Blog Hop with ByAnnie! And a Giveaway!

This month we were challenged with something special. A BAG and a Raffle, info is at the bottom of this post.

I made the Got Your Back 2.0 By Annie Backpack.

The Fabric Is: Urbanization - designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Mountainpeek Creations.

It is shipping to your local stores now.

Here is the pattern:

I chose the pattern from the MANY patterns at By Annie.

Annie actually picked out all the fabrics and hardware for my bag. I could not have chosen better. I love the collection and the specific choices for the backpack.

Here is the set of fabrics in my bag kit. I chose the Pomegranate fabric for the outside and the light for the inside. With all the bags I have made, you can see what is inside the bag if you have a light color for the inside fabrics.

I have made a few bags from the By Annie collection. Her directions are really great to follow. There is also an included set of videos with the pattern, so all the answers are already in the videos.

I quilted the fabric with the Soft and Stable foam. It quilts up beautifully on my HandiQuilter Forte. The quilting design is by Anne Bright.

The pattern pieces were all cut with the organized labels pinned on each section.

There are quite a few pieces, but it does come together pretty easily.

You start by putting each section together before assembling the whole bag. As long as you follow the instructions WORD FOR WORD you will have a great bag in no time.

I spent 2 full days putting my bag together.

There are some challenging parts that have many layers, but following the videos, you should be able to conquer the thickness of these areas.

I had no problems at all. I use a Juki Straight stitch sewing machine for my bags.

One great thing about this bag is that when you use the hardware from By Annie, you get a very nice professional bag. It is all in the details.

Here is my bag:

And the back:

Since I can't travel, I took my bag out for a late summer outside workday on the last Sunday of summer, at Boulevard Park on Bellingham Bay in Northwest Washington.

I could fit my small computer, notebook and basic supplies. I had enough quilted fabric to make a small purse, just adding a few pieces of faux leather and some zippered pockets. This purse fit in as well.

All the pockets are well planned out. A very large mesh pocket fills the front of the bag.

This would be the perfect carry on bag for an airplane. All the essentials will fit!

Outtake from the photo shoot day....

My photographer(AKA Husband!) and the train!

And now for a chance to win some fabulous fabrics!

And a Raffle! Click here to enter!

Thanks for letting my share some fun with you!

Thanks to my sponsors:

Disclosure: The products featured here were provided to me free of charge by Island Batik and ByAnnie

Be sure to visit all the Island Batik Ambassadors:

Carolina Asmussen ~ Carolina Asmussen

Pamela Boatright ~ Pamela Quilts

Jennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring Quilter

Vasudha Govindan ~ Storied Quilts

Joanne Hart ~ Unicorn Harts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for Quilts

Carla Henton ~ Create in the Sticks

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ For the Love of Geese

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Sally Manke ~ Sally Manke

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack's Blog

Carol Moellers ~ Carol Moellers Designs

Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads

Sharon Riley ~ Sew Riley Designs

Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Jennifer Strauser ~ Dizzy Quilter

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Alison Vermilya ~ Little Bunny Quilts

Sandra Walker ~ mmm! quilts

Suzy Webster ~ Adventerous Applique and Quilting

Janet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore

In the light of current events, we really need to find some joy. The bright colors and act of creating with fabric can bring so much joy in a stressful time. I will continue to create in the next few months while I am at home not traveling and teaching. Follow me on Instagram to find more fun and colorful quilt projects (and some gardening and cooking too!). @bestquilter

#schmetzneedles #juki #omnigrid #islandbatik #handiquilter #islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #byannie #patternsbyannie