The In Control Bag!

It’s In the Bag Island Batik Ambassador Blog Hop with By Annie, and a Giveaway!

Welcome to my day on the blog hop! This month I’ve been playing along with my fellow ambassadors as we make bags with by Annie. I chose the In Control bag pattern – I just love these flat bottom style tote bags. This one is so fancy, too – lots of pockets and fancy handles. Bonus – it fits perfectly on the arm of my sofa.

First off, if you haven’t tried a By Annie pattern, get to it. I’ve done a few now, and I love them every time. Admittedly, I do chose difficult pieces to make, but she has easy ones, too!

Island Batik sent me the fabric and By Annie provided all of the materials I needed for this bag. Special thanks to Schmetz for their generosity with needles – I used three on this project, because I’m stubborn and try to sew through the metal tangs on the zipper, rather than just cut that little bit off. God forbid I should waste even a smidge of these awesome zippers. A smart sewist can make it with one needle.

The fabric I used is from the upcoming Peacock Galore line, by Claudia Pfeill. (I’ll have another project made with this collection for you next month.) They are stunning.

The In Control bag is a little bit intimidating. Luckily, there is a really helpful video series on the byAnnie website. (When you are choosing a pattern, make sure it has the “add-on” video included.) There are a lot of pieces to cut out. But, the back page has little labels you can cut out to keep track of your pieces. Brilliant! Just make sure you copy them first.

Here are all of the pieces. I was pretty wrapped up in the making, and didn’t take a lot of progress photos for you. The good news is, that you don’t need any help from me on these projects. The support videos that go with the pattern are great. I took advantage of the instructions for how to quilt the pieces on my longarm before cutting them out.

I was pretty excited when I finished the front panel.

I’m not going to lie to you – binding the finished bag is a big pain in the neck. There are a lot of layers, and the bag is fairly rigid. It’s a wrestling match to get it under the presser foot. But, the struggle is worth it.

Check out my finished In Control bag! These are absolutely on my to-make holiday gift list. I have a few people who would enjoy them. Hubby asked for one to use as a tool caddy.

I’ve been using the heck out of it since I finished it. My recent obsession with hand appliqué means I always have an “on the go” project with me. I’m loving how this bag stands up, and holds everything I need.

Island Batik is hosting a great giveaway in celebration of this blog hop! Be sure to enter – you don’t want to miss a chance to get some of this gorgeous fabric for yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ll be hosting a giveaway next month featuring Peacock Galore. I have one more project to make with it, and I want to make sure I don’t run out. Don’t worry – I’m planning to save plenty for you!

Make sure you visit all of my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors. Lot’s of them have giveaways going, too.

• Carolina Asmussen ~Carolina Asmussen
• Megan Best ~ Best Quilter
• PamelaBoatright ~ PamelaQuilts
• JenniferFulton ~ Inquiring Quilter
• Vasudha Govindan ~ Storied Quilts
• Joanne Hart ~ Unicorn Harts
• Mania Hatziioannidi~ Mania for Quilts
• CarlaHenton ~ Create in the Sticks
• ConnieKauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
• EmilyLeachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
• DeniseLooney ~For the Love of Geese
• LeahMalasky~Quilted Delights
• SallyManke ~Sally Manke
• Maryellen McAuliffe ~Mary Mack’s Blog
• Kathleen McCormick~Kathleen McMusing
• CarolMoellers ~Carol Moellers Designs
• Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads
• Sharon Riley ~ Sew Riley Designs
• MichelleRoberts ~Creative Blonde
• Gail Sheppard ~Quilting Gail
• Jennifer Strauser~Dizzy Quilter
• JenniferThomas ~Curlicue Creations
• AlisonVermilya ~Little Bunny Quilts
• SandraWalker ~mmm! quilts
• SuzyWebster ~Adventerous Applique and Quilting
• JanetYamamoto ~Whispers of Yore

You can see my past By Annie projects here.

• Stash and Dash
• Project Pouch

Stay safe out there, and happy quilting. My movers are here today, (9/22) so I won’t be responding to comments very quickly – all comments are moderated, so if you don’t see it after typing, check again tomorrow. It’s probably just waiting for my approval. I’ll be sharing photos of the new home and studio soon!