jskim07 that's where my problem came in, I had such a hard time finding thick enough twine, or what they call cord.

The only kind I could find a few years ago is called heavy duty jute
twine, but like I said it wasn't think enough to make the planters I was
making. So I had to kind of braid three peaces together to get one that
was strong enough to hold the weight. Making the planter called for a
lot of different lengths so it took me almost a week of measuring and
braiding to get enough and at the right lengths to even get started.
It's also very messy and ruff, so I don't think you'd want this kind of
twine for making bags. But you can use just about anything depending on
what your making and the look your going for. My book says that almost
any type of cord can be used for macrame as long as it's not too
stretchy, or stiff. I just looked for the book that I had that had the
patterns for the bags and I can't seem to find it now.

I'll keep look for you and if I can find it I'm sure you could find it on line some.

I found this on line that should help you out. http://thisyearsdozen.wordpress.com/2008/05/18/how-to-macrame-a-purse/

Let me know if you need more help and I'll be happy to give you a hand.
This and other web sites like should really help you out.

@Takoda: I've never heard of Michael's before! This is actually so useful. I think they have a couple of locations outside of Toronto, so I'll be checking them out this weekend if I have time.
What kind of twine would you recommend? I see some thick ones, but I'm wondering how thin twine will hold if i weave them tightly enough...

jskim07 the thing is all of the book I have are from back in the 70's,
so I have no idea if they even still print the type I have. My sister
in-law gave them to me years ago when she heard me talking about making a
plant hanger's and the bag patterns just happened to be in them. If you
go to a Michael's store I'm sure you'd be able to find a few books
there. How ever when I went out to find the right kind of twine to make
them I couldn't find it any where. All I could find was yarn, or really
thin twine where I live. Michael's might be able to order it for you if
you ask, but that could add up to a lot more then you want to pay. I bet
if you went on line and looked it up you'd be able to find the same
type of patterns, it's just going to be hard to find the right type of
twine. I took what I could find and just doubled it up to make the plant
hangers, it was a lot more work, but it worked. I'm not so sure if that
would work if you're making bags though. Take a look on line for the
patterns and see if you can find the type of twine you want to work
with. If you can find the twine you want to work with but still can't
find a pattern on line, let me know and I'll type my patterns out on
here for you in the chick chat. here's a web site for Michael's, see if
there's a store near you. http://www.michaels.com/

I'm with Tammy, Coach has really done well with this straw bag!
Also other favourites are Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs (it's rare to see Marc Jacobs for under $200...is this for real???!)

@takoda: Any book you'd like to recommend? I always thought it was a good idea to design your own bag, but whenever I go out to buy patterns, the prices REALLY add up!

My favorite out of all those is the Coach Madison Flagship Straw Large Marielle Drawstring. These bags reminds me of summer so much. At least the sun's out today in Toronto!

J. Crew Tisbury Bucket Bag and the Paradox Straw and Leather
Flap Bags remind me of a few bags I had years ago. Unfortunately I wore both of
them right out. If you have the patience for this then you can make your own
bags that are pretty similar to these. Just pick up a book about macramé that
has a pattern for bags in it. We use to do this back in the 70s all the
time.