Thursday, February 24, 2011

giveaway: amy butler's style stitches

Hi everyone! I'm giving away a copy of Amy Butler's new book Style Stitches: 12 Easy Ways to 25 Wonderful Bags.

The book is chock-full of great ideas for totes, shoulder bags, wristlets, clutches, pouches, coin purses, and wallets all made using interesting shapes and Amy's bright, modern signature fabrics. It also includes the patterns for all the projects, which is a nice bonus since I get pretty annoyed by books that expect you to photocopy and enlarge a pattern by 300%....not so easy if you're working off your little home HP printer.

The book has plenty of color photographs, easy-to-use instructions, and a spiral-bound style that's handy since it lies flat while you're wrestling with pins and fabric and thread. Mother's Day is coming up, and it would be so cute to use the book to make a pretty present for your mom or your grandma...especially with a sweet note tucked inside!

To enter to win, all you need to do is leave a comment below with your email address and share a memory about a favorite purse you've owned or made. You may also email me at thehappyhoneybee(at)gmail with the same information if you'd rather not leave your information below. One winner will be chosen on Friday, March 4. Good luck!



Photographs and review copy courtesy of Chronicle Books.

31 comments:

  1. Oh! Love Amy Butler!

    My favorite purse was a gift to me in 3rd grade -- 1988! It was purple leather bedazzled with rhinestones. My very sensible mother didn't let me out of the house with it (also worth noting...why would an 8 y/o need a purse? especially a trampy purse?) But anyway, I loved it.

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  2. This is awesome! My first purse was a fringed suede purse that I got from the mall. For some reason I was obsessed with this purse and I saved up all my tutoring money until I finally had enough to buy it. I'd love a copy of this book since I sew a lot but I've never made my own bags before and I love Amy Butler! My email is jenniferkaplan@hotmail.com.

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  3. I have never carried a purse. Just diaper bags and back packs. These are so cute I would love to have a couple of these purses.
    knitterlady57@gmail.com

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  4. Oh I love her stuff :O) I have a colorado purse I adore. But also it has snuffed it and I'll have to go and buy a new one. The coin purse zip had died a sad death. You can track me down via my profile if I win (Oh I hope so :O)

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  5. O, this is a lovely book to win!
    My favorite bag is the evening bag I bought on etsy in January this year. I am going to wear it on my wedding day.
    It has been beautifully made by TamamiKoBag, using original Japanese fabric, with a leaf motifs in reds and grays. It will be a perfect accompaniment to the alternative style of my wedding dress, which is sixties style tight cocktail dress in light gray color.
    Best wishes.
    Yolanta (Happy to Make)
    yolanta.turze@gmail.com

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  6. My favorite bag was a Coach purse I was lucky to receive as a gift. It has lasted forever. Would love to have a copy of Amy's book to try to sew my own fabric bag. Have always loved her fabrics for home decor items.

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  7. This is so lovely,I love Amy Butler.Bags,what not to love,always need more =o).My favorite memory is about one bunny little kids bag with long ears as handles,I wish I could find it now and show it to my daughter.

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  8. This is a very generous give away! My first hand bag had mr blobby on it. I loved it so much and carried it around with me all the time! (I was about 4). I took all the birthday badges from my brothers birthday cards and decided to decorate it with them. Must have been into embellishments at a young age! :)

    La

    messyla516@aol.com

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  9. My favorite purses were from my mom. She had all these amazing beaded purses and gave them all to me!

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  10. Sadly, my favorite purse got a hitch in it's zipper and is waiting for me to take it to be fixed. My sister went to China and got me a Prada Frauda but it's the best purse ever!
    Love that Amy Butler, too!

    craftyols@gmail.com

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  11. I made a patchwork style purse with my grandmother the summer before I started 5th grade. I wish I had it now to remember her by.

    ruth.andronica@gmail.com

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  12. Just a quick note to let you know that a link to this post will be placed on CraftCrave today [25 Feb 12:00am GMT]. Thanks, Maria

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  13. My favorite purse was a black leathered flight -purse. I got it from my aunt and unfortunately lost it as a child.

    honeymoonarts@googlemail.com

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  14. Sarah (LavenderLizard)February 25, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    I have to talk about my current favorite...I made a small wristlet out of some lovely antique fabric I found lately (a sample sent out for approval from a printing company). It is just big enough to fit all of my "necesities," which includes tatting, hankies, wallet, and numerous other items, but tiny enough to impress everyone with the amount of stuff I manage to pack inside! My email is notacosmicmuffin at hotmail dot com

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  15. I love Amy Butler's fabric design.
    My favorite purse is a checkered pattern carry-all. I've had it for 7 years and it still goes with me wherever I go. I'd like to make one of Amy's fabric bag someday. jadehidden@yahoo.com

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  16. Oh, thanks for the giveaway, that would be such a great book to own!

