PPC34: the Expand-o-Matic 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 stand alone on the pattern cover for our first new pattern of 2026, the Expand-o-Matic.
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 our customers would choose for the cover.
And here's the deal, the best part about this cycle was that SO many of you took part & ALSO included your reasons why you chose the cover sample that you did. I LOVE that! Your opinions are always invaluable to me and I really was able to consider all of them this time! THANK YOU!
So... here's what we decided....
So...this was the very 1st sample I made for this design, and I really never have high hopes for the 1st sample, so I chose fabric that I originally considered to be throw-away fabric.
But here's the deal, this sample actually came out darned pretty great, and once I combined this fabric with our black & gold zips, I found that I was sorry I didnt save this combo for later on in our process....
But...since there were a couple of critical flaws with this sample, (as is common this early on in the process), this sample could not be seriously considered for the cover sample, so
It was OUT!
I struggled a bit choosing the contrast fabric for this sample. At first cut out a bronze-type contrast, (matching the bronze areas on this sewing machine), but I just wasn't satisfied with my choice.
So I cut new pieces in this grey contrast, but I'm still not convinced I made the best choice... heck, maybe there wasn't a good choice, but either way, this sample was OUT!
I used the Twilight Dance fabric w/a polkadot contrast for this sample and I really like this combo. As a matter of fact I like EVERYthing about this sample.
It honestly came down to the fact that I've used a LOTof flower motifs lately & it felt better to go with something different, so regrettably, this sample was OUT!
And we've had such good luck with sewing machine motifs on our pattern covers, that I thought I try using this one, and I liked the way the "bobbin contrast" looked against the black & gold zips... but there was something about this focal fabric that I just didnt like.
It looked a bit washed out and drab which may have been by choice since the creator was going for an "antique look"., but either way I guess it just wasn't my cup of tea, so it was OUT!
I totally LOVED working with this fabric, which is another from the "Moonlight" collection. It's actually a "double-border" print which seemed perfect for this design. I used the quiet part of this fabric for the contrast & the busy part for the front & back exterior sides.
And the truth is... I LOVED how this bag came out, and the polka-dotted zippers really set the fabric off beautifully, but I've always been leery about using a predominantly black fabric for our cover sample, so... it was OUT!
And here's the deal...I've honestly, had my eye on this Butterfly fabric for this design, right from the start. And while I LOVE this final look, w/our black w/gold zips perfectly setting off the gold thread throughout the fabric,
I was hesistant to put forth yet another pattern with a cover model featuring yet one more bag in blue/purple fabric... so for that reason, reluctantly, it was OUT!
And lastly, I LOVED the saturated color of this Affinity fabric, & I had what I considered to be the perfect contrast fabric to use with it in my stash (an older Jane Sassaman favorite)!
But maybe it was the color saturation that betrayed me, but I just couldn't get the color in the photos to look correct. The intense blue in the fabric seemed to permeate the surrounding background for some reason, and no matter what, I could not override the effect. At any rate, this will be a very effective show bag, but it will NOT be on our pattern cover. It was OUT!
So...if you haven't already guessed, (by process of elimination), it's with great pleasure that I now reveal to you the official pattern cover for the "Expand-o-Matic"!
So did we make the perfect choice?
Truth is, only time will tell! I easily could have gone with a couple other choices for our cover model, & I know from experience that had I chosen another it probably wouldn't make a bit of difference "sales-wise".
But 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 for our Cignet Phone Pal rollout this past Fall, we'll be announcing the Expand-o-Matic pattern release most likely next week, by means of a special edition of our bi-monthly newsletter, Bag Making is FUN, so be on the lookout for that? As is our norm, it will include a time-sensitive discount code toward the purchase of the Expand-o-Matic 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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