The author has spent many years collecting antique beaded purses and recording their patterns in chart form. Twenty purses from her collection of designs old and new are featured in this unique book. Many are illustrated in colour

Learn how to make your own vintage-style beaded bags, purses and other beaded accessories. When these designs were originally created, beaded bags were all the rage. It was the Flapper era... The Roaring Twenties. No Thoroughly Modern Girl would have dreamed of going out on the town without bringing along a shimmering beaded bag to hold her personal items. Her outfit just wouldn't be complete without it. Even now... in the 21st Century... A beaded bag makes the perfect accessory when today's Thoroughly Modern Woman goes out for an evening's entertainment. If you've ever tried to locate original beaded items from the 1920s & '30s, you know just how hard it can be to find bags and purses that are still intact... Let alone ones that are still durable enough to be used. And when you do find one in good shape, the asking price is usually SKY HIGH! But what if you could make your own? And what if your newly-made beaded creations could look EXACTLY LIKE THE ORIGINALS? On these pages you'll find a collection of original patterns from the 1920s for making beaded bags, purses and other beaded accessories. This book includes complete step-by-step instructions for more than 35 different beaded projects... beaded purses, pouches, belts and more... utilizing techniques such as beaded knitting, beaded crocheting and loom beading. Each project is illustrated in full-color so you can see exactly what your finished product will look like. And each set of instructions includes a complete list of all the tools and materials you'll need for its creation.

Antique beaded purses capture the imagination of artists and crafters today. This book will show how to use patterns and motifs of vintage bags to create replicas of the purses with today's materials in easy step-by-step directions. Seven original patterns for bead-knit purses are presented with a nod to some of the antique purses that inspired them. Complete how-to's with photographs will guide even non-knitters to make beautiful beaded purses that will be keepsakes for years to come.

The Art of Making Hand-Beaded Bags introduces readers to the techniques needed to create beautiful hand-beaded bags.Beading has been a treasured art form for thousands of years, and beaded handbags have always been fashionable accessories. Now, novice and experienced beaders can make there own dazzling beaded bag by following Karen Torrissi's fun, easy patterns and instructions.