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Allegory of A Thousand Needles teaches a lot of my sewing patterns in local shops in Atlanta, so of course I wanted her to participate in Purse Palooza. The first time I remember Allegory from on-line was when she tweeted some Tula Pink on her behind – that is, some bloomers that she had made with ‘Nightshade’ fabrics. Enough said. 🙂
Hey y’all! I’m Allegory (most just call me Al) and I try to contain my epic to-do lists over at A Thousand Needles. I had never imagined myself to be much of a bag maker until about a year ago. I had made a couple for gifts but now I make a least a bag a month and even teach bag classes at local studios in Atlanta.
Now it’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Sara’s bag patterns. So for Purse Palooza I decided to pick one of her patterns to have the chance to go into a bit more detail of why I have so much love for them.
The Pattern:
Skill Level:
Sara lists this bag at an intermediate level but I feel that it’s straight-forward enough for a confident beginner.
My bag:
When I sat out to make my Aeroplane, I knew it was going to carry my baby Janome machine.
Her name is Di and I think she’s way too awesome to be in an ugly plastic case.
Di is covered in stickers and it was one sticker in particular that decided my fabric choices:
The Wonder Woman patch in the center of the bag was made by me. It’s three layers of reverse applique.
I spoil my machines….
Material Changes:
Here is a
link with the original materials. Peltex and I have a tricky relationship at the moment. I swear it is what almost destroyed my machine in my first Weekender. Frankly, I also have a serious issue with the way it feels.
From a stability standpoint, I understand why Peltex was written into this pattern.
I left it out of mine. Instead I cut Soft and Stable the size of the exterior B piece (bottom accent) and basted my fabric to it.
Instead of making straps, I used 1″ webbing in grey. Knowing that this bag was going to be a travel case for my (metal) machine, I was more comfortable with using the webbing. If I *had* made my own straps then I probably would have invited Peltex back into the party to sit within the strap.
Lastly, I removed all the interior zipper pockets. I already have a number of zippered bags that I use for supplies when I travel. So I made solid lining pieces, no pockets, no zippers..pretty much nothing that my machine could snag itself on.
It’s roomy enough in there that I could throw in a couple of zip pouches if I needed to.
Instructions:
This right here is the reason I keep coming back to Sara’s bag patterns. Her instructions are clear, detailed and precise. I know from experience that she has a number of different testers try out her patterns before they go public to catch any errors she may have missed.
Her patterns don’t make large assumptions either. Having taught a number of bag classes with different patterns from her line, I’ve never had a student look at her instructions with fear. There’s pictures galore and helpful hints to deal with tricky steps.
In Review:
I feel like the Aeroplane Bag is a new classic (I’m tempted to make a QAYG one to take to Market instead of my Weekender). It has a recognizable shape and can be easily customized. There’s no hand sewing needed to finish the bag and (one of my favorite parts) no hardware outside of zippers. Even with my homemade patch I finished my bag up completely in a lazy Sunday afternoon.
If you haven’t tried out any of Sara’s bag patterns yet, I would say to start with this one. It’s a great introduction into the way she presents bags and the resulting bag is a hit.
I even left Di packed up in mine and ready to go on the studio shelves:
And yes…she is being guarded by a mini Invisible Jet.
~Thank you Sara for letting me join in on Purse Palooza. I’ve been adding quite a few bags to my to-make list and look forward to seeing the upcoming bags!
<3 Al
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What a great review and a great idea for this bag. I’ve loved the shape of it since I first saw it. Thanks!
Nice idea for this bag. Great review. Thanks!
I love your bag, it is way cool
Wonder Women fabric. Who knew!
how clever and cute you name.your sewing machine
Great review!! And I have that pattern already. I must find some fabric and make one or two.
PS love Wonder Woman.
I love Janine machines! My biggest Janine machine has problems with thickness. Wondering which Janome, you use? Tia