Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag

If you've ever struggled to make your own bag and thrown your hands up in dismay, this is the book you want on your studio's shelf. If you've ever wondered how to "press" your seams when working with leather, you want this book on your studio's shelf. If you've ever gotten tongue tied trying to describe the bag you wish you had, fumbling for the word to describe it, this is the book you need. Complete with a working lexicon of bags, Anna Mazur's Handbag Workshop will help you understand the difference between a messenger, a satchel and the more ladylike Kelly, and why a Minaudiere isn't the same as just any old clutch.

Complete with instructions, pictures, and really key warnings, like a friendly reminder that leather isn't going to heal if you pin it, Handbag Workshop: Design and Sew the Perfect Bag walks you through a plethora of projects, including the hard things, like how to attach diverse bits of hardware and trims for the one of a kind professional and artisan look.

Now, not every project in the book was my cup of tea, but the techniques from every project can be applied to my own designs, and I'm all about that. Ultimately, a good workshop book needs to be adaptable and full of useful tidbits that can be applied to other projects rather than techniques that are so project specific that one will literally never use them for anything else, and Anna  M. Mazur's book really hits it out of the park in terms of knowledge that adds to the reader's functional technique repertoire. Because the instructions are clear and the pictures relieve any remaining questions, this is an easy book to use. The author gets bonus points for breaking down her bag designs into different sections for varying difficulty levels. I think I see a Tiffany Inspired Reversible Tote in my future- and a Cross-Body Sling Bag with Tablet Pocket. I'm a cross-body purse wearer, at the end of the day. It may not be the most elegant, but it is the most functional.

Happy Sewing!


I received a free eARC of this title for review purposes. I have not been compensated in any other way for my review, which was not swayed in any way by the free nature of said ARC.