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Island Batik Ambassador- November 2023 Project- Switchback Bag- Part of the It’s In the Bag Blog Hop

Blue Bear with Switchback bag

This month’s blog hop is called It’s In the Bag as the Island Batik Ambassadors will all be making a project using different upcoming fabric collections from Island Batik and a pattern and supplies from byAnnie.com. I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful projects that will be created during this month’s Island Batik blog hop as Patterns byAnnie are so easy to follow that they can turn anyone into a bag maker. Since this month is a blog hop, you can check out the Island Batik blog and enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog along with a link to the giveaway from Island Batik and links to other ambassador’s blogs.

It's In the Bag Blog Hop
It’s In the Bag Blog Hop

 

Check out the fabric I was given to use to make the Switchback bag: Porcelain Blue by Kathy Engle from Island Batik. Just look at this gorgeous blue and white collection of batik fabrics with a woodsy theme.  The Porcelain Blue collection may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Boutique4quilters in Melbourne, FL and Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. This collection should be in your local quilt shop Spring of 2024. You may find them online at https://www.boutique4quilters.com/ or call them at (321) 768-2060 or www.fabric-smart.com or call them at (727) 914-8850. Another online option for you to shop for this fabric would be Hancocks of Paducah: Hancocks of Paducah

Porcelain Blue Collection
Porcelain Blue Collection

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bag I made is 11″ x 11″ x 4. The fabric collection has various shades of blue and white. The Porcelain Blue collection has many woodsy elements like leaves and flowers. Making this bag was easy and fun using the pattern byAnnie.com. 

Blue Bear with Switchback bag
Blue Bear with Switchback bag

Here is Blue Bear who is thrilled with his new Switchback bag.

The first thing to get started on this project is to get your supplies and tools all lined up. You of course will need some beautiful batiks like the Porcelain Blue collection from Island Batik and some Aurifil 50 wt. cotton thread. You will also need pins, a ruler, rotary cutter, cutting mat and some snips. You will need the Switchback pattern from byAnnie. I was provided some needed supplies from byAnnie as well such as the Soft and Stable foam stabilizer, fusible interfacing, fold-over elastic, zippers, strapping and hardware. 

Switchback Bag supplies
Switchback Bag supplies

The byAnnie pattern is very well organized and so easy to follow. It makes it possible for someone like me who has hardly made a bag before to make one. The pattern has detailed illustrations and boxes for you to check off each section as you have completed it. There is a page with a list of all the various pieces so that you can keep track of them and know which piece the pattern is talking about.

pattern
pattern

There are 5 different fabrics used in making this bag. The pattern refers to the fabrics by name type and thus I labeled the fabrics to keep straight which fabric was called for in the pattern. 

Labeling the fabric
Labeling the fabric

One of the first things you do is quilt the fabric that is for the front and back of the bag, using the Soft and Stable foam stabilizer. I love this foam stabilizer as it is so easy to quilt with on a domestic machine. 

 

Quilting the front and back pieces
Quilting the front and back pieces

You can quilt the pieces in a chain piece fashion to make the quilting go faster.

Chain piecing the quilting
Chain piecing the quilting

A lot of the lining pieces are stabilized with a fusible interfacing, which helps to give the bag more structure. 

fusible interfacing
fusible interfacing

The pattern shows you how to make binding cut on the bias, which makes it have more stretch and makes it easier to go around the curved sections of the bag that need binding. 

binding cut on the bias
binding cut on the bias

The strap of the bag is covered with cloth, which really gives the bag that finished look.

Cloth strapping
Cloth strapping

The pattern shows you how to make all the fabric steps and accessories that are needed for the bag. It has you make precise markings on the bag parts, so you know exactly where to put the accessories. 

strap accessories and tabs
strap accessories and tabs

The pattern has you put zippers in the bag with several different methods. The zipper at the inside top of the bag is made with zipper strips. One of the best features of the byAnnie.com patterns is that many of them come with a coupon code that allows you watch a video that covers some of the more difficult aspects of making the bag. These videos come in really handy for someone like me that is not used to making bags.

Zipper strips
Zipper strips

This zipper is for an inner pocket that is accessible from the front of the bag. 

Front pocket
Front pocket

This is a more standard zipper placement on an inside pocket. 

inside pocket
inside pocket

Here I am installing the a zipper strip at the inside top of the bag opening. 

different methods of inserting zippers
different methods of inserting zippers

One of the final tasks is to sew the bias binding around the raw edges that will be in the inside of the bag. This task can be a little daunting as you have to finagle so many layers of fabric under the needle and sew around curves.

sewing on the binding
sewing on the binding

Finally, your Switchback bag is complete and you have a stylish bag with so much room and so many pockets to take on all of your adventures. 

 

Blue Bear with Switchback bag
Blue Bear with Switchback bag
 

Below is the image of my YouTube video of me revealing this bag. Here is a link to the video if you would like to watch it and see more details of the bag: Switchback Bag- reveal of November Island Batik Ambassador project

YouTube video
YouTube video

If you like the video, please be sure to give it a thumbs up, share it with your friends and subscribe so you don’t miss any upcoming videos.

 

The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:

Island Batik Porcelain Blue collection

Aurifil 50 wt Thread

Schmetz 70/10 Quilting needle

Patterns by Annie Switchback bag pattern and needed supplies

 
 

IB-Aurifil-Schmetz

byAnnie logo
byAnnie logo

 

 

 

 

If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted about the inside of the bag. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)

Blue Bear hopes you like his new Switchback bag. Please let him know how much you love it by writing to him in the comments!

The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their November Blog It’s In the Bag projects.  Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.

WEEK 1

November 1

Celtic-Fields
Celtic-Fields

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilts

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

November 2

Citron Breeze
Citron Breeze

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

November 3

Blog Hop Week 1 Round Up + giveaway

WEEK 2

November 6

Country Charm
Country Charm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany

November 7

Flour Sack
Flour Sack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting for You

November 8

Limerick
Limerick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

November 9

Morris Mist
Morris Mist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique

Preeti Harris,Sew Preeti Quilts

November 10

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

November 13

Morris Tiles
Morris Tiles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elita Sharpe, Busy Needle Quilting

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts

November 14

Porcelain Blue
Porcelain Blue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts   Thanks for stopping by!

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

November 15

Red White and Blooms
Red White and Blooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

November 16

Vintage Charm
Vintage Charm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Randi Jones, Randi’s Roost

November 17

Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway

WEEK 4

Winged Things
Winged Things

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 20

 

Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

November 21

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Island Batik Giveaway
Island Batik Giveaway
Week 3 of the It’s In the Bag Blog Hop giveaways, from Island Batik, started on Sunday, November 12th!
Two lucky winners will each receive a bundle of new collections that will be featured this week – Red, White and Blooms or Vintage Charm. Don’t miss out on your chance to add these beautiful batiks to your stash. Enter now during the It’s In the Bag Blog Hop:

To enter for your chance to win one of the two prizes above, follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on November 17th at 11:59 pm PDT. Two random winners will be notified by email on November 18th and announced on the Island Batik Facebook page on November 21st. If the winners do not respond within the first three days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen. Please check your spam folders! 

Make sure to follow Island Batik on social media to hop along with the It’s In the Bag Blog Hop. Be sure to check out the Island Batik Blog.

#islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #bagmaking #iloveislandbatik #aurifil #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #Janome  #HancocksofPaducah #fabricsmart #patternsbyannie.