Hack That Tote Mix & Match Elements to Create Your Perfect Bag [Paperback]

A wonderful book to transform totes and bags by picking and mixing, changing size, shape, pockets and more to achieve the bag you want. Youll find expert tips and all you need to know to make that bag yours. Easy cutting instructions for great results. The 11 bags include purses, shoulder bags, drawstring, bottle bag, nested boxes and totes. Learn the basic bag pattern and how to alter it. Divide, shrink, add or decorate to suit your style. Different fabrics can give a very different look. Includes reverse applique, quilting, zips, frame, flaps and pockets. All techniques explained and full step-by-step instructions included with good photos. This is a great book with very usable patterns for all skill levels.In this beginner-friendly guide, Abreu (Modern Style for Girls) takes a basic square tote pattern and adjusts it in a variety of ways to create a wardrobe of attractive bags in different shapes and styles, from casual and functional to structured and sophisticated. Each of the patterns includes an element, such as a zipper or a gusset, that can be added to the other bags as a customization. The hacks are nicely explained and the directions are thorough, giving novices insight into the hows and whys of pattern adjustment. VERDICT Beginning sewists interested in trying out bagmaking, as well as fans of books and patterns by Sara Lawson, will appreciate Abreus straightforward approach.This book is presented as 10 variations on a pattern for a basic tote bag, but that seems to undersell it. It's certainly not a book that provides instructions for a huge variety of different bags, but equally, these projects aren't 'just totes' made in different colours and sporting different embellishments: there's much more value here than that. There's some very useful information up front about how to modify a bag pattern (even though that work has been done for you in this book), as well as an overview of different fabrics, interfacings and stabilisers, bag hardware and desl“'