A Bag for All Reasons: 12 All-New Bags and Purses to Sew for Every Occasion [Tapa dura]

I just finished my first perusal of Lisa Lam's new book. As with her previous book, The Bag Making Bible, this book is inspiring and gives clear instructions to construct bags with professional touches.

I have been wondering lately how to make a bag with a concealed top-edge zip--and BAM, right there on page 24 is exactly what I need to get going!

There are 12 projects in this book and all of them are winners--bags that I want to own, will try to make, and know others would like me to make for them! The first project could be the Train-Style Vanity Case, which both my daughter and I would like to have.
I love the laundry bag that has a divider for hot and cold wash clothing. Also, the wallet is great--has space for coins and is designed so the cards won't slip out of the wallet.

The descriptions and generous use of photographs make this bag a solid reference tool and also a spring board for many projects!

If you like bags and you like to sew--whether you are a beginning sewist or have been sewing for years,this book will delight you!

If it's any qualification, I have Lisa's first book and completed all but two of the projects listed. So it was with great interest I saw a followup title release. I wish Amazon let us do half star reviews, this would be 3.5 stars. These are my condensed thoughts:

Pros:
- The layout, thank you for making it spiral bound this time! The presentation of information is concepts first, patterns second. I am neutral on this, further comments under Cons.

- The patterns are now printed in such a way that you can cut out the pieces, not overlapped like the first book. The paper is also pleasantly not flimsy so it appears the pieces can endure some level of wear.

- Some better clarification of techniques/concepts. When I did the messenger bag in her first book I gave myself brain damage trying to figure out how the adjustable strap worked. This is an instance in which step by step illustration would've really helped. Even though I figured it out it was the opposite way of which she instructed. This time around a few of the techniques have much better pics to help clearly define the text direction.

- Two of the patterns are dreamy and are on the top of my list to make (the new version of messenger bag and what's called a diaper bag but that can be just a regular bag). These styles are what she's known and greatly appreciated for worldwide. She creates high quality looking items with DYI moxy.

Cons:
- I understand these kind of books are forced to limit the amount/length of information that appears for printing purposes. The concepts pages are taken from her first book. This is both smart and obnoxious. It's smart because resources can be allocated to other things like new patterns and a few new photographs. It's obnoxious because this time they really pared down on the intro information. What I liked about the first book is it seemed she took more time discussing the nuts and bolts: fabrics, hardware, how to use the patterns, how to adapt the patterns, etc. I do not like the assumption that the sewer who plans on using this book can afford all the resources. If using oilcloth no paragraph on what to do if you don't have a teflon foot (using wax or tissue paper), she just says get a non-stick foot.

- I am interested in maybe half of the patterns listed. A couple just seem unusually....filler like. The cover of the book is for a bike tote, like a saddle bag really. How practical is this, even for me, a city girl who has a bike? There is a clutch kisslock frame pattern. You can essentially get this, and much better instruction, for free on her blog.

- The patterns that I would make are definitely not for the beginner. She's upped the complexity for some of them, which is nice but not if this is your first foray into bag-making.

This new book from Lisa Lam is even more exceptional than the first! The new bags are such eye candy and my little sewing heart CANNOT WAIT to start making all the new goodies! It makes me want to quit my job and stay home all day to sew.

For those of you who said it was just a rehash of the first book, you need to specify that you are refering specifially to the techniques. Of course they are the same, because Lisa was so thorough in her first book, she didn't leave any awesome techniques out, so it would make sense that she would put them in her new book too. But anybody flipping through "A Bag For All Reasons" can clealy see that each bag is a brand spanking new awesome design that just cries out to be created.

This book is a true gem and is definitely one any bag-making addict needs! Thank you, Lisa for continuing to show us how to create yummy looking and very functional bags!