Build a Bag Book: Satchels

Debbie Shore is a bestselling and award-winning author and all-round sewing superstar. She began her career as a children's television presenter and since then has appeared regularly as an actress in various popular dramas and as a presenter on shopping channels. Debbie has also hosted live fashion shows for a major clothing brand, developed her own range of fabrics and writes for several popular sewing magazines. Debbie has written over 20 books for Search Press with several more underway. In 2018, Debbie launched her Half Yard Sewing Club, a monthly subscription service based on the megaselling Half Yard™ series, and won the 2019 IPG Digital Publishing Award. For more details about the club visit www.halfyardsewingclub.com. Debbie lives in Lincolnshire. Visit her website www.debbieshoresewing.com.

There is more inside this book than paper pages!  The cover sports a ruler in imperial and metric and the whole is held together by an elastic strap.  Why?  Because inside the cover is a pocket of reusable plastic templates for making fifteen different satchels, plus as many variations as you can imagine.Whatever your own views about plastic I think that having a template made from it is a good idea, because it is something you can use many times without it getting dirty or tatty.  Search Press is adept at coming up with innovative ideas for their art and craft books, and this is a particularly good one.  Satchels tend to be associated with school but have come of age with an array of pretty and practical designs that can be customized with the help of the template.  This does not require pins as it is semi-transparent so you can see where to draw, and you can mix and match the various options once the basics have been mastered.  There are instructions with staged photographic steps for fifteen bags and these include bags with various pocket types, straps for hand or shoulder wear, a variety of fastenings plus extra details like bows, different shaped straps and ideas for using more than one fabric.  At the front there are pages showing how to use the template, plus tips for working with laminates and faux leathers, what fabric supports, threads, tools and hardware you will need plus how to make your own bias strips, make straps, pipe seams, make a zippered pocket and put in several modern types of clasp.  There is a page of tips plus a useful Oops! troubleshooting page.  Turn to the back for a glossary, index plus how to make a shoulder pad to slip onto the strap to make it more comfortable.  This is definitely a book destined for my keeper shelf and one I heartily recommend to anybody who wants to make bags that are modern, attractive and useful.Also new out in this series is a book on making backpacks.  This contains a plastic template too plus fifteen different ways of making backpacks, rucksacks and drawstring bags.  Make one with a teddy head, a useful bag for shoes or storing hair tools, bags with shaped corners and more.  Finally at the back is a project for a cosmetic purse; another winner that adds a less featured type of bag to the sewist’s repertoire.

• Introduction 6Understanding the template 8Materials 12Tools 14Hardware 16Techniques 17Debbie’s top tips 24Oops! 25The Projects 26Twist lock satchel 28Back pocket satchel 34Big bow satchel 38Mini satchel 44Button snap satchel 48Patch pocket satchel 52Simply square satchel 56Slim satchel 60Zipped bag 64Hidden pocket satchel 68Double buckle satchel 72Supersized satchel 76Side pocket satchel 80Quilted flap satchel 84Drawstring satchel 88A little extra something 92Glossary 94Index 96