    My favorite purse is a little LeSportsac one in an army green color with distressed gold details. It's my go-to bag for carrying just the essentials. :)

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  17. What an amazing looking book!
    I think my favourite purse was probably the one I had when I was 8 - it was a cute purple pouch-type purse which came as a matching set with one of my favourite dresses!

    debyeo AT hotmail DOT com

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  18. What a cool looking book! I am not really a fur kinda gal, but my favorite purse was a fake fur purse I bought on a whim and ended up being my constant companion for a couple winters. The thing was huge and looked so real it got me VIP treatment at all these swanky places in Dallas, but the real reason I loved it was it became a character of sorts among my friends and family. My Dad named him Angus and whenever "he" arrived at restaurants and parties he would be given his own chair or stool (it was more kitchy/funny than creepy, I promise). We got endless laughs out of the whole thing, and I was sad when Angus inevitably became a bit too worn for public appearances. He has now been retired to the "purse closet" with my other favorites from years past, like the picnic basket purse. Thanks for hosting this.

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  19. Oh, I WANT this! distlefunk@gmail.com

    My favorite bag is the one I just made using an old pair of my husband's shorts! :) I'm really into upcycled and recycled fabrics right now. The bag is HUGE with a gazillion pockets. I love it.

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  20. My favorite purse was given to me by a close friend in college. It looked like an old doctor's bag but smaller. It had two big red dots on the side too. It seemed to hold everything! Unfortunately, it got too worn to use after a few years.

    ducktapegurl@yahoo.com

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  21. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  22. (Sorry about the deleted post - forgot my email addy!)

    Just checked the Dandelion-esses(:D) out, saw that you were having a giveaway, and thought...

    Hmmmm... Me likey sewing, why not enter? :D

    My favorite purse is the one I carry now - had it for four years, and even though it is starting to look shabby just can't part with it! Why? Because it is a beautiful cream colour, with a bright pink lining! :)

    thedevilspigeonhole@gmail.com

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  23. This is a beautiful book, and a very generous giveaway. Isn't Amy Butler's stuff gorgeous??
    My favorite bag is actually one I made for a friend's fiancée for her birthday. He chose a beautiful sculpted velvet in her favorite color and then just turned me loose with it as far as design. I researched, measured, drew and re-drew and just agonized over that bag! I made cute little cell phone and "necessity" pockets trimmed with ribbon, chose two coordinating fabrics for the lining and pockets and even made a frog closure. It turned out beautifully and she loved it. They're such a great couple. Sigh.

    elljane@hotmail.com

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  24. So sweet of you to send this out!

    My favorite bag is this Army-esque green canvas messenger bag that I bought from the shop I worked at in high school. Over the past ten+ years, it's changed from a dark green (which it still is on the inside) to a much paler green from its years of use. It's only just starting to wear out on the outside seams, and I don't know what I'm going to do when it finally gives out on me!

    craftgasm (@) gmail (dot) com

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  25. What a lovely idea! Thank you!

    My favourite handbag I think was my first ever real "grown up" handbag - I bought it myself with money saved from birthdays etc - I went to a very swanky shop and bought a navy blue Tula bag. It was real leather and it was my prized possession for a very long time!

    hoppyloo@yahoo.com

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  26. Awesome giveaway! My favorite purse is one a friend crocheted for me. She made several pockets inside special for different things, like one for my keys, one for my phone, one for my ipod, one for my sketchbook and one for my travel watercolor set.

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  27. I love Amy Butler! Thank you for your generous give away!

    My favorite purse was also the first purse I ever remember getting. I was about 10, my little sister was 8, and we got some frog skinned purses from my grandma. Mine was a deep dark purple and hers was a vibrant red. We LOVED those things and used them every day until they fell apart. It began my life long obsession with purses and now my new obsession is making them for everyone I know! orangevanillarose@yahoo.com

    Jennifer

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  28. My favorite purse is a gorgeous beaded clutch from the 1920's... it belonged to my grandmother and it just says so much about the times and who she was at that time. I rarely ever use it and have recently thought about framing it in a shadow box with a few other things of hers...

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  29. I'm not normally a Coach girl, but I fell in love with one of the Coach Levi bags from a few years ago. Sadly, I don't own it. My favorite purse that I actually owned was a rectangular granny square bag that sounds awful but was actually pretty hip in a shabby chic sort of way. I was constantly complimented on it until I wore it out.

    banglabou (at) gmail (dot) com

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  30. Erika craftyriki (at) gmail (dot) comMarch 4, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    I love purses and have many, but I have to say my favorite of all time was a mega tote style I picked up at Marshalls for a grand 20 dollars. I'd say it was at least 2.5 feet wide and 1.5 feet tall. It was olive green and royal purple striped chenille upholstery fabric with a dark brown aged leather band on the top with antiqued bronze nailheads. I loved this purse so much, it was so very much me, down to the favorite colors and fabric. Plus I could shove books, shoes, sweaters, whatever I wanted because it carried so much.

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  31. I made myself an Amy Butler Frenchy bag a few years ago ( http://media.shozu.com/cache/portal/media/18bb1b0/16777231 ). It was the first thing I've sewed since high school (back when it was compulsory!) - and I was talked into entering in the local show. It won 2nd prize in the "Handcrafts (Other)" category!
    I love my bag. I love the size of it; it's light-weight and not bulky for daily use, but I can fit a change of clothes and some PJs in it for an impromptu sleep over! I love the fabric, too; it's a kinda neutral colour, but it's not one you see often - and the pattern is kinda 1970s hippy-ish.
    This is going to sound weird, but my bag is kind of like a representation of how I see myself - but in bag form!

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