- This kit was very well put together and well packaged
- ByAnnies patterns lends themselves very well to the kits on this site, since next to no practical updates are provided regarding updates to the pattern. Some of the patterns have the ByAnnies tutorial videos included, which is a great plus!
- A fair amount of material cuts are provided, with the exception of the vinyl which was cut a bit too short (does not impact the final result, since the width is what matters)
- Both main panel fabrics in this kit are directional, however, the fabric cuts provided are too short in the direction of the print (18" cut, compared to the minimum 20" needed). In order to construct the bag in the way the cover photo looks, I had to work around this by sewing two shorter cuts together. It was a quick fix and is not noticeable.
- The pattern does not discuss directional print fabrics, so I started off the construction stage by taking a chance. Of course I was wrong! :-) If you choose to make a directional bag and would like to avoid this, place the centered pin at the bottom of the print, so that when the pin is located closest to you (viewing your panel in the length-wise direction), the pattern is viewed right-side-up.
- The instructions do not actually tell you how to use the included ribbons, but the beautiful cover photo shows you how (thinner ribbon for zipper tabs and larger ribbon for webbing ending)
The result so far looks gorgeous. There are a few less-than perfect seams (lining up the outside vinyl pocket with the inside mesh pockets so that the seams are perfect is something I'd imagine would be difficult even for a semi-professional seamstress), but even though I am a borderline perfectionist, I am pretty pleased and proud of the result.
I still have the main body edge binding left to go and then I can move on to the another version of this kit (yellow colorway), since I purchased that as well. This might take a couple of days, since right now I am trying to learn how to sew together the ends of the bias binding in order to create a nice and 'invisible' seam.
I have had so much fun making this kit! I have learned and tried a number of new things; using ByAnnies Soft & Stable, quilting, installing and using a walking foot, matching main & bobbin thread to outside & inside panels, adding a zipper pull to a zipper, working with mesh, make bias binding, etc. I have been a bit intimidated to try some of these things before, but I am happy that I finally took the plunge and gave it a go.
I do have all the kits from the Tula Curiouser & Curiouser and the Tula Webbing kit clubs waiting for their turns too and I am super excited to learn new skills, grow my confidence, and create a new beautiful project with every kit. I will definitely leave a review each time I manage to finish a kit.
Bottom line: I highly recommend this kit!
