Monday, October 21, 2024

Travel Essentials 2.0 with By Annie and Island Batik

The October Island Batik Ambassador Challenge was to make a By Annie pattern in Island Batik fabrics.  We got to choose the bag we wanted to make as well as the fabrics we wanted to use!  We were provided with all the hardware and notions from By Annie as well.  I chose to make the Travel Essentials 2.0 bag because I am way overdue for a new toiletries case for traveling!  


I was really excited to see the pretty fabrics in person!  I chose to use fabrics from the Shadow Blooms collection, they are so beautiful - I love blues, purples and greens together!  Creekside Quilts in Oregon has the Strip packs and Stacks available, they always have a great selection of Island Batik fabrics.


This project used a lot of hardware and zippers!  It also features vinyl and mesh pockets, so used a lot of different techniques.


Diagonal grid quilting always looks good on a bag project, so that's what I did!  I used a pretty aqua 40 wt from Aurifil left from my September challenge.  I just had enough to complete the quilting, so I switched to a medium blue for the rest of the sewing.  I used a Schmetz size 14 Microtex needle for the entire project.  I love that these needles are sharp and strong enough to go through the multiple layers involved in the entire project.  


There were also a ton of tabs and straps involved - all of these use webbing inside to make them strong and durable. 


Once I start a By Annie project I usually get so engrossed in the process that I totally forget to take pictures!  I got to the binding without getting any process shots of the pockets! The large pocket was a little tricky, but the add-on video for this bag was super helpful for that part, and made it a lot easier to understand how it all worked.  And it's so nice that you can always access these videos later once they are added to your account - when I make this bag again I will definitely take advantage of that!


This pattern also includes a sleeve for your styling tools!


I did straight line quilting for this one.  It went together in no time at all!


This is nice and roomy with double layers of soft and stable, plus a pocket for the cords!



Here are both of my finished projects, all ready to pack up and take on my next travel adventure!  Aren't they lovely?  The organizer also features a removable and adjustable shoulder strap. 



This is the outside pocket, which houses the strap for hanging, and is perfect for anything you want to access without opening the whole bag up.


 Here are the inside pockets in vinyl and mesh!  Perfect for keeping the smaller items easy to see and access.


And the super roomy bottom pocket, which can hold your larger items.  My previous bag wasn't big enough for my electric toothbrush case, but this one holds it easily, with room for all of my other needed items!


You can hang the whole bag up from the hanging strap and have everything easy to access, which is a super nice feature.  


Now I have it all loaded up and ready for my next trip!  It's beautiful and practical and I am super happy with it!  You could also make this bag and use it for sewing supplies for on the go - so I think I might be making another one for that purpose!  


Thanks to Patterns by Annie for the supplies for this bag, Island Batik for the fabric, Aurifil for the thread, and Schmetz Needles for the needles I used!  This was a fun, and useful addition to my collection of bags from the By Annie collection!

4 comments:

teachpany said...

Great job, gorgeous fabric choices!

Kelly said...

What a super duper bag!

Beth T. said...

The bag looks so useful and so thoughtfully designed and constructed, and the fabric is gorgeous. Your quilting is really so satisfying to see--I love the grid/diamond effect and also the different textures!

Pamela said...

I love the colors that you chose. What a beautiful bag!