January 2021 Photo Contest Winners
We are so excited to announce the winners of January’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’re looking 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: Michael
ABOUT: Michael stunned us with the beautiful photos he took of the Round Trip Duffle he sewed for his daughter. Isn't that fabric darling?
THEIR STORY: “I’m so pleased with how this duffle bag for my daughter turned out. It’s a gift for her second birthday — now she’s prepared for the many adventures in store for her! I really enjoyed the Round Trip Duffle pattern.
I picked it because it has so many pocket styles (slip, zipper, mesh), and so many features that will “grow with” my daughter, like the adjustable shoulder strap and trolley sleeve. I want to pick more fabrics and make it again for myself!"
WHAT WE LOVED: One of our ByAnnie team members said, "I love the way he photographed that bag. The colors he chose to sew with were so calming to look at, and looked beautiful against the white of the snow. Such a lucky daughter; I would have been over the moon to receive a handmade duffle like that for my birthday as a kid."
We can't help but agree with that. Top-notch work, sir! We look forward to seeing the Round Trip Duffle you make for yourself!
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Storyteller Award
WINNER: Lynn L.
ABOUT: Lynn used the knowledge she gained from sewing ByAnnie patterns and watching videos to sew her own pattern using Soft and Stable!
THEIR STORY: “I purchased the nurse caricature panel on sale recently and asked my nurse sister for ideas. She suggested bags for all the nurses & aides at her small rural Minnesota hospital to hold their PAPR, goggles and shields. They were using paper bags, leaving them at their desk until needed. Since I have made many ByAnnie bags and enjoy watching Annie on FB Live, I was confident in making my own pattern for these bags. I used Soft and Stable, quilting the backs on my longarm and piecing and quilting the fronts on my Janome. Although I used strapping I had salvaged, the straps were covered like Annie does in her patterns. Bags are 7" x 9" x 14" tall, with two pieces of Peltex in the bottom for stability. Thanks Annie for giving me the knowledge to make these bags! Love your products!"
WHAT WE LOVED: It was awesome to read about Lynn's process, and we're so glad to have played a small part in boosting her confidence. We are sure those nurses so greatly appreciated the bags for holding their supplies and we're glad you found a way to support healthcare staff! Where would we be without them?
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Quilt Shop Highlight
WINNER: Up North Quilt Shop
THEIR STORY: "We wanted our customers to see how awesome this pattern [Flipping Out] was made up. Love this pattern and the video!!!"
WHERE IS THEIR SHOP: International Falls, MN, USA
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM ONLINE:
Instagram: @UpNorthQuiltShop
Website: www.UpNorthQuiltShop.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Carole G.
ABOUT: Carole sewed this Fetch Your Sketch and A Pencil Case for Lola for her sister!
THEIR STORY: “I have two sisters and I'm in the middle. Middle in birth order and middle in distance. My younger sister lives 200 miles west of me and my older sister lives 200 miles southeast of me. I'm just glad we are all finally back together in our home state of Florida.
All three of us were Girl Scouts and grew up with art, sewing, crafts, needlework and other adventures to keep us on the straight and narrow path. Lately, my younger sister, has starting coloring. You may have seen those complex coloring books in the book stores.
Yes--she colors those.
She works in a call center--which can be very stressful at times--and coloring is an excellent way to keep our minds calm and coloring is also very relaxing. So, when she started sending us photos of her pages, I was blown away. She has a HUGE color pencil collection, too! I KNEW I had to make Fetch Your Sketch for her.
After seeing her obscenely large collection of art pencils, I wanted to add more pockets to this carrier. And, just in case those added pockets weren't enough, I made her "A Pencil Case for Lola", too.
Having worked with many of the newer ByAnnie patterns, I was stupefied by the different layout and instructions in this older, Fetch Your Sketch pattern. Boy, Annie and her team have definitely improved pattern design. Annie's staff is very helpful and responded quickly to my emailed questions concerning this pattern.
As you can see, I added two pockets on the right side and a small chalkboard panel. I think this chalkboard fabric is adorable. I mailed my sister the Bistro chalk pens so she can doodle when she is not coloring. But what you don't see is the center facing stabilizer.
After folding and pressing the fabric for the center facing, I placed a strip of fusible Pelltex inside the fold. This gave the center portion a good, strong, sturdy feel.
If this pattern is considered for a 2.0 version, I would add in the Pelltex strip to the center facing and a Velcro or magnetic closure to the two interior slip pockets.
