Customer Reviews

Creating Romantic Purses: Patterns & Instructions for Unique Handbags

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you want to see the style of bags presented in this book, there is an extensive gallery on the authors' website for their boutique Ruby Tag Bags - all lavishly decorated, using looped fringing and eyelash fringing liberally on almost every example. The two purses on the front cover of the book are less elaborate than the styles inside. These definitely are all romantic purses: there are not any classic styles for a cocktail party - or if you want something to wear with that little black dress. For these, I would recommend "Heavenly Handmade Bags" by Sue Hawkins which includes a classy black number as well as a red one.

The patterns and instructions at the back of "Creating romantic purses" are clear and easy to follow, but not for an inexperienced sewer, who might prefer to begin with "Making Handbags" by Ellen Goldstein et al. (The cover picture of that book is not a good representation of what is inside.)

Although the purses in "Creating romantic purses" are luscious to look at, my main reservation is the difficulty in matching them to an outfit, unless for a function like a wedding. However, there is plenty of inspiration, and room to develop your own ideas if you are an experienced crafter or sewer.

This book was on my "must have" list as soon as I knew that it was going to be released and it did not disappoint!

"Creating Romantic Purses" begins with how to pick your fabrics and embellishments and gives some great suggestions such as watch faces, vintage brooches, and unique buttons.

There are 40 patterns here to choose from - each more beautiful than the last. Instructions are very complete and easy to understand and there are design tips all along the way.

The only thing that bothers me about this book is that the patterns have to be enlarged and, if you are "math challenged", I would greatly recommend taking the book to someone with this skill set to enlarge the pattern pieces for you.

If you are a big fan of Ruby Tag Bags like I am, you will have an absolute fit over this book - I highly recommend it!

I was amazed when I opened this book at how luscious these bags are! Rich brocades and deeply died ombre ribbons dominate the pattern style, much different than the lacy romantic bag on the cover. All the bags are very easy to make (the fabrics and 'main ribbon embellishment' tell a lovely visual story without needing another thing.) The basic bags look so rich when you're done that you can't believe they're hand made. The authors tell where to get the supplies, (always a relief.) The materials from the cited suppliers are VERY expensive and so if you are more the 'do my own thing' artist, you can look around and replace most of the fabrics and ribbons with any materials you love. And if you horde vintage lace, buttons, and tapestries, you will end up with a masterpiece by dressing it up even more with your own bits and pieces. You can also follow your own preference for bead v. crochet v. sew v. embroider to dress up the basic pattern - and there are a few variation ideas in the book.

I have a LOT of bag books. This is not the 'one' to buy if you don't have basic bag books already, but it's an inspiring choice for those who are seeking 'something different' - these are a feast for the eyes and imagination.

(By the way - about enlarging patterns: if you access to a copy machine with an enlargement feature, it's a piece of cake!)

I would not suggest this book for a beginner. Creating Romantic Purses has really good suggestions on embellishing purses, how much fabric and trims to purchase. However, the instructions are difficult to follow; more illustrations would have been very helpful. Also, are all these purses flat? I see no instructions to add sides or bottoms. No instructions or suggestions for inside pockets, zipper pockets or fancy linings.

This is one of the most beautiful books I have ever enjoyed. The purse art is beautiful to look at and stirs your creative juices. The patterns are easy to read and understand. The ladies that created the purses in the book are very talented artists. I have already started one of the crazy quilt bags due to being inspired by this book.

I'll agree with other reviewers that the bags in this book are gorgeous. They are luxuriously romantic, feminine, and Victorian. But.......... to me they are all the same. Change a ribbon here, add some different colored buttons there...you basically have the same bag just with different embellishments. For example, the Victorian Vignette, Joy Forever, Grandfather's Clock, Family Album, Camelot, Midnight Garden, Annie Oakley, High Tea, Lady of Spain, Tuscan Sun, Roman Holiday, and Romantic Rome are all the same purse, just with different colored ribbon and fabric. I would have liked this book better had more bags been more distinctively different. With that being said though, again, I feel these bags are simply gorgeous and I did get some ideas for making purses. They are definitely works of art and very enjoyable to look at. (I have not tried any of the patterns yet so have yet to discover the complexity or ease of making the purses.)

This book is so fantastic! Just looking at it over and over is enjoyable. I went to the Ruby Tag website and found info that the the purse hardware in the book has the wrong sizes. Boy, would I have been frustrated if I hadn't found that out. There should be a sticker on the front or a bookmark or something to alert to that in case someone didn't accidently find the information at the web site. Have not been able to start on a purse since I just had surgery before the book arrived but have spent many pleasant hours thinking about the works of art that I am going to be able to create. Great Job Ladies you are so talented in your designs. Thanks...

fantastic book. Has beautiful samples, lots of color pictures. I have made a couple of the patterns and even ordered the fabric from the sister website for this company. Truly recommend it if you are a purse lover. The only drawback would be that you have to enlarge the patterns but since they included so many instead of just a few full size, it's worth it.

Instead of repeating what others have said, I will summarize: 1) Great Designs and Patterns; 2) Incredible and Doable embellishments to make the purses/handbags attractive and desirable; 3) Romantic but also give a vintage-feel to the purses/handbags; and 4)GREAT Inspiration for all interested in fiber/fabric arts as these can be applied to other items, dresses, belts, scarves, hats, etc. IF you are so inclined. Compared to my other purse books, I will definitely refer to this one more frequently for inspiration than any other one, yet each purse design book does provide this to one degree or another. Enjoy!

The book has beautiful photos of purses which would inspire even the least creatively challenged. There are detailed instructions, a material list, preparation, and construction instructions, and there are patterns in the back of the book(which you need to enlarge). There are at least 14 bags, all beautiful and distinct. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wants to create a lovely purse.