Giveaway is now closed.
Hello and happy Monday!
Today I am reviewing Nicole Mallalieu's book, The Better Bag Maker. I love her first book, You Sew Girl! and was very excited to get my hands on this one. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Nicole in person some time back and I am so happy to be part of her blog book tour.
What struck me first about the The Better Bag Maker, is that it is full of beautiful and extremely helpful photographs. Of course there's the bags, oh the bags! All the projects are based on one basic pattern, with limitless variations. The projects are ordered by degree of difficulty, from beginner to advanced sewists.
"The Melbourne Weekender" bag is definitely on my To Make list!
What makes this book one that I will return to again and again, is the amazing Techniques and Tips that Nicole shares. With her expert guidance, there is no doubt that you too can make stunning bags with really professional finishes. The photos are incredibly helpful and I am so thrilled that I have the opportunity to learn some valuable techniques to improve my own sewing. That is what turns a good sewing book into a staple reference and resource guide that helps one become a better seamstress... and of course a better bag maker.
I absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in not only making some gorgeous bags, but to everyone who wants to improve their skills and confidence.
I have bookmarked several pages and put a few bags on my To Make list. I think I'll start with this beauty, The Marrakesh Overnighter!
Of course if I ever do go to Marrakesh, I'll be wearing a longer skirt.
You can purchase a copy of Nicoles book, The Better Bag Maker HERE.
Stash Books has generously offered a Giveaway of The Better Bag Maker. You can win a copy of the Better Bag Maker (hard copy in the US, digital version for the rest of the world). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what sewing skill you'd like to learn or improve. The Giveaway will be open until Monday, July 7th.
Giveaway is now closed.
Please go visit Nicole's blog, You Sew Girl, and say hello!
Also, check out the other stops on the blog tour!
2nd June – Creativebug
9th June – The Littlist Thistle23rd June – Curly Pops
30th June – Lola Nova
8th July – Ink & Spindle
15th July – Kicki G Just Nu (in Swedish)
Giveaway is now closed.
Wow, love this books and I'd love to win it even more!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to learn applique. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous book! I would love to be confident using a rotary cutter, always revert to my scissors.
ReplyDeleteCarol xx
I would love to learn better quilt-binding skills, but bag-making is high on the list too. Thanks for the chance. :)
ReplyDeleteLearning how to make lovely bag handles would be my choice. Thanks for the chance of entering your fab giveaway. (I assume you meant the closing date to be 7th July?).
ReplyDeleteI would just love to learn how to make a great bag. I have made patchwork bag but I really need help in all areas.
ReplyDeleteI have made up a couple of Nikki's patterns and the attention to detail is amazing.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I make a lot of bags but it is one area I'd like to improve, particularly in choosing the appropriate stabilisers.
I would also like to try my hand at piping some day.
This book looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI would love to be more confident in using rivets to attach handles and making professional looking handles :)
oh how fun!
ReplyDeletei'd love to improve my clothing making skills :)
I have made a couple of bags and have patterns to make several others. I get most confused over the interfacing. I would love to learn more about the different types and when to use.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking book! I would love to get better at making clothes for me!
ReplyDeleteI'd really like to revisit a lot of my swing skills. Putting zips in again would be really handy. I'd like to get an overlocker and I'd like to finish things neatly... oh, it's a long list. maybe this book can help me! Please count me in xx
ReplyDeleteInteresting book. The skill I really need to learn is how to put in a zip fastener. Thanks for this chance.
ReplyDeleteThis looks an interesting book. The skill I would like to learn is putting in a zip fastener. Thanks for this chance.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to make better handles - I made one bag once and it stretched - I must have had the grain the wrong way on the fabric!??
ReplyDeleteI'd lie to learn how to put in recessed zips successfully !
ReplyDeleteThis looks like just the book I've been searching for - I recently bought an old set of curtains at a village fair, and I had in mind a quirky yet stylish bag...and lo and behold you review a book that is perfectly suited to the task! Many thanks, I'm off to buy it now, Chrissie x
ReplyDeleteAh, I think I could use more practice with zippers. I can do them, but not always very cleanly.
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn how to make my own patterns, at the moment I have to stick with ones that others have created.
ReplyDeleteI can't sew at all yet, so learning would be the first step.
ReplyDeleteI've been making bags the last few months and trying to incorporate new techniques that will make them less home-made and more hand-crafted. I'm especially working on zippers, piping & topstitching. This would be a great resource and I'd definitely put it to immediate use.
ReplyDeleteI've made quite a few bags but I do consider myself a "rogue" at sewing. I've never had any lessons and just throw myself into it. I think I would like to learn to execute the details better. Things like pockets, seaming, straps and handles. Thanks for the opportunity!
ReplyDeletethe book looks very interesting! :)
ReplyDeleteI need to improve my skills in sewing clothes. Now I sew something for me, very simple, but I want to make more complex clothes in the future
I'm very addicted to bags so I would love to add this book to my collection. The skill I'm always looking to improve is my finishing, I like it when people really aren't sure you made it yourself because it is so well done.
ReplyDeleteI would like to learn how to incorporate the proper hardware into a bag. Thanks for a chance.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to learn how to give my bags a professional finish, whether it's using the proper interfacing, or topstitching, or adding the right hardware. My sewing skills are not bad, but there is definitely room for improvement!
ReplyDeleteThink I may be too late for this but I really need to improve my bag making skills, it looks like a fabulous book to have. I never seem to get the base of bags quite right.
ReplyDelete