August 2018 Monthly Photo Contest Winners
One of our favorite things at ByAnnie is getting to see all the beautiful things our customers make using our patterns and products. We love hearing your stories, opinions, and feedback and want to encourage more people to share through our monthly photo contest. Oh, and did we mention you could have a chance to win prizes for all your hard work and creativity?
Grand Prize winners receive a $50 coupon and runners up receive $10 coupons to be used at ByAnnie.com USA! Check out our rules and submission guidelines by clicking the button below!
Since the launch of our monthly photo contest, we've received hundreds of photos of absolutely amazing projects! It's been hard to narrow it down, but the winners below were chosen because the quality of their photographs really let their projects shine.
For the photo contest we are looking for clear, large-sized images. We like to see projects that are well lit and centered nicely in the frame. If possible, we also enjoy seeing multiple angles of a project, or images where we can see how the project will be used. Last, but not least, great photos should also have a clean and clutter-free background. For more tips on how to take great photos, read our blog titled How To Photograph Your Project.
We'd like to congratulate all the winners below! We hope you enjoy reading a bit about their projects. For additional pictures and full stories, be sure to check out our WINNER'S GALLERY!
Grand Prize Winner
Maker: Dr. Keynyn B.
Pattern: Bowl Me Over!
Fabric: Chipper - The Hypnotizer, PWTP081-MINT by Tula Pink for FreeSpirit Fabrics
Dance of the Dragonfly - Dancing Waves, Plum Metallic by Kanvas Studio for Benartex
Story: Keynyn said, "I love bowler purses, and I've always wanted to make one, but most of the purse patterns I've come across either aren't quite my style, or look too difficult to follow. The ByAnnie Bowl Me Over! purse looked fun, beautiful, spacious, and sturdy, and after making two Catch All Caddies I knew I'd be able to follow Annie's instructions to make the purse successfully."
She said she faced a few challenges when modifying the handles and some of the pockets, but commented that making the Catch All Caddies had given her the skills, experience, and design understanding I needed to tackle the purse with confidence.
Overall, Keynyn said, "I'm really happy with how the purse turned out. I especially love how deep it is – there's room for papers, a scarf, and even a book or tablet!"
(To see more great projects, follow her on Twitter: @Paleo_Girl)
Runner Up
Maker: Linda K. from the Netherlands
Pattern: Travel Duffle Bag
Fabric: All Stars by Tula Pink for FreeSpirit Fabrics
Story: Linda told us, "I loved making this bag for our son. He needed a big bag for his first school camp and this pattern is just perfect for it! Lots of room and handy pockets. I made a few bags before, but this was my first big one."
She went on to say, "If you follow the instructions, it’s not that hard. Annie uses a lot of the same techniques for all her projects, so once you made one or two you can read the patterns easily."
(For more wonderful projects, follow her on Instagram: @lindakleijer)
Runner Up
Maker: Kate S.
Pattern: Zip It Up!
Fabric: Fifties Kitchen by Michael Miller
Story: Kate said, "I made my zippered pouch in a local quilt shop (Calico Cupboard in Pataskala, Ohio). Being somewhat new to bag making, taking a class made a huge difference for me. Step by step vocal instruction as we followed along in the written pattern gave my skills a boost. Taking a class is so fun!"
She also mentioned, "I had trouble with zippers before, and ByAnnie's zipper techniques were great to try. I had success with them. I also used a ByAnnie's 30" double-slide zipper and loved it so much, I'll buy them again for sure."
(Find other beautiful projects by Kate on Instagram: @lakardia and Facebook: Facebook/Lakardia)
Runner Up
Maker: Harriet C.
Pattern: This is Harriet's own bag design, using ByAnnie's Soft & Stable.
Fabric: unnamed fabric from Field's Fabrics in March 2018
Story: Harriet told us, "I wanted a new purse for our 2018 Maui trip. I love pink and lavender/purple tropical florals. This is a pattern I designed based on an old $1.00 bag from a discount store. That old purse was handy, but didn't have enough pockets or height. I took the measurements and drew up a pattern, then added additional pockets and features."
She then mentioned, "The most challenging was 'fussy cutting' so that all the flowers lined on the front. The orchid on the flap has veins stitched in for definition and was fussy cut to align completely with the orchid underneath as the middle of the 3 pockets. It closes with velcro."
Harriet added, "The next purse I make I will remember to use Soft & Stable in the handles, too. The rest of the bag is interlined with Soft & Stable. I am totally in love with it. I tried the "other" brand in an emergency and there is simply NO comparison!"
(To see more great projects, follow Harriet on Facebook at HarrietsHeartCreations)
Runner Up
Maker: Candace L.
Pattern: Ultimate Travel Bag
Fabric: Natural Discoveries by RJR and Spot On by Kaffe Fasset for FreeSpirit Fabrics
Story: Candace says, "This was my second bag and I have a habit of catching the bottom sleeve in the binding and have to rip and redo. With both bags I had the same problem. I just finished my 3rd bag and it seems the third time was the charm for me. No ripping!"
Runner Up
Maker: Hillary D.
Pattern: Aeroplane Bag by Sew Sweetness made with ByAnnie's Soft and Stable
Fabric: Mostly Sun Prints 2016, 2017, and 2018 by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics
Story: Hillary told us, "I make a lot of gifts, but this one is for me. I saw Sara Lawson’s beautiful bag with her Tessellation Mini FPP and Alison Glass prints, and I knew I needed one.
She went on to say, "Soft and Stable was a dream to work with, it was remarkably easy to quilt my pieces to the foam and stabilize all the bias edges. I already have the fabric to make this pattern again."
(For more wonderful projects, follow her on Instagram: @marguerida)
Take part in this great community!
Thanks again to all who participated in August's Photo Contest. But, don't forget...the fun's not over! This is a MONTHLY Photo Contest, so be sure to submit photos of your projects for a chance to win! (For Rules and Submission Guidelines click HERE).
To see additional pictures and full stories from our winners, click HERE.
To see all of the other fantastic project pictures that were submitted, be sure to check out our Photo Gallery! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@patternsbyannie) for more great and inspirational projects, and let us know in the comments what you're working on!
