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.

[This] beautiful book turns craft into wearable art. Using black-and-white diagrams to clarify procedures, [Benson] introduces two types of beadwork: needle weaving, in which beads are threaded together; and card stitching, in which beads are sewn directly onto a backing of lightweight cardboard or construction paper....More than 40 gorgeous projects. A splendid book."--Booklist. "A visual feast."--Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot. Ann Benson, one of America's foremost bead artisans, offers an array of eye-catching projects for beaded jewelry and accessories, all created from the surprisingly simple technique of beadweaving and showcased in gorgeous full-page photographs. The patterns and instructions for 50 of her most spectacular pieces use two basic methods: needleweaving, a style similar to crocheting, and bead card stitching, in which beads are sewn directly onto a patterned card. Ranging in style from Southwestern to Far Eastern, and Art Deco to Victorian, the projects include shimmering topaz earrings, a richly patterned Oriental carpet purse, a delicate ribbon pin, an exquisite purple floral belt, and much more. Every project highlights the beads' exciting colors, shapes, sizes, and textures.