October is the Island Batik Ambassador Sew Stylish Challenge with By Annie. This is the month we get to choose fabrics from Island Batik and a pattern from By Annie to make. This is always a great challenge.
Before I tell you more about the challenge I have to tell you that I have an ugly bag! Why do I have an ugly bag? I've been an Island Batik Ambassador for 12 years and have made several lovely By Annie bags. So why do I still have an ugly one? The reason is that this bag was the perfect size to carry the extension table for my portable sewing machine. I could also put in my tool box and usually a project to take along with the sewing machine whenever I had a class or needed to travel. I originally got the bag at a garage sale- so it was old to start with. It was the perfect size and had a zipper so nothing could fall out of the bag. The fabric was worn, but cute. The handle was worn so I covered it with what at the time I felt like was coordinating fabric. It never did really look good but it was serviceable. I used this bag for years and I guess I grew used to it's worn out condition.
I won't share a photo of this bag because it is so sad. I finally said enough! There is no reason I should have an ugly bag! I couldn't wait for this years challenge to replace this bag with something beautiful!
After carefully looking at all the great By Annie bag patterns I found one that was a suitable size. It also had a zipper on top that I find very helpful. This pattern is called 2 Big Totes. It come with directions to make two sizes. I made the Large size. I think the Extra Large size would be VERY big! This pattern also has a great add on video which can be very helpful.
The fabrics I selected are from the Island Batik collection called Garden Glory.
I picked out four fabrics from the collection- those on the left side of the photo. I also included a lime green from the Island Batik Solids and a yellow fabric called Cornmeal from the Opulent Oranges Collection. The reason I picked out the last two colors was because I wanted to do some kind of pieced blocks on the outside pockets.
Island Batik sent the chosen fabrics from Garden Glory and By Annie sent the pattern and all the things needed to make the pattern. It's so fun to sit down to make a project and everything is there ready to go!
It's always surprising how many things you need to make a By Annie bag.
By Annie bags have very detailed directions. You cut and label each piece and then you are ready to begin. There are lots of pieces!
At each step of the pattern you can check off that you completed the step. This was very helpful as I was only home for short periods and could only do a step or two each time. It helped me to stay on track.
Schmetz needles work very well sewing thru the Soft and Stable and the layers of fabric. I also used coordinating colors of Aurifil Thread to do the quilting and sewing.
But....I wanted to make pieced blocks for the big pockets on the front and back of the bag. That proved to be a BIG challenge! It was just very confusing to do as it required making blocks outside the given directions. I love the results, but it was challenging!
I did manage to get the two blocks done. See one of them above. Each block is different and I didn't care which one went on the front or back. I'm really glad I made the effort as they look great on the bag. The front pocket has a zipper and pocket behind.
The back has an outside pocket.
There were two products I had never used before that By Annie sent to make the bag.
The first was very narrow Double Sided Basting Tape. This worked great for holding things together so that sewing was much easier in tricky spots. The other was Premium Clear Vinyl. They recommend using this on the bottom of the bag so that it wears better. I've never had the bottom of a bag wear out, but I followed the directions and put it on this bag. It sewed easily. Hopefully you can see that it's on the bottom as it is shiny
The bag is just a little bigger than I needed, but it fits my extension table and I have even more room for supplies and fabric. The size of this Large Tote is 13 1/2" H x 16 1/2" W x 6 1/2" D.
There are pockets inside which are hard to see in the photo. Flat pockets on one side and billowed pockets on the other where you can put water bottles, etc. The zipper panels lays flat when opened so you have a large opening.
Another nice thing about this tote is that it doesn't have any outside bindings. If you've made many By Annie bags you know that most have outside bindings that can sometimes be a challenge to sew.
I'm very happy with my Large Tote. Now I can retire my sad bag....
