Did Santa bring you any good craft things this Christmas?  He brought me a few things, so over the next few weeks I’ll be reviewing them, because I really think you need them too.

Firstly, I got Sara Lawson’s new book, Windy City Bags, a follow up to her first book Big City Bags.  It was released in December which is perfect for any of you that may have new year’s resolutions to do things like ‘learn how to make bags’ or ‘expand your bag repertoire’.  This time round the book comes with full sized pull out patterns pages, so there’s no running to a photocopier and trying to work out its resizing options!

The patterns are aimed at intermediate sewers, but there are a number which more confident beginners could happily sink their teeth into as well, learning a number of new techniques along the way.

There’s a good variety of both bag styles and hardware which means that there should be new techniques for everyone to learn.  My favourite is the Shades Laptop Backpack, which has a fun opening on the front, and is a perfect unisex bag:

I love where the fastening on this one is, although first find your owl to recreate your own :oD

The top of this bag is fun, and I like the rings holding the handles in place:

Grommets are very in right now as a way of attaching your handles, I must go and dig mine out!  I have some of these horses too somewhere…

At the back of the book there’s a great section on interfacing, which even has a comparison chart for those of us outside the US that can’t get the Pellon that Sara usually uses.  There’s also a set of photos with other fabric options for each of the bags, it’s always nice to see how different fabrics will work with a pattern,

Windy City Bags is available in all good bookshops, and Amazon, and if you happen to be coming to Sew Brit Bag Camp, I have a signed copy to be given away as a prize!