Susan Briscoe - 21 Sensational Patchwork Bags

I had great fun dreaming up designs for my last patchwork bag book, 21 Terrific Patchwork Bags, but had far too many ideas for one book so 21 Sensational Patchwork Bags presents a further exciting selection of great bags for all occasions for work and play. There are bags for shopping, walking, quilting, partying, studying, giving as gifts, glamorous nights out, casual nights in or just to go with your favourite jeans. They make perfect presents for friends and family so much quicker to make than a bed quilt and satisfying to complete.

Once again, I have included plenty of bags where you can try out some new techniques or return to your favourites, whether you are coming to this absorbing craft for the first time or building on existing patchwork and quilting skills. There are designs suitable for using up your fabric scraps, leftover strips and wadding pieces, or co-ordinated sets perfect for those fat quarter bundles and charm packs that we quilters just cant resist. You can even include heavier fabrics, like denim and faux suede. Several bags make use of construction methods that will be familiar from quilt making, such as bias-bound edges. Style and practicality can go together and your bags will certainly be unique!

Favourite patchwork blocks get a country-style treatment with woven plaids or take on a new look with sparkly metallic fabrics or bright batiks. Victorian Crazy Patchwork gets traditional and modern interpretations, with fancy stitching by hand or machine. Log Cabin, so useful for using up fabric strips, makes a number of appearances, with off-centre and half Log Cabin variations explored too. Several bags feature ideas for using personalized fabrics you have created yourself, by rubber-stamping on fabric or up-to-date computer photo printing. Since 21 Terrific Patchwork Bags was published, bag fittings such as metal zips, D-rings, clips and ready-made handles are more widely available in quilt shops, so Ive used these where appropriate. Theres scope for using ethnic and retro fabrics, plus those special buttons, braids and cords that we squirrel away.

Happy bag-making!

USING THIS BOOK

The following are useful points about using this book, even for experienced quilters, so please read before making any project. If you need further information on equipment, materials and techniques will find all you need to know in the section beginning on page 90.

Fabric pieces and patchwork blocks are given without seam allowances, unless stated otherwise, so add a in seam allowance all round where not already included. Add in seam allowance to edges of openings where zips will be inserted.

Wadding (batting) and backing fabric sizes are cut larger than required and trimmed to size after quilting.

Actual sizes are given for cord, braid, zips and so on. There is no need to add on any extra allowance.

Machine sew means with straight stitch, unless otherwise stated. Start and finish all bag seams by reverse stitching for in.

Where possible patchwork blocks in the projects have been supplied actual size but do check the individual diagrams for the size required.

Press seams after sewing each stage of patchwork and bag assembly. Where patchwork is sewn to a plain panel, the seams are pressed away from the patchwork.

Illustrations of the stitches used can be found in the Stitch Library on page 112.

Alternative patchwork blocks are supplied in the Block Library on pages 116 and 117.