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!
THEIR STORY: I made these caddies for my 3-year-old twin grandchildren for their birthday - they love putting stuff in bags & carrying them around! I was unsure about adding machine embroidery but emailed By Annie and got some great advice as well as a video all about doing machine embroidery on By Annie projects. I'm so happy with the way they came out!
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Jacque had this to say, "I love the embroidery on both of these bags. What a great way to make them special for her grandkids. The pictures really make the colors pop!"
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Storyteller Award
WINNER: Nancy M
PATTERN: Two Big Totes
THEIR STORY: My daughter brought me Air Force theme fabric, and asked me to make something nice for a lady she works with. This Air Force Mom has a son that recently deployed, and a handmade gift would show our care and support.
I had never made a By Annie pattern, never worked with foam. My daughter watched what the Air Force Mom lugged to work every day. So requirements were: a big bag that stands up, carrying/shoulder straps, places for two large water bottles, a bottom that doesn’t show dirt, pockets (at least one with a zipper), and a large open zippered main compartment.
So we chose the large size Two Big Totes pattern. My daughter thought we would have it cut out and done in an hour or two. Nope! But I found the bag very doable, using the printed pattern, ByAnnie.com videos and instructional videos on YouTube. Glad I didn’t try this big bag on my Singer Featherweight. I’ll save that for the Easy Does It bag. Yes, I know I’m learning out of order, but it is working out great!
With the successful completion of this bag, the Ultimate Travel Bag is in my future. After purchasing the pattern a couple of years ago, it is still sitting in my pattern box because I was too intimidated to make it. Two Big Totes is an excellent big bag to start with, and has a lot of very nice features to it. This bag was my first use of cork. Loved it! We tested large water bottles in the bellows pockets. Almost all fabrics used were directional prints, but that was easy to figure out, even for making the bag for the first time.
A nice surprise: I thought my first try at all the bindings would make for an awkward newbie-looking finished bag. But I watched the Beautiful Bindings video, and used the double sided tape to wrap and hold the binding before the final stitching. All the bindings turned out very professional looking, without any use of a seam ripper. It didn’t take long to hand sew the side seams flat, and that made a big difference to the nice inside of the bag.
My daughter is very pleased to gift this special bag to her Air Force Mom friend. So am I! Thank you!
WHAT WE LOVED: Annie had this to say, " What an awesome gift for that Air Force Mom and a real labor of love."
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
QE Level Up
WINNER: Laura G
PATTERN: Bella Quilt Coat, Bella Accent Sleeves, Bella Arcs & Beauties
THEIR STORY: I saw a preview post of Elissa's Floral Reef Bella Quilt Coat back in November or December and thought it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. I knew I had to make myself one, too!
I waited oh so patiently for months for Tula Pink's Floral Reef fabrics to be released, and then went crazy and bought some of all of it.
I fell absolutely in LOVE with the aqua version of the clamshell lace pattern, and knew I had to have it as my main background fabric and that I wanted to use the navy blue edge by the selvedge as the bottom border of my coat.
Since that is a busier fabric, I used Tula's polka dots and a lot of solids to even out the design. I used the colors and pattern Tula designed in my main fabric to guide how I would construct my coat--the colors used in the accent sleeves, compass, flying geese, and even my quilting threads all follow the aqua/green/aqua/purple color pattern of my main fabric.
I turned my accent sleeve pattern to point down instead of up to follow the way the clamshells flowed in the main fabric. I also decided not to do arcs on the front of the coat so as to not overwhelm my main fabric.
Instead, I did a small applique design by the left pocket. It was only my second time doing FPP, and my first time ever making a garment, so I definitely felt like I was doing mental gymnastics to get that first accent sleeve done!
I loved having the videos Elissa made to be able to reference--and boy did I! I'd watch each section as I got to that step multiple times to make sure I understood the method.
Just about everything I did for this coat was a new skill learned. I also had to learn how to alter the pattern to fit me--extending the overall length, shortening the sleeves, easing between two sizes, and adjusting the size of the yolk to be proportional to my body.
I so enjoyed laying everything out and designing where each fabric would go. When it came time to fussy cut all my applique pieces, I delighted in making my own scenes and coming up with clever ways to weave fish in and out of the corals and sponges, just as they would in nature.
I started making my coat during the last month of school for both my children (which is a crazy time in and of itself), and remarkably was able to finish it 2 days prior to leaving on our epic Alaskan cruise vacation. It was the absolutely most perfect jacket I could have had in that beautiful place!
WHAT WE LOVED: Elissa had this to say, " This month’s Quilting Elissa Level-Up Award goes to Laura G. for her incredible Bella Quilt Coat!
