Ebook Review: The Forager

This ebook, by the ever-talented Joan Gorman, is actually a cute hybrid of book and tutorial. It covers, in detail, the making of Joan’s Forager bag design, but it also offers templates for four different motifs you could embroider on your new bag, plus pattern dimensions, online resources for supplies, and Joan’s recommendations for bag-making books. Talk about complete!

The Forager bag is made from burlap, so it’s very sturdy and you can shake out the sand or moss after you bring it home loaded with outdoor treasures. There’s a little zipper pocket in the liner, too.

Joan excels at creating beautiful, informative page layouts. Her sewing directions are wonderfully clear, and zipper and all, would be just fine for a new seamster to undertake.

Did I mention embroidery templates?! There’s a leaf, two friendly mushrooms, a conch shell, and this cheery goldfinch. Joan points you to her favorite online stitch tutorials so you can dream up your own embroidered interpretation from her designs.

The Forager is one more illustration of why I love indie craft ebooks. They can give a subject so much more instructional depth and completeness than many print books can, and since digital self-publishers aren’t bound by the limitations of page counts and shelf space, they can present a project in a way that’s wholly useful and engaging.

Want to whip up a bunch of these for your favorite foragers? Score both the U.S. and UK versions at Joan’s website.