We are so excited to announce the winners of March'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!
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ByAnnie Top Voted
WINNER: Julie S
PATTERN: Got Your Back
“I love Pendleton Wool. I live in the central mountains of Idaho, but am able to visit the Portland
area, where two Pendleton Mill stores sell their yardage. Often, you can get a great deal on slightly flawed fabric. For the binding on the exterior of the bag, I used the wool felt Pendleton uses for their blankets. It's also available at the Mill stores. Their Mill Stores are among my favorite places to purchase fabric.
Making a "Got Your Back 2.1" out of wool was a challenge. I found I benefited from experience and definitely used skills I have gained from other projects. I added a trolley sleeve to the back, for use when I'm traveling and have additional items, such as my iPad. To match plaids, I made pattern templates for the pieces made of the quilted fabric. I marked the center of each template, which was very helpful to match the plaids. I used the labels provided with the pattern and attach the appropriate label to the template. Now I have templates for my next Got Your Back!
Things learned: -I don't recommend making a bag with wool unless you have a powerful sewing machine. In places the layers become pretty thick. I'm fortunate to have a big Bernina machine that sewed through the layers well.
I often won't stumble upon his "Commemoratives" until late afternoon--and then I run to find my phone/camera to document, document, document. I gotta get back to work, so I don't get fired! Oh, wait, I am the boss. Hmmmm. I wonder how that works!"
-Use the "binding hack" that is described in the "ByAnnie" Facebook group. Sew the interior binding to the zipper/side piece before attaching the front/back pieces. One less trip around the interior seam is welcome. It's much easier to sew the binding to the zipper/side piece before it's attached to the front or back piece. That's it! I love it! I think I'll try an Ultimate Travel Bag 2.0 with some of my other wool!"
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member David had this to say, " Her pictures blew me away. I was stunned by the backdrop. The fire was a great add-on. All the snow on the chairs shows that she braved the weather to take the picture of her bag. She must be very proud of her bag."
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on byannie.com
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Storyteller Award
WINNER: Sylvia D Facebook: @sylvia.c.davis.9
PATTERN: Ultimate Travel Bag Quick Zip Cases
THEIR STORY: "Last summer I learned of the UTB and decided to try it. After completing it, my daughter took it on medical mission to Ukraine and 4 weeks later I took it on my med mission to Ukraine. Since then it has also been to Hawaii and last week to Ukraine again for its third medical mission. This puts its mileage at 40,000+ miles in less than one year… I’d say I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of this bag (pun intended)! It’s been through airports all over the world and In fact, it lacks less than 8K miles from a complete trip around the globe. It has also been laundered a couple of times and still looks fabulous.
My favorite features of the bag (and there are many) are its pockets. I use the inside mesh pocket to secure books and papers, the inside large middle for meds/earbuds/chargers, and the smaller side ones hold wet wipes and Shout wipes. The handle that secures it to a suitcase has been invaluable while traveling and the exterior end pockets hold my eye mask, cough drops, chewing gum and any other small item I may need to reach from the airplane seat. The exterior slide pocket holds pen/paper and front zip holds toilet paper/feminine hygiene products because they’re easily accessed when bag hangs on the door of a bathroom.
I’ve learned to pack my UTB considering which end will be most accessible from the airplane seat. I always use the end with the easiest access to zipper of inner mesh pocket to be nearest me and then pack the bag with this in mind ensuring my pillow and other necessary items are at the same end. I also ensure exterior zipper pulls are pulled to this end so I don’t have to struggle with that in a tight seat. The bag fits securely under every airplane seat I’ve ever traveled and I’ve never been challenged with its size as my “carry on bag.”
The large size “quick zip” case perfectly holds my BP cuff and stethoscope and makes packing for clinic days easy. The soft and stable provides cushion that protects them yet doesn’t take up much room in luggage. At the end of the mission, there’s no question which items are mine as my case is original.
This mission trip was a little different from the last, including a very long (5 hour) wait at the Ukrainian/Hungarian border. Given the circumstances of their nation, we understood the necessity of security and we patiently waited as they searched vehicles carefully. Packed in a van with other providers for that length of time, all suffering from jet lag, led to a few naps and with the UTB as a makeshift pillow, I actually caught myself drooling once! Not sure if that “power nap” was from comfort or exhaustion but either way it was needed and the base stabilizer in the bottom of the bag gave nice stability, keeping the bag from collapsing.
I’ve included a few pics of my quick zip and UTB (which I would argue may be the best designed travel bag ever!) and also a couple from our mission trip. We were able to serve and encourage many people while there including mothers and their children, and elderly who have all fled their homes in the east. It’s been an honor to volunteer in this way and the UTB has made my trips so much easier!"
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
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Quilt Shop Highlight
WINNER: Thread Heads
THEIR STORY: "These bags were for my person in a pouch swap. She loved them and it was her favorite color."
WHERE IS THEIR SHOP: Oakalla, Texas
WHAT THEY WON: $50 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
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Honorable Mention
WINNER: Janet W
PATTERN: Ultimate Travel Bag
THEIR STORY: "The weatherman said we were getting a big snowstorm with possibly 20+ inches of snow! I had everything I needed for if we were snowed in! I had the fabric, Soft & Stable, zippers & hardware to make this Ultimate Travel Bag! We did have a couple days of heavy snow & wind! I was cozy in my sewing room. I finished the bag right as the storm ended. I love ByAnnie patterns. They are easy to follow and always turn out great. Even though I’ve made a few Ultimate Travel Bags, I always feel like I’ve accomplished something great every time I finish another one."
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Casey had this to say, "Total winter wonderland. Love the bright colors on the natural blanket of white"
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
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Honorable Mention
WINNER: Jennifer H
PATTERN: Back At Ya
THEIR STORY: "Sometimes shopping from a STASH, built from years of acquiring fabrics finally comes together in the right pattern. Thanks to ByAnnie and all the tutorials and working through the free patterns, I gained the skills to join a recent Slow A-Long and tackled Back At Ya. Special thanks to my great Sewing Friend for gifting me the best tool for binding, the ByAnnie Stiletto.
WHAT WE LOVED: Our team member Bunker had this to say, "I really like the fabric and how it matches the vintage sewing machine."
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
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Honorable Mention
WINNER: Paula B @paulajbar
PATTERN: Travel Duffle Bag
THEIR STORY: “I often get inspiration late in the game. I decided to make my two daughters and my daughter-in-law Travel Duffels 2.1 for their birthdays which all fell just before our family beach vacation the last week of March. Here they are in all their glory and packed full! Not pictured are Clam Ups made with the extra quilted fabric. I have plans for at least two more Travel Duffels for me and my sister-in-law. I love this pattern for a large bag which doesn’t require too much hardware or extras. Perfect for a nice gift with a big impact!"
WHAT WE LOVED: "Our team member Payden had this to say, "The three duffel bags are super pretty! Especially the one with all the dogs on it! But I like the setting for the photo as well. The beach matches a travel duffel bag perfectly! It just makes me want to go on a tropical vacation :)"
WHAT THEY WON: $15 coupon to use on ByAnnie.com
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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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MARCH 2023 PHOTO CONTEST