Bags and Books

For those that prefer to do a little crafting for the holidays, there are a couple new books out that might provide some inspiration to you:


Bag Bazaar: 25 Stylish Bags to Sew in an Afternoon is a great DIY sewing book for the adventurous bag-loving crafter. The book starts out with a great chapter on basic sewing and bag-making techniques, including information on inserting zippers, creating gussets, attaching bag feet, and sewing pockets (both of the zippered and open varieties), amongst other things.

From there, the book gets into the designs. While the book provides information on materials and instructions, it does require some basic skills on the crafter's part in the creation of the template or pattern for the pieces of each design. Each project is accompanied by a nice drawing of the finished product (similar in style to the bags on the cover), along with appropriate schematics illustrating some of the assembly steps as appropriate. The designs are varied, and are simple enough for even a beginner to attempt.

If bags aren't quite your thing, or you're looking for something to accompany or put inside your gift, you may be inspired by a project in this book:

Magic Books & Paper Toys. I've always had a fascination with handmade books and cards, and I remember making all sorts of things (including my own illustrated flip book movie) when I was a kid. This book is whimsical, and split in two sections - the front half is all about handmade books and cards, and the back half (printed upside-down and reversed if encountered from the front - or reads perfectly normally if you flip the book over ;) ) is all about paper toys, some of which I remember from childhood and others that are completely new to me. Each project shows finished samples featured in clear full-page photos, along with illustrated instructions for successful crafting.