Bags, The Modern Classics: Clutches, Hobos, Satchels & More

I orginally borrowed a copy of this book from my public library. I liked it so much that I had to 'own' my own copy. The author gave very good explanations on how to assemble & sew the many handbag, etc. versions. Had only one problem in that I could not find what the seam allowance was. I called the publisher & got a very quick answer. The styles are of a nice variety. My older sister who is a professional seamstress liked one style in particular & asked me to make a bag for her. That was a quite a compliment to the author/designer & me too!. I highly recommend this book for all levels of ability. And I am thrilled with the vendor & Amazon for fast service, etc.

I didnt let the four stars review of this book on the amazon website discourage me from buying it, i trust a lot on the product review but this time i wanted to take the risk... and it totally worth it. The projects are beautifull, creative, i love the step by step guide with pictures, and the levels on ecah project is a great guide to know where to start. I specially love the first pages, where Sue says that you shouldnt be very perfeccionist, its all about having fun and enjoying the procedure and the results, no matter what they are. The flower tutorials are also beautifull, and a wonderfull plus cause you can use them for other projects such as headbands or jewllery, i would definitly recomend this book, specially as a gift for someone who like me is just discovering for the first time the magic of sewing

Borrowed this book from the library and wanted to make one of the bags I had seen in the book. All the patterns are overprinted on several pages, and it might be a bit tricky getting them sorted, but the directions seem clear. Pretty hard to rate a product that has not been tested!

I recently purchased this book and fell in love with it right away. There are a lot of ideas for all kinds of bags. I have only tried one pattern so far and it turned out great. In fact I'm making several for gifts. As I've only tried one pattern I'm not sure how the others read but I will say this may not be a book for beginning sewers. However, I'm new to bag making and had few problems with the instructions but once I really studied them I was able to complete the bag with no trouble. Thank you Sue Kim for such an inspiring book!

I think this book has some really cute bags to sew, but a working knowledge of sewing and pattern reading is essential. One of the reviewers said how confusing the patterns are since they all are traced off on two sided paper, and that is the truth. You have to put the pattern on the window and trace if off on another piece of paper, and it does get confusing. You can also copy the pattern and tape the parts together to make a whole pattern, especially the smaller ones. I'm only giving it 3 stars because I think it would have been much better if the publisher had traced out the patterns only on one side, using another piece of pattern paper or two. I have been sewing for a long time, so I can navigate the patterns without much trouble. I got the book form the library and then decided I'd like to own it.Great ideas, great fabrics, a fun book if you know how to sew. If not.....

I've been a fan of Sue's patterns from her personal website [...]for a couple of years now, and I pre-ordered her book as soon as I could. It does not disappoint! I was concerned that the book would be filled with patterns that I've already bought or considered buying, but it was not the case. Sue's patterns are easy to follow with clear, concise directions. The patterns are stylish and modern, and will work with so many different fabrics. If you enjoy sewing bags, or are interested in learning about the process, this is a great book to pick up.

This is a collection of great purses and bags of all sizes. Lots of different shapes give you flexibility of both style and utility. Clear instructions make this book a winner!

I love the majority of the bags in this book, and was excited to give them a go myself. However, when I got to the pages with the patterns (which are attached in the back) my confusion began. They managed to cram the patterns for all the bags in this book onto two pages, front and back. The pattern pieces overlapped and when it came time to trace it took way more thought than I wanted to give to figure out which lines belonged to which pattern etc. So, if you're willing to invest some time into figuring out the method to their madness, go ahead and buy it. But if patterns confuse you, this probably isn't the book to start with.

This book has lots of modern, colourful and sophisticated bags. I have the bag books by Amy Butler, Lisa Lam and Tanya Whelan and this one contains the most number of bags I liked - the designs are not fussy and the fabric choices are really nice (I recognised Echino and Amy Butler). It's probably not great for a complete beginner because it's really slim on techniques and hardly explains anything at all about interfacing, or how to do zip or pocket insertion etc (for that kind of thing, the Lisa Lam book seems to be the best). But it's a beautiful book to look at, very inspiring and the bags are not that challenging to make once you've made a couple.

Gorgeous book with lots of really useable designs. A nice 'how to' explaining basic techniques that you will need at the front (how to insert a magnetic clasp looks particularly useful to me as I've not done that before) and a variety of projects marked with 1-3 for difficulty levels. Level 1 should be simple enough for a complete beginner. If you can sew a straight line on a machine you will be fine! All instructions look easy to follow. Great photos of each style all made in beautiful print fabrics that will inspire you. There's a good range of styles too - from simple clutches, small cross-body bags, to larger shoppers and totes. There are patterns to trace off in the back and all of the designs look easily adaptable so you could personalise and amend to your taste. All in all I am so pleased I found this book and I can't wait to get making now!

I have already made two of the bags in this book and found the instructions really easy to follow. I will be making more very soon and I am using my favourite one (the Elva Bag) all the time because it is so comfortable to wear over my shoulder and carries everything which is essential for my day to day routine. I have received complements for this one and people thought I had bought it, it looks so professional and stylish. There are really easy patterns for beginners, and the styles are graded for difficulty so it is easy to choose the right one for you. I would recommend this book to someone who has a sewing machine and already has a basic knowledge of sewing techniques because then you can get straight in and make something wonderful. Have to go now because I really need to sew .....

I am very pleased with this book. It has a range of modern bags, from very large to small, with simple instructions and helpful tips that even a seasoned bag maker might find useful. The patterns are on a tear out section at the back of the book and could be photocopied, if you like to keep your patterns in pristine condition.I feel that many of the bags in this book will appeal to younger people, from teenagers upwards and I look forward to extending my range with a number of projects from this book.

I love this book.There are a lot of different types of bag in it. They are, as the name suggests, classic in style. Not too many frills and lacy bits. Just the style I like.They are broken down by size and range from a sunglasses case to a large carry-all. I have made three of the styles already and the patterns are easy to follow and clear.