This is my second year participating in ByAnnie.com’s #SewPINK Initiative Blog Hop! I am so honored to get to share a little bit about my personal story and contribute to raising awareness about breast cancer screening through my most favorite thing - sewing!
This initiative feels quite personal to me because my mom died from breast cancer in 2002. When she was first diagnosed around 1989, she was only 32 years old and screening and treatment were really different than they are now.
Getting a yearly mammogram beginning at age 40 can help detect breast cancer earlier and improve treatment outcomes. If you are at a higher risk like I am, you might need to get screening at an earlier age, get screened more often, or get a different type of screening, such as a breast MRI. You can talk to your regular doctor or get advice from a high risk specialist (if one is available) about what is best for you.
Here’s an old photo of my mom, my sisters and me… I think that’s me on the right in my mom’s lap, but honestly I’m not totally sure 😂 (my mom was the only one who always knew who was who).
If you have a heightened risk, you may also want support for your mental health. Having a personal or family history of breast cancer can be really hard. It has been important for me to seek out support from my family, friends, and a therapist over the years to help process my experiences and be able to take the best care of myself that I can, both mentally and physically.
Now, on to the bag!!!
This year I made the Bowl Me Over 2.0 bag. It is full of many different styles of pockets both inside and out, and such special details! ByAnnie.com generously sent me all of the findings for this project:
- Soft and Stable - This is my absolute favorite! It’s a sew-in foam interfacing that gives great structure and body to your bags without making them too rigid or stiff.
- Strapping - I covered white strapping in matching fabric to strengthen and stabilize the straps.
- Double Slide Handbag Zippers - These nylon zippers give your bags such a professional look and are super functional. They can also be cut into two separate zippers if you need a shorter length (I did this for the side and inner pockets).
- Hardware - It can sometimes be hard to find hardware in just the right size and finish you need for your project. ByAnnie.com has a really great variety to choose from to make their patterns!
- Base Stabilizer - This is my first time using an acrylic base stabilizer and it really is such a nice addition to this bag. It gives weight to the bag as well as helping it to maintain its shape.
For the main fabrics, I chose Ruby Star Society’s Rise collection by Melody Miller, pairing it with Add It Up by Alexia Abegg as the coordinating fabric. I think these fabrics give the bag a really fun, vintage style.
This bag will be donated to a breast cancer patient at the reconstructive surgery clinic at UNC-Chapel Hill where my sister cares for patients with so much love and compassion. It is my hope that it will bring a little comfort and sunshine to someone as they go through their treatment and recovery.
Thanks so much for reading and be sure to follow along with the blog hop to see more projects from some of your favorite makers through the end of the month. Plus find out how you can help raise money to support breast cancer research (see below)!
2021 Blog Hop Schedule
✂ Oct. 1 (Fri):Fat Quarter Shop - The Jolly Jabber
✂ Oct. 2 (Sat):Sallie Tomato
✂ Oct. 4 (Mon): Hugs ‘N Kisses
✂ Oct. 6 (Wed): Sewfinity
✂ Oct. 11 (Mon):Beyond the Reef
✂ Oct. 13 (Wed): Great Heron Thread Co.
✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Love You Sew
✂ Oct. 15 (Fri): Emmaline Bags
✂ Oct. 16 (Sat): Meadow Mist Designs
✂ Oct. 18 (Mon): OklaRoots
✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Suzn Quilts
✂ Oct. 20 (Wed): Teresa Coates
✂ Oct. 22 (Fri): Knot and Thread Design
✂ Oct. 23 (Sat): Shannon’s Studio
✂ Oct. 25 (Mon): The Littlest Thistle
✂ Oct. 27 (Thur): Mister Domestic
✂ Oct. 27 (Wed): Sookie Sews
The #SewPink Initiative was created by ByAnnie.com LLC to raise awareness for breast cancer throughout the year. Our efforts culminate in an annual blog hop during October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote self-care, awareness, early detection, and support for those affected by breast cancer.
To learn more and see the calendar of events visit: https://www.byannie.com/SewPink
To find screenings available near you:
In addition to participating in the #SewPINK Initiative, Fat Quarter Shop organized a fundraiser to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation with the goal of raising $10,000.
ByAnnie.com has pledged to match every dollar raised using the #SewPINK link to donate to the Fat Quarter Shop fundraiser.
Please consider making a generous donation at https://fundraise.nbcf.org/SewPINK.
Thank you so much to ByAnnie.com for sponsoring this initiative and giving me the opportunity to be part of it!