Sewing together two pieces of fabric is by now something of a second nature to me. I’ve gotten used to the felt that I use. I know which is the distance I must keep from the edge so it will not fray and come apart. But I never experimented with a shape that had a protrusion as big its main body before. So I never thought it would droop down, and resemble the mouth of the saddest clown. Although my toy airplane would not have to take off or transport passengers from point A to B, this was a serious issue.

airplane_greenSo I had to come up with something creative. Something that would hold the wings up as straight as a ruler. From one perky tip to the other. I had the most ridiculous thoughts (even considering bypassing the requesters and making the plane a double-winged one), but nothing seemed to work. I find from experience that these are the moments when it is a good idea to step away from the project and do something else. And as I was preparing for the Sunday picnic and taking out the skewers for the kebab it occurred to me that these little bamboo sticks might just do the trick!

felt mobile planeI took a deep breath and stuck the bamboo skewer across the body of the plane all the way to the tip of the already affixed wing. Got the second wing ready, and slowly pushed the stick through the stuffing material all the way to the opposite tip. When I saw that the size of the supporting skewer was just right and it would be completely hidden, I sewed on the wing. And voilá! The wings are nice and steady and as straight as can be.

An added bonus to this design is that when held up by a string the weight of the skewers adds an extra stability to the aircraft. It does not appear to be flimsy or inappropriate, but something that was born to be up in the air. I am so happy with how it turned out! Now I just have to finish three more…