PPC30: The Tandem DayPack Pattern Cover Reveal

So… in our last post we had a little fun letting YOU be the designer and choosing which of our bag samples YOU would choose to grace the pattern cover for our 1st new pattern of 2024, the Tandem DayPack. Thanks SO much to everyone who voiced their opinion! Pattern design can be rather solitary work and I REALLY like hearing the logic behind which bag my customers would choose.

And here’s the deal, the best part about this cycle was that SO many of you ALSO included your reasons why you chose the cover sample that you did. I LOVE that! Your opinions were invaluable and I really was able to take them into account this time! THANK YOU!

So with that in mind, here’s how we went about making the final choice for our Tandem DayPack pattern cover.

Peacock Feathers – 10/7/23

So… this was the first true Tandem DayPack sample I made and I actually used the same fabric that I used in the runup to the Side Slinger pattern release , which is NOT something I normally do, but ( made an exception considering how much I LOVE this fabric!)

This is a beautiful sample, & I like it a lot, but since I’ve used the fabric before, and because I still don’t consider this design as perfected as of yet, I’m afraid it’s OUT as a cover model!

A Green Empress – 10/17/23

I created this sample using fabric from the “Empress” collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures. I totally fell in love with this collection and even though I love the way it looks with our gold zippers, AND how it coordinates with the next sample (below), I’m afraid it just doesn’t have enough “pizzazz” on it’s own to qualify as a cover model! So for that reason, it’s OUT!

A Paisley Empress – 12/18/23

So the fabric we used for this sample is the epitome of the “Empress” fabric collection by Chong-A Hwang, for Timeless Treasures. I loved it from the moment I saw it and it’s undeniable that it looks great on our Tandem DayPack, but here’s the deal… while I’ll always love this fabric collection, I just don’t think that it makes for a totally compelling pattern cover sample, as I hoped it would be, and sadly, for this reason… it’s OUT!

BioGeo – 1/16/24

And THIS fabric (by Adrienne Leban for Free Spirit Fabrics) has been on my radar for quite some time! I tried featuring it on a recent Bella BiFold sample, where it just didn’t work out because of foundation limitations, but it seemed to be tailor-made for our Tandem Daypack!

But while I do love how it works here w/our design, I’m afraid it just doesn’t have the universal appeal that I think it needs in order to qualify for being our cover model! So for that reason… it’s OUT!

Obrigado (Thank You) Brazil – 1/19/24

And I have to say that from the moment I found this fabric at last Fall’s Quilt Market I was convinced it would be perfect for our Tandem DayPack! And it did NOT disappoint, because I think this print is total perfection for this design.

I love the bright & lively colors in this print which pairs perfectly with our black w/gold zippers! And the truth is… I thought long & hard about using this sample as our cover model, there was something about it that just seemed to be “off brand” for us! So with great reluctance, I’m afraid this beautiful sample is OUT! (I hope I don’t regret this decision.)

Back to Brazil – 1/23/24

This was the second cut of fabric I picked up from that new Brazilian distributor at the Quilt Market. I was of course drawn to the saturated colors in this print, but also to the happy, overall positive vibe!

But once again, even though I love this sample, & I know it will be an instant rock star on the show circuit, I’m afraid our customer base would see it as even more “off-brand” as a cover sample that the sample above! And for this reason, it’s also OUT!

Shimmer – 2/1/24

And I chose this fabric (by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Fabrics), specifically for use with my “all silver” zippers with star” zipper pulls. I’d never really used these zippers in a sample before because for some reason, that I’ll never really understand, most metallic fabric collections overwhelmingly feature gold highlights, so I was thrilled to find this fabric with silver highlights! But… the only thing is… I honestly think our silver zips do more for this fabric than the fabric does for these zips! And for this reason, this sample was OUT!

So… if you haven’t already guessed, it’s with great pleasure
that I reveal the official cover for the “Tandem DayPack” pattern!

You might recall from my original post about this particular sample, that I was drawn to the colorations of this fabric, and of course the name of the this collection (“A Groovy Garden”) spoke to me as well! It was created by Jason Yenter for “In the Beginning Fabrics”.

So did we make the perfect choice?

So in conclusion, I like how the cover came out and how it has a totally unique yet cohesive look with our past patterns, which is actually a big deal since once again, I had to go with a new graphics designer this time and I’m really pleased with how this cover has a fresh look and I find it quite exciting for these reasons!

Truth is, only time will tell! The Tandem DayPack has been very well received so far, and even though I easily could have gone with a couple other choices and it probably won’t make a bit of difference “sales-wise”. I feel good about this choice. I especially feel good that it was validated by SO MANY of you either by commenting on the post, or on social media or even by email! THANK YOU for all of your feedback!

So… all that’s left now, is to RELEASE THE PATTERN!

But PLEASE NOTE!!!! — Just as we did in our Easy Go Wallet rollout last Fall, we’ll be announcing the Tandem DayPack pattern release sometime in NEXT WEEK by way of our bi-monthly newsletter, Bag Making is FUN. As is our norm, it will include a time-sensitive discount code toward the purchase of the Tandem DayPack pattern so don’t miss out! If you don’t already receive our newsletter in your Inbox bi-monthly, you still have a small window of time to sign up & get in on the fun, PLUS pick up our newsletter discount coupon also, by clicking HERE.

And now it’s YOUR turn!

Call me crazy but I always love knowing if you agree with our selection or if you think we totally blew it! So please feel free to leave your comments and/or questions in the space provided below! Don’t worry. We won’t be mad if you disagree with us! 🙂

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