on my reading list....

The magazine is mine --- bought at JoAnn with my 40% off coupon (score!). The other 2 books are borrowed from the library. Stitch magazine is awesome. I love that magazine. Yes, it costs a fortune (for a magazine! $14.99 a pop with no coupon) but it's worth the price. In this edition, you'll find TONS of fun and easy projects that you can make your own. There is also a free pattern from Oliver + S. That alone I think is a steal!

You know, most of the times I like to read a design book just to give me ideas and inspiration and I don't actually make anything from the book. "Carry Me" book is that kind of book for me right now. The book is filled with lots of sewing patterns and bag designs--pretty to look at but don't think I am going to make any of them. I could if I want to but reading it is enough to give me lots of inspiration. I like to read the how-to section because I can always apply that knowledge to my next sewing project. I'd say this book is more suitable for advanced sewist. The bags are lovely and they look very upscale-ish!

For those of you who sell crafts online (or even offline!), I highly recommend the the last book I am reading, "The Handmade Marketplace". It is filled with basic yet important online selling tidbits. Lots of details. And tons of suggestions from real-life successful crafters from around the globe. I am not finished reading this book yet but already I learned a great deal of online-selling abc's.

Ok. I am off to reading some more....

Book Review: Sew What! Bags by Lexie Barnes

I purchased this book several weeks ago from Amazon and I have to say I am attracted to buy this book because I love making bags and pouches. If you are a new sewist who wants to learn about bag making, this book will be great for you.

The first chapter of this book gives you a lot of explanations of different types of fabrics to make bags, all the neccessary equipments, various fabric terminologies, and embellishments to pretty your bags.

The second chapter explains a lot of the how-tos. I find the information very, very useful. Then you can begin your projects from chapter three forward.

There are 18 pattern-free projects in the book. Again, this is a pattern-free book!The good thing is that you can customize any project any way you want it. The not-so-good thing is, well, there are no patterns provided. Don't be discouraged though because the majority of the projects are fun and fairly easy to do. This book is also filled with pretty pictures to keep you motivated. For under $20 (if you buy from Amazon.com), this book is worth the purchase.

{Sewing Book Review} Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects For The Modern Sewist

For almost 2 months I had been wanted to buy this particular sewing book and finally, a week ago I ordered this book along with another one, which I'm going to review in another post, from Amazon.

Sew Liberated is written by Meg McElwee, a blog writer and sewing pattern designer. If you haven't heard of her, you should check out her fabulous blog where she talks about her daily adventures. Sew Liberated is her first sewing book and in this book, you'll find 20 projects ranging from apron to bag to baby carrier. So far, there are 2 projects from the book I want to try soon: Dapper Day Bag and Woodlawn Curtains.

I find that this book is more suitable for sewist who have some sort of sewing experience. Beginners might have to spend more time figuring out the instructions. But if you are up for a challenge, this book is for you. Experienced sewist will love this book as it gives a broad range of projects to do. All the projects are modern and very fun to do. I see some that are perfect to do for a weekend project. Overall, Sew Liberated is a good sewing book and I highly recommend it.