inside, most are way too easy to make ( I hate cheap looking cheesy bags a.k.a. quick n easy projects) or either the designs are from the 90's/80's, or else very familiar shape that you have already seen in another book or two, maybe three.

Each bags are not similar to each other at all as well as the material. There are bags made with canvas, linen, home decorator fabric, upholstery, denim, quilted cotton, poly, fleece, etc. So you can make many bags in totally different styles. The only thing I hope for is the scale of the patterns. Wish I didn't have to enlarge them in various sizes. One bag calls for enlarging patterns as this; main piece-156%, top strap-363%, side strap-171%, pocket-200%, cell pocket-173%..... and these are for one bag. It would be such an awkward, time consuming job if you had to do this at a shop.

Also, some bags are made with vinyl-like-rainwear fabric or felt which require no seam allowance because of the non fraying material. But I want to make it with ordinally fabric, therefore I need to add seam allowance to the pattern pieces myself. Same for the lining, this vinyl bag doesn't need it but my cotton version does, so I have to figure out how to add the lining fabric to each piece, which I already know luckily but if you are not used to do this or to add seam allowance to the original pattern yourself, it might be a headache. Though, as long as you follow the book and use the fabric the instruction calls for, there would be no problem.

Overall, the instructions are very well written, easy to follow and clear enough even for a beginner in spite of the trendy, modern finish of the bags. All illustration is in color and big enough to see the details, also there are plenty of inspiring photos, too.

I ordered this book because of the description but returned it because the fabric/embellishments/supplies were not everyday items. They use specialty items that are impossible to find. Also, the "patterns" were just drawings/scales in the back. They would have to be resized and photocopied a couple of times to be useable...they weren't actual patterns.

I bought this book a long time ago because I read a blog that loved this book.

When I got it, I read through it, but none of the bags really "jumped" out at me for doing. I thought I would put it down and look at it later down line, well I did and still none of the bags appeal to me.

It looks like a nice book if one of the patterns is something you would like to make but it wasn't the case for me. I'll probably gift this book this book to someone that fits it's type of style.

I'm more of a practical and stylish bag person, this book is more for stylish and young bag person.

I am very impressed by this book. I have designed my own line of handbags and needed a reference on construction and styling. But I did not want a plain textbook, but rather someone else's collection of cohesive design with excellent tips on execution. So, for those who are looking for some great contemporary styles to make - this is a great book, and for those who just need a solid starting point that will also teach you how - this is a great book. I like the photos and the illustrations, and the overall layout. Even though there are only 22 Chic Bags, one could easily make 100 variations.

Boring. Sorry, I found all the purses to be not just simplistic, but boring in style. The structures are reminiscent of items found on the Wal Mart specials rack, and can really only be called 'totes' rather than bags or purses, as there are no internal pockets. Everything would have to be just dumped into the bottom of the bag.

I am glad I got this from the library instead of purchasing it right away. If you want to check it out, get it from the library first, then if you like it, go ahead and purchase it.

I'm just giving this book 3 stars because I bought it thinking it contained chic & yet functional bags. Unfortunately this book only delivered 1/2 of that for me, chic/trendy yes... but really not overly functional for my lifestyle. I live out of my purse and I like for my bag to be easy to use while also making a somewhat artsy statement. I found 1 bag in this book I would make as described, and 4-5 others I would change quite a bit or expand upon, this means over half the book did not speak to my taste preferences at all even though it appears to in the preview pages. In it's defense I would say the directions in it are fine, the book is well laid out, lots of nice pictures and it might speak to someone else more than it spoke to me.

Recently I purchased several purse/tote-making books from Amazon to support my new interest in handbag and tote construction. I like this book because it includes basic tips and excellent illustrations that are helpful for beginners. The explanations and instructions are easy to understand even for people who do not have a lot of experience sewing. This is what I was looking for when I ordered those other books, all of which omit foundational information necessary for inexperienced sewers to complete the designs.

As others have noted, a drawback of this book is the necessity of resizing the patterns at a copy center. The sizing instructions are explicit, which helps, but since differently-sized pattern pieces are printed on the same page in the book, the page must be copied multiple times. Another drawback of the patterns is that some include the instruction to add a seam allowance to certain parts. So, even after the pattern pieces are enlarged properly, more must be done to have a complete pattern. In that respect, the books I purchased that included full-sized patterns were preferable. Still, once the patterns have been sized and marked, there are many and varied possibilities for making interesting bags. Overall, I think this book is worth having.