We are so excited to announce the winners of April's Photo Contest! To learn more about what it takes to win, be sure to check out our blog on the contest details.
If you’d like to submit to the next monthly photo contest, VISIT THIS PAGE to submit your photos.
Want to see the rules and submission guidelines? VISIT THIS PAGE.
If you want to see all photo submissions, visit our Customer Photo Gallery. You can also search through all of the Winning Submissions here.
Let’s see the winners!
ByAnnie Top Voted
WINNER: Traci D @wickedthreads58
PATTERN: Ultimate Travel Bag
THEIR STORY: I chose the Ultimate Travel Bag to mainly use up large quantities of fabrics that I had been stashing. This is the third travel bag I've made. It was a real challenge for me but I am pleased the way these turn out. The Soft & Stable makes ALL the difference! With every "Annie" project, the binding is getting better!! BTW, my daughter suggested the coffin-shaped shoulder pad!
WHAT WE LOVED: Annie had this to say, "Traci's photos are beautiful and I love all the ways that she customized her bag. The coffin-shaped shoulder pad is awesome!"
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Storyteller Award
WINNER: Vibeke V
PATTERN: On the Go, and a custom made bag
THEIR STORY: (Story 1) Hi all you creative folks,
My parents were not well off, and as a little girl I sensed that my Mom felt a bit self-conscious about her inability to dress as elegantly at formal events to which they were invited on a regular basis as my Dad was a fairly prominent physician in Copenhagen.
In 1975 I embroidered a little bag with lots of birds using petit point for my Mom who was turning 60 years old. I added a bag loop in which I embroidered 1915-1975 to Mom from Vibeke. My Mom loved it.
When she died in 1995, I inherited the bag, but I do not use a formal little handbag. So I took it apart, and decided to use the embroidered front to stitch a second “On the Go”, but wanted to enlarge the height and width to be able to fit into it my binoculars as well as glasses. I omitted the vinyl pocket on the front, obviously!
I had already stitched the bag pattern in a neutral fabric line, and I love it, but because of my vision issue must have room for either my Solar Shield glasses during the day or my binoculars when we attend the theatre. I still have the second face of the embroidery and will find a use for it too.
(Story 2) My adult son will fly to EU for 3 months and requires a wheelchair. The lightweight chair will be compacted so it can fit in the cabin to prevent getting damaged (happened once in the hold on its way to Iceland). So I fashioned a wheel chair bag using all the ByAnnie methods from my ByAnnie patterns including Ultimate Travel Bag, Leader of the Pack, and Sidekick. I watched the intro of several other related ByAnnie videos.
The bag will hold the foot rests, the chair gel cushion, and water bottle. It is Velcro enable to the back of the chair, has a key strap, a slip pocket both outside and inside and a carrying handle. It will be useful for local city shopping in Copenhagen and in the village market.
WHAT WE LOVED: Annie had this to say, "I loved seeing how Vibeke make such personalized gifts for herself and her son using the techniques she's learned making ByAnnie projects. Using the petit point embroidered block on her modified On the Go will bring her so many fond memories of her parents — and her son will have those same memories as he travels through the EU using the amazing wheelchair bag that Vibeke made for him
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
QE Level Up
WINNER: Lynne L @stitch2rip
PATTERN: Bella Quilt Coat, Bella Accent Sleeves, Bella Arcs & Beauties
THEIR STORY:
Echinacea flowers symbolize resilience and inner strength, and aids in healing from emotional trauma. I have always loved this line by Anna Maria, and when I received the Bella Quilt Coat patterns, I knew this was what I wanted to surround me. I added techniques that I have appreciated: the collage butterfly (and emergence symbolism), the hand embroidered honey bee (strength of the queen), and the 3D echinacea, with the joy of color.
This was my first foray into garment sewing. The techniques I’ve learned from other ByAnnie projects and the very well-written pattern and excellent videos really guided me through the process.
WHAT WE LOVED: Elissa had this to say, "This month’s Bella Quilt Coat photo contest was filled with so many beautiful and inspiring submissions that choosing a winner was no easy task. Each talented maker truly put on a display of creativity through their use of color, contrast, and incredible attention to detail, transforming their Bella Quilt Coats into one-of-a-kind wearable works of art.
Congratulations to Lynne L, this month’s winner!