By accident, I ended up matching the magnetic flap fabric to the main front fabric. I originally began making the flap similar to the carrying strap pads on the ByAnnie bags--with a binding around the raw edges. Realizing that I would not have enough binding, I thought there was an error in the pattern.
After closer reading of the instructions, I discovered the flap was not bound. Having leftover fabric, I was able to fussy cut the right area to match where the flap would lay. I was tickled by this.
I get excited learning from so many experts in their field. I discovered Tula Pink when Annie mentioned her in one of the ByAnnie video tutorials. I caught a FB Live of Tula Pink making one of Annie's patterns and she did something amazing. She added ribbon to the zipper seams! That was SO clever!
I bought several ribbons to try this and ended up using purple rick rack on the zipper seams to add a nice, decorative touch that wasn't too busy. Isn't the world wide web simply incredible?
I like discovering new ways of doing things and deeply enjoy getting creative with these patterns. These certainly make great gifts. I know my sister will absolutely adore this."
WHAT WE LOVED: One of our ByAnnie team members said, "Love her Fetch and Sketch and Pencil Case - I love the deep purples and blues. I also like that we have an 'action shot' with all of the supplies." It is exciting to see it in action; what a lucky sister!
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Cheryl H.
ABOUT: Cheryl sewed the Netbook Computer Carriers II netbook cases for her twin grandsons! Don't they look so pleased?
THEIR STORY: "For Christmas, I thought it would be nice for our 2-1/2 year old identical twin grandsons to have a fun way to bring a favorite book or toy with them when they come to visit. After spending a lot of time looking for just the right pattern, I found the Netbook pattern and it was exactly what I wanted. A case that is not too big and not too small, zippers the boys can open and close by themselves that will keep their precious cargo safe and sound, and handles that were just the right size for them.
I loved the dogs on this fabric and knew it would be perfect as soon as I saw it. So cheerful and fun with the different colors. When they were born, Mama started using colors to help us all tell the boys apart. Nicholas would were blue and Lucas would wear green. I thought it was be nice to have cases that were the same, yet different so the boys would be able to tell which one was theirs. The coordinating blue and green fabrics are perfect.
To help place the dogs just right, I cut my front, back, and side strip pattern pieces out of thin clear plastic cutting boards from Dollar Tree. After marking the seam allowances on the plastic, I could center the dogs so that they looked nice at the edges, especially on the side strips.
My biggest challenge was how to incorporate all three fabrics on each case. It took some playing around with the blue and green fabrics as I went from step to step, pinning and comparing different combinations so I could see what I liked best. I ended up using each boy’s “color” as the main coordinating color on the outside of bag and as the bias binding on the inside. His brother’s “color” is used for the lining and the zipper pulls. I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. The YouTube videos made it so easy to sew them together.
I’ve changed the name of the bags to the “Going to Gaga and Papa’s House” bags. Today we celebrated Papa’s birthday. The boys each packed a book and Mama said they were waiting at the door with their cases saying “Ready!”"
WHAT WE LOVED: One ByAnnie team member said, "Great pics of her grandsons with their matching/personalized bags." And another said, "The twins were the best! They look great with the bags ready for school. I liked that they were even in different outfits." And we can't help but agree! Well done!
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
Honorable Mention
WINNER: Dee Ann S.
ABOUT: Dee Ann set up these beautiful photos of the Flipping Out cases she made, demonstrating how they can be used!
THEIR STORY: “I wanted a wine carrier that is easy enough to make and gift! Flipping out fills that bill! And using a 40 inch zipper you can make 2 of them! I really love these poppies so I found an embroidery pattern also featuring a poppy, however instead of the stem saying “Happiness” it said “Brave”. I guess some wine could use some bravery to drink, but that is not for us, so I used a software that I have and changed the stem! (Merging two patterns). I also used my new circles ruler to quilt it.
I think it turned out great and was great practice for me! After they were all done, we took off to the new park they created, not far from home, for the photo shoot, then we enjoyed the spoils!"
WHAT WE LOVED: One of our ByAnnie team member's said, "Dee Ann's Flipping out cases looked like they were on very romantic date. So much so that I felt like the third wheel." We'll be your third wheel anytime, Dee, especially if you're bringing the Flipping Outs loaded and ready!
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. Let us know what you think in the comments!
Interested in submitting to our photo contest? LEARN MORE HERE.
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