Refashioned Bags: Upcycle Anything into High-Style Handbags
by Faith Blakeney · Justina Blakeney · Published by Potter Craft
Sample Projects
Our Review
If you're a lover of handbags but can't afford to splash out on a new one, then Refashioned Bags by Faith & Justina Blakeney will help you to upcycle anything into high-style handbags.
The authors of the 99 ways series are back with a new book, filled with tutorials for revamping common household items in to stylish and fashionable handbags. Turn a broken umbrella into a Rainy Day Shopper, a tweed jacket in to a Suit Messenger Bag, a sweater in to a computer cozy, and weave strips of magazine in to a Magbag. Each project is accompanied by easy to follow instructions, making their construction easier than ever.
Now you can have a DIY bag for every day of the week and every occasion, by upcycling unwanted clutter from your home.
Check out a sample project from the book, Shower Curtain Tote.
You can pick up a copy of the book from Random House now.
Publisher's Description
Reduce, Reuse, Refashion!
Handbags are the ultimate accessory. Fortunately, you don't need a cookie-cutter designer bag to make a fashion statement. In today's greener, more fiscally responsible world, it makes a lot more sense–and is a lot more fun—to make your own. Whether your closet is already an amalgam of hand-made clothing and remastered mash-ups or you're diving into DIY for the very first time, bags are one of the easiest accessories to make over and require little more than a needle, thread, and everyday items you can find in the closet, garage, attic, or flea market.
That's why the authors of 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special show you how to make boutique-ready bags on the cheap. The Blakeney sisters twist and weave, turn inside-out, and reappropriate just about anything and everything to fashion radical accessories with mad style and a message.
In Refashioned Bags, you'll learn how to create carryalls, clutches, laptop bags, totes, and more. And all of them will get a unique look, whether from the use of an old wool sweater, an ex-boyfriend's neckties, extra shower curtains, dad's hand-me-down suit jacket, a quilt, an umbrella, or even a bath mat. Some of the inventive and one-of-a-kind bags you'll learn to make include:
• Boho Hobo Bag
• Sweater Computer Cozy
• Dapper Diaper Bag
• Dolce Doily Purse
• Le Zip Sac
• Tux Redux Bag And more!
Helpful diagrams accompany the step-by-step instructions, along with bonus crafting ideas, fun facts, and tips and tricks from top bag designers in the DIY field who work with, at times, unusual materials. By following just a few easy steps that require little more than cutting, folding, gluing, and basic stitching, you'll be able to add refashioned bag designer to your repertoire.
