Annie Unrein's 'Ultimate Travel Bag'

Took a break from knitting a sweater for Finn, who is working very hard at rolling over right now (see gratuitous baby video above), to make this awesome Annie Unrein (of By Annie) 'Ultimate Travel Bag.' I purchased the kit and Annie's 'Sew Sturdy' online course from Bluprint. 

It is nice and roomy and will make an excellent diaper bag. I love the light colored lining and extra long double zipper at the top. Really nice for being able to open it up wide to see everything in your bag.

This was a fairly intense project. Not really difficult (although getting binding around really thick fabric sandwiches was a chore), but lots of pieces, steps and sewing. I was so glad to have had the course available to help guide me through it.

I used my Janome HD3000, which is billed as their 'heavy duty' machine. It chugged along like a little workhorse, but I am more convinced than ever that a real industrial machine is in my future. I think I pushed the Janome about as far as it could go.

I think the bag turned out pretty good. The only thing I was less than thrilled with was my interior binding of the bag front and back seams. Operator error and it is pretty sloppy, but it's inside and I doubt anyone will notice. It still looks better than having the raw edges show.

The other really annoying issue I had with this project had nothing to do with the bag itself. I used Clover's Chacoliner in yellow to mark sewing lines on the teal fabric and COULD NOT get it off. I've never had that problem with marking chalk before and am shocked that Clover sells this product advertising it as easy to remove. It isn't--at least it wasn't on this project. I brushed it, tried white vinegar and cold water (as Clover apparently recommends) and ended up using full strength dish soap and hot water. Still, faint yellow lines are visible (last photo above) and I am so disappointed by it. Hopefully, they will disappear in time.

Annie Unrein kits go on sale at Bluprint, sometimes as much as 60% off. I have picked up several and look forward to trying her Messenger Bag and Travel Organizer kits. I may skip the initial quilting of the fabric that comes in the kits and just buy pre-quilted fabric, as I am not a great quilter and don't really enjoy that time consuming step.