Lynne’s Bella Quilt Coat immediately captured my attention with its stunning visual detail and innovation. Her thoughtful use of appliqué and thread embellishment added remarkable texture and personality, while her confident use of color created a beautifully balanced and eye-catching design.
I especially loved how she creatively incorporated the Bella Arcs & Beauties and Bella Accent Sleeves FPP Expansion Packs while truly thinking outside the box. Lynne’s Bella Quilt Coat is a beautiful reminder that quilting and creating are not only crafts, but also deeply personal forms of storytelling.
Thank you to everyone who shared their amazing Bella Quilt Coat creations with us — your talent and creativity continue to inspire our entire community. We can’t wait to see what you create next!
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Quilt Shop Highlight
WINNER: Tickled Pink Fabric Shop
PATTERN: Take a Stand
THEIR STORY: We had so many ladies wanting to make a ByAnnie tote, we had a class and these ladies rocked it! So many of them, this was the first tote they made!
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM ONLINE:
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Laura L @lschirer
PATTERN: Round Trip Duffle
THEIR STORY: After making my first tote bag and many more as gifts, I naturally wanted to take on something more challenging. The Round Trip Duffle was the perfect next project to build my skills. I especially loved getting to work with zippers and mesh for the first time. I was initially inspired by a Sallie Tomato Tula Pink purple and pink zipper by the yard. I bought it without knowing exactly what I would make, just that I needed it. So I held onto it until the right inspiration came.
That moment came when I started a block-of-the-month project and received a dark plum fabric. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to create something with it. Once I paired the plum fabric with the zipper, everything clicked. The Round Trip Duffle was the perfect fit, and I had so much fun selecting the coordinating fabrics, especially the playful pop of Tula Pink’s Nightshade Collection, Lace Raven, for the interior.
The best part about all of this was that my friend and I made these duffle bags together so we got to lean on each other while sharing in laughs and mishaps. I love the way it turned out and I can't wait to take it on my next adventure!
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Cody had this to say, "I enjoy the deep purple colors, and the cat in the bag."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Michelle R
PATTERN: Leader of the Pack
THEIR STORY: I loved making this bag. Randi’s Roost and my friends in the Quilting Friends FB Group were inspirational and helpful in my completion of this project. I have a Corvette C6 Z06 and have a lot of fun with the car. So, I wanted to make a backpack to match it. My car is black with red and silver accents.
The C6 and Z06 ribbon was purchased nearly 30 years ago, along with the checkered fabric. I took the photos of the emblems on my car and digitized them for use in this bag. I purchased the “beast mode” patch 30 years ago. The bag hardware is predominately gun metal. The rhinestones were a good fit, along with the cross that I found.
I didn’t want iron on anything, as they have a tendency to come off after time. So, I hand sewed on all of the “bling” that you see. If you look closely by the rhinestones, you will see a tiny “M” bead (for Michelle) at the top of the front compartment near the checkered flag zipper. The saying that I embroidered on the computer sleeve was something that I saw on Etsy. I just love that saying, so I digitized it and stitched it out.
I’d have to say that the most challenging part of the bag for me was attaching the elastic to the mesh for the outside 2 pockets. What helped me a lot was to lengthen the stitch length, along with the addition of sewing a fabric strip to the mesh before adding the elastic binding. Thank you for such a wonderful pattern! I really enjoyed making this backpack. I’ve made a few other ByAnnie patterns and probably like this one the best. Keep them coming!
WHAT WE LOVED: Annie had this to say, "Michelle added so many fun touches to her custom Corvette bag! The embroidered saying is really fun and I am impressed that Michelle digitized it (and the emblems) herself! I need to learn to do that."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Tracy M
PATTERN: Tools of the Trade
THEIR STORY:
This is the 2nd time I've made this bag. I made it in a class a few years ago at Up Yur Quilt. That friend has taken it on so many retreats and has had so much fun showing it off. Another friend approached me and asked me to make one for her. I love your patterns, they are so well written and go step by step.
I was a little nervous because the fabric is directional but I'm thrilled to say none of the kitties are on their heads. She is a tea drinker so I used a tea cup zipper pull for pockets A/B and used sewing machine pulls for the side pockets.
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Kaden had this to say, "I really like the fabrics that they used for the bag."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
A special "thank you" to everyone who submitted to this photo contest. We had a wonderful time viewing submissions and reading your stories. We look forward to sharing as many of them as possible on our social media.
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April 2026 Photo Contest