ByAnnie NZ: Make Your Next Favourite Bag

What makes ByAnnie worth exploring?

ByAnnie brings together sewing patterns, specialist materials and teaching resources. Designer Annie Unrein has been designing patterns and teaching since 2000, and the range gives makers a way to turn familiar cutting, quilting and stitching skills into useful three-dimensional projects.

There is plenty of room to make a design your own. Use a bold print for the outside and a bright lining that makes small items easy to see. Choose a zip that blends in, or let it become the most playful detail on the bag.

The useful starting point is always the same: what would you love this bag to do? Begin there, and the pattern choices become much easier.

Four more directions to take your sewing

Drop Zone makes zipped pouches that open into shallow trays. Choose it when you want small supplies spread out and visible while you work.

Two Little Totes offers two compact tote sizes with shoulder handles, pockets and a zipped top that lies flat when open. Think everyday carrying with easy access.

Back At Ya 2.1 is a compact backpack purse with adjustable straps and several pocket types. It is worth exploring when you want your hands free and small essentials organised.

Payday combines card storage, zipped compartments and a magnetic fold-over flap in a wallet purse. The optional detachable strap offers more ways to carry it, and construction does not require quilting or binding.

Foam, batting or interfacing?

Batting gives quilted work loft and softness. Soft and Stable is designed to give a bag body and shape retention. Fabric interfacing supports individual components according to the design. They have different jobs, so if a pattern specifies foam and interfacing, check where each belongs.

ByAnnie explains that Soft and Stable’s textured surface helps hold fabric against the foam, making unquilted construction possible in suitable projects. Follow the method for your design. Read ByAnnie’s guide to Soft and Stable.

Choose the pack by the pieces you need to cut

The largest panel matters as much as the total amount. Four smaller panels give you different cutting possibilities from one continuous piece.

Mesh or vinyl? Think about what goes in the pocket.

Mesh gives you a soft, slightly stretchy pocket with visibility. Clear vinyl gives you a smooth, continuous window into the contents. Both can make organisation easier; the pattern and intended use determine which makes sense.

ByAnnie shares further advice in its guide to sewing mesh and vinyl pockets. The right handling technique can make an unfamiliar material much easier to work with.

Finish the pocket with fold-over elastic

ByAnnie fold-over elastic wraps around a raw edge for a neat, flexible finish. It has a centre crease to help with folding and is particularly useful on mesh pocket openings.

Direct Sewing’s packs contain 2 yards—approximately 1.83 metres—of elastic measuring 20mm wide before folding. Let it relax before measuring, and stretch it only when your pattern tells you to. Too much tension can gather an edge you wanted to keep flat.

Choose hardware by fit before finish

Rings provide attachment points, swivel hooks allow suitable straps to detach, and sliders or adjusters help control strap length. Buckles and magnets provide different closure options. Choose the function your pattern specifies, then check the size and quantity.

Choose one fabric to lead the design. It might be a lively floral, a graphic print or a beautiful solid. Then decide whether the other components should echo it or create a little contrast.

For a coordinated interior, choose matching mesh and fold-over elastic. For pockets you can spot at a glance, give their edges a contrasting colour. A lighter lining can help dark tools and cables stand out.

Print scale matters. A large motif needs a panel big enough to show it, while a small repeat is easier to use across narrow handles or binding. If you want to centre a motif, allow extra fabric for positioning it.

Check direction, too. A panel that wraps around a bag may put a directional print upside down on one side unless the pattern gives you another arrangement. Follow the recommended fabric type: a heavier substitution can add considerable bulk at folded edges and seam intersections.

1. Read the pattern all the way through.

   Confirm the edition, project size and optional features. Note which steps happen before cutting, and check ByAnnie’s pattern corrections for anything relevant to your copy. Keep supporting videos matched to the same edition.

2. Build the shopping list around your project.

   Record the fabric, stabiliser, interfacing, pocket materials, zips, straps and hardware your chosen design requires. Note dimensions and pack quantities. A complete list makes it easier to use what you already own and see what is missing.

3. Test the layers together.

   Sew offcuts of the fabric, foam and any binding you will use. Include a bulky join if your project has one. ByAnnie recommends a 90/14 topstitch needle for its projects and says Soft and Stable does not require a special machine. Use that as a starting point alongside your machine’s guidance, then check stitch formation and feeding. See the manufacturer’s advice.

4. Cut in sequence and label as you go.

   Some pieces are cut from panels after quilting and trimming. Follow the sequence rather than cutting everything to its final size immediately. If your pattern uses inches, an inch-marked ruler avoids repeated conversions and rounding.

5. Give the awkward layers a helping hand.

   ByAnnie basting tape can hold components in place before stitching. The Stiletto & Pressing Tool helps guide fabric and press small folds. Check zip direction, pocket placement and strap routing while each component is still easy to reach.

6. Check how it works as you assemble it.

   Follow the reinforcement instructions, keep the bag supported as you sew, and check closures at the appropriate stages. Once it is finished, try it with the contents you planned. That experience will help you choose the details for your next version.

Before you start: ByAnnie FAQs