One of the really great things about sewing is that you aren’t dependent on what you can find (or afford) in the store – you can create or customize all kinds of things to your specific tastes and needs.
Lately, I’ve been on a streak of making totes, bags and purses.
Since my work (both as Creative Director for Lakeshore Sewing and as a quilt/textile artist and designer for my own business) requires a lot of intense focus and creativity, I find it relaxing to take a bit of a break and let someone else do the basic designing and let me have the fun of customizing to my heart’s content.
I really enjoy it when I get a chance to make something quick and (relatively) easy. And bonus points if it is functional, too!
One of the products I’ve been playing with lately is Soft and Stable from ByAnnie.
Product info from the ByAnnie.com website:
BYANNIE’S SOFT AND STABLE® OVERVIEW
ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable® is a new product which I developed to use in place of batting or other stabilizers in purses, bags, totes, home dec items, and more.
Why use ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable®?
- Great lasting body and stability
- Lightweight
- Maintains shape
- Gives a professional finish to your project
- Easy to sew
- Fabric can be quilted to ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable® or just sewn around the edges of the pieces — no need to quilt every 2 to 4″ as with batting
- Soft and comfortable
- Washer and dryer safe
My summary – I love it! But…
I am very happy with the shape, structure, and finish of bags I’ve made with Soft and Stable. They look great, hold their shape, and don’t collapse under the weight of the straps or handles – all while remaining lightweight and easy to carry. The extra protection for the contents is pretty great, too – especially for things like a phone, tablet, laptop, sewing machine, etc. I’ve given the sewing machine travel bag I made with Soft and Stable away as a gift, but here is another great example of a well-used bag still holding its shape after a couple of years and a lot of use:

One of my favorite travel bags is this duffle, designed and made by my friend and colleague, Laura Witt. Not only did Laura use Soft and Stable to support the bag, she also inserted a strip into the shoulder strap to make the bag more comfortable to carry.
But I don’t always find it as straightforward to use as is sometimes implied… Continue Reading…