Pattern Review: The Aeroplane Bag from Sew Sweetness

I sewed a second Aeroplane Bag from the pattern by Sara of Sew Sweetness!

Sewing is a funny thing. We often use a pattern to sew something that we can only see in a picture. We won’t know exactly how to bag (or quilt or piece of clothing) will look and feel until we’re done. I’ve probably sewn hundreds of patterns in my lifetime and most of them I only sew once. Even if the item turns out great, I usually don’t use a pattern again because I don’t need another one of that thing or I’m eager to try something new.

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Well, this week I decided to sew a new bag. I wanted it to turn out great on the first try, so I didn’t want to invent a new bag. I also wanted it to be big and easy enough to sew in one day.

That’s when I remembered the Aeroplane Bag that I sewed years ago. I loaned that bag to a friend who was moving and never saw it again.

The pattern was as great as I remembered and this time I made a couple changes so I love it even more…

This time I quilted my exterior pieces! I love the look and feel of fabric and foam stabilizer quilted together, and think that my meandering feathers add beautiful texture to the bag.

Then I decided to use two zipper pulls that meet in the center instead of just one. I use Zipper By the Yard from ByAnnie on almost all of my bags and the 4 yards of zipper tape come with 16 pulls. I usually end up with leftover zipper pulls so there’s no reason to be stingy with the pulls!

Plus the bag is so much easier to use when it opens this way!

I also made sturdier handles this time by using Decor-Bond interfacing instead of Shapeflex SF101 (both from Pellon). I’ve made many straps and handles and knew exactly what I wanted. Decor-Bond is what I also use to make dog leashes.

However, I did use Shapeflex interfacing on my lining. It’s my favorite interfacing when I want to give fabric more body without making it too stiff.

As you can see, I decided not to make the interior welt zipper pocket that Sara includes in the pattern. An easy slip pocket for my phone and wallet was all I wanted.

Did you notice the one thing that I didn’t change when I sewed a second Aeroplane Bag? That bright green vinyl at the bottom! It makes me smile just to see it.

I had planned another material for the bottom of my new bag, but when I was looking over the pictures of my old bag I remembered that I still had a yard of it stashed away and I love how amazing it looks. Lime green aligator vinyl wins again!

The main floral fabric is from a collection called ‘Breakfast in Bed’ by Alicia Dujets. The strap and lining fabric are from the ‘Sweet Caroline’ collection that I curated with QT Fabrics. It is totally out of print and not available anymore.

Thanks for indulging me as I showed off my latest make using the Aeroplane Bag pattern!

Happy sewing!

Disclosure: some of my posts contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of those links I may receive a small commission, so thank you for supporting SewCanShe when you shop! All of the opinions are my own and I only suggest products that I actually use. 🙂