All the techniques for making a uniquely personal purse are right here. Forty projects offer a wide variety of fabulous choices, featuring great fabrics and design options, including novelty threads, raffia ribbon, straps made of jeweled necklaces and bracelets, beautiful yet easy embroidery, and more. Crafters who really want to start from scratch will find 25 simple sewing projects, all originating from seven basic patterns, ranging from a flat folding purse to an oval pocketbook made from iridescent ruched silk. Another 15 designs use plain store-bought bags as a canvas for creative embellishments, such as transforming a simple black clutch with elegant silk flowers, or turn a basic leather purse into something special with whimsical applique. An attractive gallery provides additional inspiration. “A Main Selection of the Crafters Choice Book Club.”

Create affordable, designer-quality handbags right in your own home -even if you’ve never sewn a stitch. Using just 4 master patterns, readers learn to use fabrications and embellishments to make everything from vintage styles to fun and trendy beaded bags, from faux fur to fringed bags. Each bag takes cues from major fashion houses, highlighting the best styles from recent decades. Looking for evening drama? Try a crystal clutch. Want to create a conversation piece? Create a fabulous beach bag out of a block-print towel. Complete with shortcuts, tips, and secrets from the Accessories Design staff at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, this smart guide can turn any reader into a do-it-yourself fashion designer.

The only thing women love more than their shoes is their handbag. Same winning format, same obsessive style as the best-selling title Shoes. Handbags provides a visual feast of design luxury, elegance and witty novelty through over 900 full colour photographs and illustrations, and lively text. Anna Johnson, author of Three Black Skirts brings her charm and style to chapter introductions and captions as she reveals the trade secrets of designers (in great interviews) and capture the “It” bag that defines a period of decade.

Indulge your passion for handbag fashion with collectables expert Judith Miller. This work includes over 450 divine designs – from elegant Art Deco evening bags and vintage Pucci to everyday classics and novelty creations. It includes iconic pieces from Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, and Fendi with a star rating system indicating the value of every bag. This is the perfect guide for those desiring the ultimate accessory.

Pedersen covers the biggest brands in the business and also digs into the accessory’s history, from the earliest animal-skin pouches to modern-day masterpieces. Archival photos. Vintage advertisements. 218 illustrations, 120 in full color.