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| Amy Butler Key Keeper Coin Purse... |
The book has been out for about five years, so it's not new. Searches online show all sorts of evidence that the projects have been taken on by many people, some with more success than others, judging by the comments on Amazon. I have long admired her fabrics and have known for awhile that her patterns are a bit challenging, hence the curiosity for borrowing the book. (I also "took out" her In Stitches book, but did not find anything in it that resonated with me.)
My first impression of the projects? Why are those bags so freakin' huge?? Anyone who has seen the projects from the book will know what I mean... I think I can fit a 100-ft hose reel in one of them!
Anyway, it's no wonder that when I was finally driven to make something from all these books that I've been borrowing, what I decided to make was the Key Keeper Coin Purse: the smallest project in this particular volume. (And by the way, I had to borrow the physical book in order to have access to the pattern templates; the electronic version did not come with any.)
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| I made this out of remnants from my Flight Bag and Messenger Bag projects... |
My assessment? I don't know why it was deemed an "intermediate" level project. It's essentially a zippered pouch with a pleat and a "waistband"... not too difficult at all.
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| Here is the reverse side of the coin purse... |
I will say for the record that I am not a fan of text only instructions with just the occasional drawing thrown in, and that's all you'll get in this book. (I also found the print somewhat small and the text contrast too low for my liking.) Some people may achieve good results that way; I wouldn't be one of them if the item being constructed wasn't simple to make. For this, I read through the instructions, but at any point where I was met with minor confusion, I just did what I knew how to do because I'm familiar with making something like this. Otherwise, I fear I would probably be lost or have to "wing it".
As is the case with the other books that I have encountered, there are actually very few photos of the finished projects, and they are almost all views of the bags' exteriors.
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| The "gaping maw" interior! I used a metal zipper that I had on hand but it produced a bit of a bulky finish... |
Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike a half inch seam allowance? And bulky seams created by interfacing that extends all the way to the edge?
Anyway, enough of the griping. The result is cute and since it matches my Flight Bag, I will likely keep both together and use it for small stuff while travelling (luggage keys & locks, earphones, etc.) and maybe as a small purse while out walking on a beach somewhere... a nice thought as we (in the northern hemisphere) are mere days from the winter solstice.
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| You'll never guess what that strap actually is...! |
Oh, almost forgot... the strap? It's actually a Goody elastic headband! (Yes, the famous "ouchless" kind!) I found a set of five of them — red, black, orange, yellow and hot pink — sitting all by themselves in a totally unrelated area of one of my favourite liquidation stores... for $1.00. I knew they'd come in handy for something other than their intended purpose. (Although I do use one of them as a headband.)
I will end this post with the good points about Amy Butler's Style Stitches: 1) patterns are printed up on decent quality paper and there are no overlapping pieces (you can actually cut them out if you own the book!), 2) book is spiral bound so it opens flat, and 3) photos are generally gorgeous, especially as they feature Amy's fabrics... you will likely feel inspired just by looking at them. (I was briefly tempted by the Teardrop Bag, which is essentially the bag version of this little coin purse.)
Come back next week for "part two" of this post... after I made this first little bag, it occurred to me that its size was perfect for using up my Spoonflower sampler swatches!
In the meantime, have you had success with any Amy Butler patterns that you'd like to share?
Rochelle I find that books about making bags are lacking a lot. Not enough photos for the instructions, mostly of the finished bag, print is too small and harder to read for my eyes and sometimes it's printed in gray not black making it even harder to read! Plus it seems to me they rush through instructions a lot in order to cram more in the book or because of publisher deadlines or maybe it's poorly edited? Not sure, but I much prefer a good well written pdf pattern that is loaded with instructions and photos to a book. Usually there is only one bag worth making in a book anyhow.
ReplyDeleteI took out the Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam from the library and made one of the actually bags that was in the book. Parts of the instruction was missing and I was instructed to cut out 2 of one piece, when only one was used, so that wasted my fabric and time. While there are lots of good info in the book, it was lacking in photos of the actual steps of what I was making. Again was it poorly edited, rushed to print or what? I often wonder if the bags in books are tested like most pdf pattern designers bags are heavily tested? I will stick to pdf patterns online. I can enlarge the pdf to read the print that way too!
I hate to say it but I think the printed books are slowly dying out. So many are electronic books now and the non-fiction craft books that I see are not worth buying. Most are the same old thing in a new wrapper. Plus most of what you see in hard copy books and patterns are online, whether it's a free pattern or tutorial or a pdf you purchase.
Any success with Amy Butler pattern? Heeeheehee...like you, ive always wondered WHAT could someone possible be carrying in THAT HUGE THING....perhaps a dead body to tote to lunch with a friend before sneaking off for a quick burrial? And THAT FABRIC....i love her colors, her designs not so much. Not much of a flower gal. So, ive not ever made anything by Amy Butler. Ive always heard her instructions were lacking but i do not speak from personal experience. Just not a fan of her style at all...well, there is that one free pattrern that knda resembles Chris' Evelyn bag...but again, eith Chris' pattrn, i did not need to try Amy out.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, i feel the same way Daryl does about bag books (most pattern books actually), not worth it. Soooo much more can be fit into a PDF and actual photos must be super darn expensive to print because it seems all the publishers pull the photos out first. My biggest gripe with "specialzed" books, especiallt quilting pattern books...they waste 20 pages covering quilint badics, how to cut fabric, sew, baste etc...hello??? Just put a paragraph in the front of he book that says "Yo, this is a book of PATTERNS. If you need schooling on cutting and sewing and basting, GO GET A DIFFERENT BOOK!!!" I feel the same about bag books...if you need schooling on interfacing and ironing, then you need to research that crap...its a PATTERN book.
That is a cute little coin pouch though! I might be inclined to try to make it with a continuous zip however...