Hello there!

The lovely guys at Tuttle Publishing have kindly sent me a selection of their new titles, and, as I’ve been very tardy with reviewing them, I thought I’d get to it, without further ado,  and start with Handmade Bags in Natural Fabrics by Emiko Takahasi.

  

This is such a deceptive little book.  There are the usual suspects in terms of some simple totes and wee bags that would make lovely knitting project bags.

But!!!!

There are a clutch (see what I did there!) of really splendid designs that make the book well worth the modest cover price of £6.99 ($9.99).

The checkout basket bag is one.  Such an innovative and cool design that I haven’t seen anywhere else.  Which is pretty unusual when it comes to bag designs, lets be honest.

This Tote Bag with Gusset, which, whilst not as innovative, is a really good shape in different sizes that, in the right fabric, including leather, would look very hip and expensive.

I also love the picnic tote, which is my favourite shape in a tote bag, and which are invariably ridiculously overpriced in the trendy middle-class-mum stores.  This would look amazing in a striped ticking with leather handles.

Finally, the vase shaped bag. Whilst a bit twee for adults, this would be a perfect gift for tweenage girls, particularly with a few lip balms or mini stationery thrown in for good measure.  They’re a great way of busting through fabric scraps.  Or for whizzing up when you get roped into making stuff for the school or church fête!

Would I recommend this book.  Yes indeedy!  It’s got useful patterns that will not only be good for you to make up for yourself, but will also get you out of a bind, without too much stress and faff, should you need a gift or two.  The instructions are simple and clear, and you can easily add more detail, linings, inner pockets, etc., without testing the “leetle grey cells” too much.

Disclaimer:  Tuttle Publishing kindly supplied this book free of charge.  However, as always, the opinions expressed here are my own and unbiased.  I would happily spend my own money to buy this book.