OK, that’s a bit punny…. I’ve used some of the fun Michael Miller Fabrics Lost in Paradise fabric to make a byAnnie.com pattern called Clam Up. Before COVID hit, I was thinking about my travel teaching, and I made the Running With Scissors tote and blogged about it, here. I wanted a companion bag for bulky stuff I needs to schlep with me. Both of these bags are good for use in your sewing space, retreats or a whole bunch of other things!
I really like bags that open up wide, where I don’t have to root around–I can just open ‘er up and SEE what I need to grab. The large was big enough to set my mug inside…at least unzipped.
Annie Unrein and her staff suggest quilting up your fabrics, using her Soft n Stable instead of batting. The Soft n Stable is a foam with a soft, grippy fabric on the outsides. I love that it stands up and holds it shape, the cotton doesn’t slip ‘n slide around, and doesn’t require a ton of quilting to look good in the finished project.
Next up: inspired by Annie’s construction techniques and materials, I made one of my Easy-Peasy-Inside-Out bags merging my process and her materials. Check back soon!
Note: for this post, the fabric, pattern and zipper are courtesy of Michael Miller Fabrics and byAnnie.com–THANK YOU! But I love the stuff so much I have spent a goodly chunk of my own hard-earned money buying more of the fabrics and notions.
Love that fabric from the tropics. I think I’ve used a byAnnie pattern and found them to have clear directions and easy to use. And do quilters ever have enough bags?
I love the fabric and clam up bag! I’ve made a couple of them. The pattern is easy to follow and the video on ByAnnie.com is so helpful to visual learners such as myself!!!
I LOVE that the bag has visual access…. I hate bags where you can’t see what you’ve got inside and then scrape your hands on a zipper (metal zippers…ugh!). Whole brands of purses get nixed because of metal zippers LOL! I’ve learned about the different kinds of learning… I do best reading on paper, with videos as a useful sideline, but for others the video is the ONLY way. That’s why, I guess, classes work so well for some–it just doesn’t work for them to translate what is on the page. Thanks for writing and keep on sewing!
June 8th, 2020 at 12:09 pm
Love that fabric from the tropics. I think I’ve used a byAnnie pattern and found them to have clear directions and easy to use. And do quilters ever have enough bags?
June 8th, 2020 at 8:13 pm
I love the fabric and clam up bag! I’ve made a couple of them. The pattern is easy to follow and the video on ByAnnie.com is so helpful to visual learners such as myself!!!
June 9th, 2020 at 9:50 am
Nope…you can never have too many bags, or boxes, or bins… LOL! Thanks for surfing in and writing–have a happy and safe summer!
June 9th, 2020 at 9:53 am
I LOVE that the bag has visual access…. I hate bags where you can’t see what you’ve got inside and then scrape your hands on a zipper (metal zippers…ugh!). Whole brands of purses get nixed because of metal zippers LOL! I’ve learned about the different kinds of learning… I do best reading on paper, with videos as a useful sideline, but for others the video is the ONLY way. That’s why, I guess, classes work so well for some–it just doesn’t work for them to translate what is on the page. Thanks for writing and keep on sewing!