What makes Laura’s finished coat even more impressive is that this was only her second foundation paper piecing project—and her very first garment! Laura shared that after seeing my "Floral Reef" Bella Quilt Coat earlier this year, she was inspired to take the leap and create a Bella of her own.
As Laura shared, “Just about everything I did for this coat was a new skill learned.” She took her time, worked through each step, and made great use of the Add-on Videos included with the Bella family of patterns, revisiting sections as she worked through unfamiliar techniques.
That attention shows in the finished coat! Laura carried her color palette throughout the entire design—from the piecing in the Bella Accent Sleeves and Bella Arcs & Beauties FPP Expansion Packs, to her fabric placement and even the thread she chose for quilting. The purples, aquas, blues, and greens work beautifully together and complement the colors in her main Tula Pink fabric.
I especially love Laura’s clever use of appliqué near the front pocket. By pulling individual motifs from the fabric, she was able to showcase more of Tula Pink’s artwork while making the coat distinctly her own.
Laura also used the fitting and alteration information in the pattern booklet and on the pattern sheets to customize her Bella. She extended the coat length, shortened the sleeves, and blended between multiple sizes to achieve a beautiful fit.
And perhaps the best part? Laura finished her Bella just two days before leaving for an Alaskan cruise and was able to wear it on her adventure. Seeing her coat against that incredible Alaskan backdrop makes its story even more special.
This is such a thoughtful and cohesive Bella Quilt Coat that delights from every angle. Laura tackled FPP, garment construction, fitting adjustments, and intentional design choices—and truly leveled up her sewing skills along the way.
Congratulations, Laura! I can’t wait to see what you create next!
Quilt Shop Highlight
WINNER: Rosie R
PATTERN: Courtside
THEIR STORY: I loved how useful this bag is for both pickleball, which I've been currently learning how to play & also for tennis. It's always good to learn and re-learn old tricks when sewing up a Byannie pattern. It definitely keeps my sewing skills sharp.
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM ONLINE:
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PHCORNER
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PHCORNERCRAFTS
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phcornerfabric/
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Jami S
@jamecicle37
PATTERN: Leader of the Pack
THEIR STORY: My youngest is starting preschool this year, and when I received the school supply list it mentioned an 18-22" backpack. Well, obviously we have to make that - and a pencil pouch to go with it!
My most recent quilt left me with some REALLY adorable scraps (including fishies and roasting marshmallows - are you kidding me?!) so I pieced those together for the Bag Front and Bag Back.
I knew I wanted to do something a little *extra* for the front zippered pocket. We don't really watch much TV, so my little guy doesn't have a favorite character... but he does being outside, and he LOVES Sasquatch! Okay, great, Sasquatch obviously needs to be sneaking around some mountains for the front pocket, so that's sorted. I was able to use scraps from a quilt I had made for my mom as Sasquatch's night sky, so he has a little piece of Grandma in his backpack. But we can't forget Papa! What do we do?!
We cut up and old shirt that Papa had given me to experiment with and use it for the interior pocket and expanding sleeve, that's what!
This was truly a joy to create. It definitely healed my aching mama heart, and put both myself and my little guy in the school spirit. Preschool, we are comin' for ya!
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Shara had this to say, "This bag was made with such cute fabric. What a great way to support her child's first day of school!"
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Allison R
PATTERN: MJ's Messenger Bag
THEIR STORY: My husband and I are avid RPG gamers that he purchased a bag for himself specifically for gaming that I really liked, only problem is that all of the available versions were made from dark, canvas fabrics, the kind that guys love.
I definitely wanted a “girly” bag and so started searching for an appropriate pattern. MJs Messenger Bag was perfect for the design I had in mind. I didn’t need a bunch of separate pockets, and what I really wanted to create was a bag that looks like a traditional messenger bag but when you looked closely you realize that it is for gaming.
KristenInStiches Let’s Roll Fabric was just the ticket, giving the bag of fun pizazz without being overwhelming. For all of its complex looks, the bag was actually fairly straightforward to create, and the pattern was detailed and well written, just like all of By Annie’s patterns. I added zippered mesh pocket to the inside.
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Randi had this to say, "Superior workmanship, excellent fabric choices given the intended use of the bag."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Valerie C
PATTERN: Payday
THEIR STORY: My dear Adelina asked for a purse for her summer trip to Poland. She "shopped" my fabric stash and was very excited to find the Tabby Road fabric (she thought the Cat Snacks fabric was particularly funny). She loves her one-of-a-kind purse!
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Jacque had this to say, "These are wonderful pictures. I love that she looks so happy to have her customized purse. I hope she enjoyed/enjoys her trip. She will stand out with this great 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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August 2026 Photo Contest