Customer Reviews

The Decorated Bag: Creating Designer Handbags, Purses, and Totes Using Embellishments

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

 

 

I was attracted to this book by its cover, so I pre-ordered it. After waiting 3+ months past the release date (Feb 6, 2006) it finally arrived in early May. Wow, what a disappointment! I was expecting some upscale professional design ideas for handbag embellishment. Instead, the ideas in this book are very cutsey-poo and childish. The only nice design is on the cover. These designs might be appropriate for very young girls (faux fur, poodle appliques, felt cat with rhinestones, pom-poms, costume jewelry decorations, etc) but not for the sophisticated handbag creator. A better choice for elegant handbag embellishment would be Stephane Kimura's BAGS WITH STYLE, or Barbara Weilands new book SEW EASY DESIGNER BAGS & TOTES.

After hesitating to purchase this book due to the negative reviewer, I finally got a copy and disagree with her. Yes, some of the designs are very 'young', but a lot of things seem very youth-oriented lately (obviously more a reflection of my advancing years than anything else!). And with the eclectic mix in this book cetainly not all of them fall into that category. Plus, while I have quite a few handbag design & embellishment books myself, there are imaginative ideas in here I haven't seen anywhere else, and ones I'm actually eager to try. Stephanie Kimura's work is obviously more sophisticated, but these are a lot of fun and in my view very much worth a try.

The title of this book is very misleading. I don't think any of these bags could qualify as designer bags and most do not use what I consider embellishments. Like a previous reviewer, I was mislead by the beaded bag on the cover, as well as by other reviews. While the book may have been very well put together and the directions clear, I think the bags themselves have very limited appeal.

Maybe I am a different sort of artist, I purchase these types of books to aid me when I develop ideas for my own designs. Rarely do I copy what I see in books or magazines - and this goes for all my work from jewelry, purses, clothing, artwork in various types of media (paint, pastel, ink, fabric, collage, metal, fiber, etc.). Therefore, this book is great for doing exactly that, but I do recommend The Decorated Bag primarily for the beginner or even intermediate purse embellishers out there. Yes, it is true that some of the designs are very simplistic as other reviewers mention...but if you use the idea as a stepping stone for a more elaborate/complex project, I know you will be pleased to have this book as a reference. There are a few patterns to use and imagery to follow if you want to practice by making one of the projects completely using the author's guidance. Later if you enjoy working with a particular type of embellishment, such as silk ribbon flowers, find another reference book to expand what you learned in this book and become an expert in it for your future projects. I also want to add that the author's focus in this book is to take an old purse and giving it a new life by various types of embellishing techniques...something we all should do rather than buying a new purse. It is amazing how one can extend the life of an accessory by doing a few creative things with it.
In summary, I use this book as a tool to get my ideas flowing and dig into my own projects using maybe a technique or two from this book, and additional ideas from other books/magazines/patterns (right side of the brain included). Therefore, I am pleased to have this book in my reference library.

Unfortunately, considering the awesome beaded bag on the cover, the book was disappointing. It's difficult to purchase books online when you can't flip through them. The title is TOO truthful. It's about embellishing bags --not making them, although it redeems itself toward the back with patterns for a few of the basic bags. It does have some good ideas, but there weren't enough to make this book worth it to me.

Incidentally, the green beaded bag on the cover is one that has instructions for both the bag and the embellishment.

I bought this book particularly for the cover purse and was very pleased to find concise, simple instructions as well as a full size pattern. I made the cover bag and an very happy with the results.

some great ideas! Not everything in the book appeals to me, but to each his own. I think there are some great tips and embellishment ideas and that's what I'm always looking for.

I L-O-V-E "The Decorated Bag" by Genevieve A. Sterbenz. I own scores of handbag books, and I must say that this book is one of the most innovative books I own. It is user-friendly, with detailed sequential photos and instructions. It probably is not for the unsophisticated bag lover, and it has something for everyone, especially for the lover of designer bags. I bought it, and I'm glad!! 'Nuf sed!

This book is filled with tons of ideas and detailed instruction on making and decorating bags.

Off the chain!! This book is all that you will need to get that project going. Very detailed and colorful. I own this book and I simply swear by it!! Very good purchase.