Safe & Snug

My sewing machine has been whirring lately.  I got it in my head that I wanted to MAKE my own gig bag for my birthday ukulele.  I couldn’t find one I liked in any of the worldwide web shopping stores, so I decided to make one to my own liking:  pretty fabric, 1/2″ foam, easy to get uke in and out of, over the shoulder strap, and a pocket for tuner, sheet music, whatever!

My initial thoughts in embarking on this project, were that I had no idea whether the idea in my head would actually translate into reality.  Cutting foam and fabric to dimensions you aren’t entirely sure of (ie. you’ve laid your uke on the foam to cut the size and then guesstimated at how the quilted fabric will wrap around the foam thereby needing more fabric than foam, but not sure just how much more…) and then beginning to sew and assemble huge thicknesses (since I wanted this bag to be protective as well as pretty) and then having to hand sew some sections because the machine just won’t go in that direction OR through that thickness…   Well, you get the picture: a bit sketchy going there for a while.  About midway through, it seemed like it might work, and I actually thought Oh goody, I could make one for all the uke playing members of  my family!  Umm, well.  By the end of this “little” project, my fingers were sore and bleeding from all the hand sewing and finger pricks.  My hands need to heal before I tackle making another; if I ever do!

There were a gazillion decisions to  make in the process:  Do I make the pocket flat or bumped out a bit?  How do I decorate the pocket? Do I put the seam binding on the strap? or not? Do I make double straps? How do I secure the bag closed at the top? A flap that velcros or buttons?  A drawstring? A zipper?  In the end, I was completely satisfied with the one strap, the string & button closure, the flat pocket with the crochet flower decoration.  It all worked out beautifully and now I’m ready to take off for a trip to Boone to visit my family and play our ukes together.  My dad, my brother, my mom, my oldest daughter and I are all crazy about our ukuleles.  Now my uke will be safe and snug for the trip!  See you all when I get back!

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