In my vintage needlework collection, I used to own a scarce, ORIGINAL Book called Beaded Bags in Crochet & Knitting Book no 13 by Anna Valeire. The publisher was E.C. Spuehler in St. Louis, MO.
In this book are 10 patterns for making beaded purses /bags /handbags, plus a gorgeous flapper-style beaded belt, plus a beaded silk shoe buckle, plus 2 beaded necklaces- one is called “bead necklace” and the other is called “single tassel bead necklace”.
Only one purse is knitted. Two are made from beads and silver mesh. The rest are crocheted. I am not sure about the technique used to make the belt- perhaps it is bead weaving- it does not appear to be knitting or crochet. It is made using steel beads, cut jet beads, and silk cord. Please take a good look at the photos below, as they will give you an idea of the patterns included in the book.
The book is undated, but on my copy of it, someone wrote Feb. 1924 on the cover, along with a name and address and the words “Instructions for bead tassel”. Apparently 1924 was the year the former owner acquired the book…The bags do look like they are from the 1920’s. They are exquisite!
The book was published in such a way that you can only see the entire belt design by removing the inner pages of the book.
On the copy of the book I used to own, this was successfully accomplished by a former owner, so the cover on my copy was detached from the book.
This is a little annoying, but I think it’s worth the annoyance if you want to make flapper-style beaded accessories that are as authentic as possible.
That is, if you can even find a copy of this book. This book is VERY SCARCE in ANY condition!
This book has 16 pages counting the covers. It has a softcover/ paper binding.
If you’d like to make beaded bags, necklaces and lampshades like these for yourself, I hope you’ll be inspired by these authentic project photos.
This book is rare and very hard to find! I just took a look and couldn’t find anyone selling copies of it on the internet. But, there were many books and magazines that have beadwork patterns similar to these. If you’re hoping to find a source of bead crochet patterns or other beadwork patterns you can use and work from, here are some pages I recommend taking a look at:
- Beadwork
- Bead Crochet
- Best Beadwork Books
- Vintage Purse Patterns
- Vintage Needlework
- Vintage Crochet
- Mary Card’s Vintage Crochet Patterns
Thanks for checking out this preview of Beaded Bags in Crochet & Knitting Book no 13 by Anna Valeire. I appreciate your interest!
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By Amy Solovay
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About Your Book Reviewer:
Amy Solovay is a real, live, human content creator and educator who holds an Associate of Arts degree in Textile Design from FIDM LA (The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Los Angeles) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Sweet Briar College. She is NOT a robot and does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to write book reviews or articles for this website.
Amy learned to crochet as a small child, and she still enjoys crocheting all these years later.
As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles. Nowadays she uses online platforms for sharing her knowledge about textiles, crafts, current color trends and current design trends.
This page was last updated on 12-28-2025.