We are so excited to announce the winners of August'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: Wanda K
PATTERN: Leader of the Pack
THEIR STORY: Boy, did I learn a lot as this was my first bag ever. I learned to use a ByAnnie Backpack Pattern, Soft and Stable, Zippers by the Yard, Mesh, Fold Over Elastic, as well as Buckles and Swivel Hooks. I did learn that next time, I will quilt most of the material to the Soft and Stable to give a little more body.
I wanted a new travel backpack that was cute, a decent size, and had lots of pockets. While browsing, I stumbled across Patterns by Annie and Leader of the Pack. I started watching the live videos and when I got to the one where Leader of the Pack was introduced and Annie said you could add pockets.... ding, ding, ding; I knew I'd found my pattern.
I added an extra pocket to the front compartment, an extra half pocket to the main compartment, and a half pocket on the back to keep my travel documents handy while dashing through airports. I also added two swivel hooks in the back half pocket to hold my AirTag and car keys. My new travel bag is going from Venice to Istanbul starting next week. I can't wait to put it to the test. While this was my first Pattern by Annie, it won’t be my last as I've already purchased Got Your Back 2.0 to start on when I get back.
WHAT WE LOVED: One of our newest team members, Caszidy, who is making her first ByAnnie bag, had this to say, "This Leader of the Pack Backpack is adorable and the added pocket choices are great. I love the added pocket ideas and might just try them out myself when I get to this pattern. May you and your bag have happy travels together."
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Storyteller Award
WINNER: Laura W
PATTERN: Travel Duffle Bag
THEIR STORY:
I lost my sew-jo. My EPP projects were boring, I didn’t want to start a quilt top, but I wanted to do some longarm quilting.
The lovely ladies at my local quilt shop encouraged me to make a ByAnnie bag so I could combine my love of longarm quilting while making something functional. Rather than taking baby steps with the Easy Does It bag, I jumped in and started with the Travel Duffle Bag. The first step was quilting the bag body. It took about a week to quilt with such detail, but that’s what finally broke loose my ‘creativity block’. I feel like I’ve got my sew-jo back. After many mistakes and late nights, the bag was completed just in time for a family trip. The size worked perfect as a carry on!
WHAT WE LOVED: Annie was blown away by this bag. She said, "WOW! Those feathers and pebbles, combined with the beautiful combination of fabrics, makes this bag a real showstopper! Laura is sure to turn lots of heads as she carries that bag on her family trip. Happy travels!"
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Quilt Shop Highlight
WINNER: Tanya V
PATTERN: Bowl Me Over
THEIR STORY: This is the bag that fits my personality. Gave it custom-made pockets in the inside and a strap for my car keys.
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
WHERE IS THEIR SHOP: Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM ONLINE:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sew_it_seams_academy
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Linda Q
PATTERN: In Control
THEIR STORY:
I was looking for something to easily carry items to chill by the pool and stumbled across the In Control pattern online. It was my first ByAnnie pattern to try. I am relatively new to sewing — learning first to sew masks out of necessity during Covid.
This bag hit the mark as it is both cute and functional and it helped me to develop various bag making skills. I even added a tiny boxy bag to hold my earbuds. I can see how this may become addictive. I'm already planning my next In Control bag!
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Casey had this to say, "Makes me want to sit at the pool and enjoy the beautiful setting with something I made and a good book!"
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Linda E
PATTERN: Leader of the Pack
THEIR STORY:
My grandson is going in to the 4th grade in September. I wanted to make him a backpack that was special. He came over and chose the fabric himself. He told me quite specifically that he wanted it to be "plain". I wanted him to have what he wanted but plain is a bit hard for me.
Then I went to h+h in May and took a picture of the Leader of the Pack with the polar bear on it in your booth. I came home and showed it to my grandson and he thought that was pretty cool. So we started looking on the internet for a polar bear. We didn't find anything he liked until we came upon this wolf. I haven't given it to him yet but I know he will love it.
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Lee had this to say, " I really liked the pattern and material that was used. It was also cool that the grandson picked out the material."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Pam W
PATTERN: Two Little Totes
THEIR STORY: This was a fun and easy project. There are so many options for this tote.
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Jacque had this to say, " I love the highlighted flowers on this Two Little Totes. The colors and fabric came together on this bag so very well. I love it!!"
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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August 2025 Photo Contest