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 2nd new pattern of 2024, the High Seas Convertible. 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 High Seas Convertible pattern cover.
Laurel Burch Forever – 4/16/24
So… this was the 1st sample I created after carrying the Gorilla Sample for a couple of weeks, & I have to say, I was honestly surprised at how much I liked it.
But as much as the exterior is structurally accurate to the design, the interior is NOT! You might recall from the original post, that at this time I was experimenting with adding in interior option, in this case, as interior zippered pocket. But I found that since I placed this pocket rather “low”, that some interior items needed to actually be taken OUT of the main storage area in order to access that pocket, and that is no good!
So… because this sample will not be structurally accurate to the final design, it’s OUT!
Fractal Flowers – 5/3/24
So… even though I didn’t like how the interior zippered pocket functioned in the last sample we made, I thought that if I placed the pocket closer to the zippered access area, that it would function better & would be easier to get to… but you know what?
I was WRONG! It was STILL difficult to impossible access this pocket with out partially emptying the interior!
So because this sample turned out to be NOT TRUE to the final design, coupled with the fact that this is an extremely bold exterior that might not be as universally appreciated, (although I LOVE it),
I’m afraid it’s also OUT!
Butterflies are Free – 6/13/24
So here is the 1st structurally accurate sample I created in this round! AND, it turned out to be insanely popular with our readers, having generated 30+ comments on the post.
But if you weren’t already aware of what exterior options were, would you honestly notice that there was a drop-in Pouch Pocket on the front of this bag, would you have detected it in this photo? My guess would be… NO, confirming my long-standing avoidance of a predominantly black exterior! This will be a very popular “show bag”, but if you cannot easily see the features of the bag’s exterior, then its just not a good contender for the bag’s Cover Sample! So…. it’s OUT!
Check & Balances – 6/18/24
I instantly fell in love with this highly unusual fabric and I think it made for a very compelling sample. But for two reasons, this sample is OUT of the running for our cover model.
First off, just like the black bag above, the exterior features are camouflaged, this time by the “busy-ness” of the print, but secondly, and maybe for the same reason, this bag had a very lukewarm customer reception (which is never a good sign).
Paisley in Purple – 7/12/24
And of all the samples I made in support of this design, this may be MY personal favorite! First of all, it’s purple. Secondly, it a metallic print, which I LOVE, and thirdly, it’s got green paisley accents… the perfect trifecta! 🙂
But seriously, I debated long & hard about using this sample on the pattern cover. Several of my friends or family favored it as well, but in the end, it was OUT & I’ll tell you why in a bit.
Wings of Gold – 7/16/24
This sample, in this fabric (by one of my favorite fabric designers, (Chong-A Hwang), came out SO beautiful. The pure clarity of that royal blue contrast is absolutely amazing! And it’s hard to explain why I did not choose it for our cover sample…
And quite honestly, even though I doubt it would’ve been a bad choice to go with this sample, my heart just leaned toward another, so it was OUT!
Color & Light – 7/20/24
And finally, I think I knew up front that this fabric combination was brave & fast forward… but when the fabric arrived on my doorstep, I was doubtful. I remember commenting to my husband midway thru the make of this bag that I wasn’t even sure I liked it, but here’s the deal…
It photographed beautifully! And I honestly REALLY like it now!
But- even though I’m sure it will be a popular show bag, but doubting that it would be universally appealing, I’m afraid it’s OUT!
So… if you haven’t already guessed, it’s with great pleasure
that I reveal the official cover for the “High Seas Convertible” pattern!
You might recall from my original post about this particular sample, that I was drawn immediately to this print, since it was reminiscent of one of the most popular samples we’ve EVER created (see it here). Additionally, the combination of the colorful print, in combination with the striped contrast, seems to make this sample jump off the cover…
Which is kinda what we’re after, right?!?
So did we make the perfect choice?
Even though I’m very happy with our cover model, I’m was just OK with how the 1st prototype was handed to me from our printer. But here’s the deal… the printer I’ve been working with since 2005 is in the process of selling his business and it hasn’t been an easy transition to the new company. It seems that every time I produce a new pattern, I have to work with yet another new graphic designer, and this time was no exception! There seems to be a LOT of turnover here and its honestly HARD to work with a new person EVERY time! But it is what it is, and after a good dealing of haggling and a good deal of wasted time, this new cover is pretty great now.
Truth is, only time will tell! The High Seas Convertible pattern has been very well received so far, and even though I easily could have gone with a couple other choices for our cover model, I know from experience that had I chose another it probably wouldn’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 Tandem DayPack rollout last Spring, we’ll be announcing the High Seas Convertible pattern release sometime NEXT WEEK by way of a special edition 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 High Seas Convertible 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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