Tag: zippers

Aeroplane Bag: Pattern Review with Vinyl & Satin

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AeroplaneTitle

I know there are a ton of pattern reviews on Sew Sweetness‘ beloved Aeroplane Bag, but I REALLY love how the gold metallic vinyl (pleather), bold stripes and teal satin turned out!  I was debating if it deserved a post, but after so much love on IG, I decided to share what I made and what I learned on the way 🙂

 

AeroplaneFabricPull

This fabric pull was inspired by my good friend over at Platopoo.  We made a crafty trade – she made me some awesome vinyl cut t-shirts and I would make her a custom bag.  I love a good barter…don’t you???  Well, her business cards are black and white stripes with some gold accents and I wanted to kick up this bag a notch, so we came up with this great combination:

 

StrapsandBottomSewn

Vinyl Strap Collage

 

Since I was using the vinyl for the bottom and straps, there were a few adjustments that had to be made:

  • Omit the strap interfacing
  • Cut 2 straps to 1.5″ width. Since the WOF (width of fabric) on the vinyl is 54″, the straps were then cut to 42″ in length
  • TIP: Take one 1.5″ x 42″ strap and sew it onto a larger piece of vinyl. Sew with 1/8″ seam allowance.  Trim the excess of the larger piece to size. Repeat with 2nd strap. (This allows you to have even top and bottom strap pieces.)
  • Be sure to use your walking foot to not stretch out the vinyl
  • Edges of the straps will be raw. You can use some permanent fabric glue or Fray-Check to “seal” the sides if you wish.  Some vinyls do fray the slightest bit over time…

 

ZipperGrill

Another detail to amp up this bag was the zipper.  I found this great black one with brass teeth at JoAnn’s as well.  It matches perfectly with the pleather and adds that extra professional look.

TIP – I used my walking foot to topstitch over the zipper.  There is quite a lot of volume between the exterior, lining and Flex-Foam (used in place of Soft & Stable.) This allowed me to get more even stitches without having to tug on the fabric as much.

 

CloseUpZipper

Additionally, I cut off 1/4″ by about 8″ of scrap vinyl to add a pull on the zipper.  Again, this little detail helps make the bag look more polished and pulls in more of the metallic look.  Plus, those little pulls are never long enough!

 

Interior

Do you like the satin interior? I am digging this pop of color and the change in texture for the interior.  I also love the 14″ zippered pockets.  They are generous in size to hide lots of goodies.  The only thing I wished I had were brass zippers for these pockets. (I got the wrong size from the store and was not going back anytime soon…I was already there twice in one week!)  They would have completed the look, for sure…

TIP – Cut the Shape-Flex larger than the interior pattern and fuse it onto the satin before cutting. The satin is delicate and can unravel pretty easily.  It is easier to handle if you iron the interfacing on first.

OpenTop

I love the wide opening of this design.  There is ample space to get your weekend gear into this bag….and this is just the “regular” size.  I can’t wait to try out the “long” pattern!

BagonTree

This was a fun project but definitely at the confident beginner to intermediate level.  Be sure to check if your machine can handle up to 6 layers of vinyl and Peltex at a time. I have a Juki TL-2010Q that can sew through with a Heavy Duty Organ Needle, but I still broke one needle in the process!

It’s going to be sad when I have to part with this baby, but at least I can make more 😉

 

The Newest Aeroplane Bag Fan,

Cristy

 

This post may contain affiliate links for which I do receive a small compensation…It helps me keep this site running 🙂

Honest Sewing Room Tour – Supply Pegboard

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Pegboard Title

I’m going to give you a sneak peek into my new sewing & crafting room.  It is still a work in progress…I’ll show you sections of it as I go and this post will be all about the Pegboard!  If you have been following me on Instagram @loveyousew_, you’ve already gotten a look but I’ll explain the method behind the madness here 🙂

For the past 5 years, I’ve been sewing down in the basement and I called my space the “Dungeon.”  It’s dark, has poor lighting, and I was sewing with the creepy crawlspace in front of me.  Combine that, with having the water heater to my left, and the rumbling furnace behind me and you can understand why the “Dungeon” tag name was appropriate!

Earlier this year, I moved my boys into the same bedroom.  They were so excited to share the space and I was even more excited to move above ground…with natural light!  After I painted the room and moved some furniture around, the first part of the sewing room to be tackled was the Pegboard.

I bought two of these 24″ x 48″ boards from a big box hardware store but you can also find them here.  These were initially painted with acrylic in coral to add a little life down in the dungeon but when I moved them, I freshened up the finish with Valspar household paint in Passion Pink.  I wanted to keep the same color and vibrancy for my special space 🙂

Here are a few reasons why I love the Pegboard:

  • Supplies are accessible – If I’m in the sewing “zone,” I hate to get up and ruffle through a bunch of boxes to find something.  I like to keep my most used supplies right in front of me.
  • Inventory Management –  I can easily keep tabs of what needs to be replenished.  The pegboard keeps me from wasting money by buying items I already have because they were lost in a box!
  • Space-saver – I don’t have a big closet or a lot of floor space, so this also allows me to better utilize the walls for supplies.

Thread Rack

So what do I keep on the board?  Of course, my most used thread!  With the Etsy shop and a lot of side projects, I tend to go through many colors and types of thread in a single session at the machine.  It’s nice to be able to just reach over and grab my next color without missing any momentum.  I keep back-ups of these threads in my supply closet as well.

Baskets and Zippers

Remember my first Organizational Tips post?  Here are the Mason Jars sitting in a basket ready for use at any time with my Wonder Clips and Quilting Pins.  The Binder Clips are keeping my zippers organized and I can readily pick out the color and size I need for projects.  I have a box of these great handmade cards my brother made me up in the corner.  It’s always nice to have pretty inspiration on the board too!  And last, but not least, I need some Band-Aids around for when I poke myself with needles….we do not need blood on fabric, right?!?

Rulers and Washi Tape

I like to keep these rulers and washi tape up at the top of the Pegboard.  They are quilt specific so I keep them organized but up higher since I don’t use them as often.  The dowel for the tape and twine has been a great help.  I can see all the different rolls I have and grab as much as I need without have to move them off the board! Bonus – I use the dowel at craft shows with some display hooks!

Scissors

The scissors….I love my scissors and rotary cutters.  I keep a lot around for different purposes.  When I’m deep in projects, they end up all over my sewing room, so I (obviously) need extras 😉  These are all held in a standard Multiple Tool Holder for pegboard.  I used larger tool holders for my Pinking Shears.  As you can see, I have plenty of fabric ones, but I also keep Dollar Store cheapies just for paper crafts or cutting patterns.  My 4-year old even has a safety pair on my board.  Whenever he wants to hang out with me, we work on his scissor skills with scraps of paper.  He gets a kick out of having something in the room that is all his own.  Speaking of safety…with my sewing room being right next to my boys’ room, I need to keep all of these sharp object up and out of their reach.  The pegboard and some education helps give me some peace of mind…

Pegboard Image

I hope you enjoyed the mini-tour.  I’m quite eager to share the rest of my new sewing space with you…but I have a little more work to do before then 😉  If you would like to follow the progress or see more, check out #LYSstudiomigration on IG.

 

Stitches and Hugs,

Cristy

 

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through the links, I receive a small commission. This helps cover the costs of keeping this blog running.