Welcome to the first ever Wednesday Wrap Up here at the blog of Olivia Jane Handcrafted. This is the first of a weekly series featuring some of my favorite things. Here you will find goods that I like and see how I have used them. Hopefully you’ll spot some things you like and have to get them yourself!

To start things off, the theme of our first ever Wrap Up is Amy Butler’s latest book, “Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags”.

I purchased this book from Amazon a while back, and I’m so happy I did. This wonderful, instructional book contains patterns for twelve different, all original Amy Butler bags, and with each bag she includes ways to personalize it to your specific taste. With all the ranges of sizes and even strap lengths, you can make 26 bags!

Now I don’t think it would be accurate to call me a bag person (or any kind of accessory person, for that matter), but I have found that “Style Stitches” is a great resource when I need to give a gift to a friend. Also, through making some of these bags, I have learned techniques that help me in the process of making my own bags.

There is certainly a bag for everyone in Amy’s book. Whether you’re a big bag, gotta-fit-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink kind of a girl, or if you’re the type that carries only what is needed in a bag, Style Stitches has a pattern that will work for you.

Just recently I made the Miss Maven Handbag for a dear friend of mine who needed a large, but not obnoxious overnight bag. The instructions for this bag were very simple and laid out in a very clear manner, and there were illustrations for the tricky parts.

Without a doubt, my favorite project from “Style Stitches” is the Key Keeper Coin Purse, which you may remember me ranting on about in December. I have made atleast 15 of these for myself and for friends. I love that the pattern is simple, yet I get compliments on mine everywhere I go. Also, the Key Keeper doesn’t require a load of fabric. In fact, I was able to use large scraps that I had leftover from other projects. I could go on and on about this simple and convenient clutch, but I think it speaks for itself. Isn’t it the cutest?!

Another bag I recently made from this book was Amy’s Teardrop Bag. I made this super cute and stylish shoulder bag for my mom. This is the larger version of the bag, and its just great because it holds just what you need without being overwhelming. Really, I think the back makes quite a statement.

I would definitely recommend that anyone who sews, either for themselves or for friends, have “Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags” in their library. When you combine all the versions Amy has included in the book as well as all the fabric combinations you can come up with, you really have an endless supply of bag options! (If that isn’t a valid excuse to buy that new fabric you spotted, I don’t know what is!) For those who are like me, who like to see plenty of pictures of examples, “Style Stitches” doesn’t disappoint. There are loads of bags in this book. Several versions of the same bag, in fact! So if you are stuck on choosing just the right fabric for your new, fun, and super hot bag, just go with one of Amy’s examples!

You can purchase Amy Butler’s “Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 26 Wonderful Bags” through Amazon (the best price on the web) by clicking on the icon on my new sidebar. The sidebar is the blog’s newest feature to accompany the Wednesday Wrap Up, and will include all of my favorite things as the list grows each week. Maybe the things I love will become some of your favorite things as well!

Be sure to tune in for next week’s Wrap Up, when I’ll be featuring a book that is very dear to me, written by my favorite designer, that no mother with the ability to sew should be without.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our first ever Wednesday Wrap Up!

xo, Mere

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