Quilted Ukulele Case Tutorial

(I originally shared this fun tutorial over on the Fabricworm blog)
Last summer by husband bought each of my girls a ukulele. He plays the guitar and has been wanting to get the girls started with music. The ukes seemed like the perfect size to start out with.

He got Makala Dolphin Bridge Soprano Ukuleles. One is the light blue burst color and the other is the pink burst color. We have been super happy with them. 

 They each came with a very soft/flimsy case which protected from minor scratches. Of course I needed to make something stronger and cuter to protect them- So I came up with this tutorial.

Now don't worry if you don't have a ukulele... this tutorial will help you draft a pattern that can cater to whatever you would like to make a case for- guitar, string instrument, etc.

 Like I said, I made the cases for a soprano Makala Dolphin ukulele, so if you have this same uke your measurements will be similar but be sure to measure as you go because as I found out the hard way- even though I have 2 of the same uke- they are slightly different shaped and sized. 

So your fabric measurements will just depend on what you are making the case for- but I will let you know what I used to give you an idea.

Supplies:

1/2 yard main fabric (exterior)

1/2 yard coordination fabric (interior)

1 fat quarter contrasting fabric (piping and handles)

3 1/4 yard  of 6/32" cotton cording to make my own piping (you could buy premade piping if you want)

1/2 yard duck cloth (I used this because I wanted extra stability for the case holding it's shape but it does add a bit of bulk when sewing- so if you wish to leave out the duck cloth and just go with the fusible fleece and fabric I am sure it would work fine too)

1/2 yard fusible fleece or leftover scraps of quilt batting

1- 36" robe zipper

(like I said before- you may need different yardage/supplies if you are making your case for something else.)

For both of my cases, I used 5 fabrics from the new Wee Wander line by Sarah Jane... Wander Woods in Petal, Wander Woods in Turquoise, Summer Ride in Melon, Meandering in Petal , Tree Lights in Rose.

Step #1: To start you need to trace your instrument on some paper. You will want this first tracing to be pretty exact. Once you have your outline, you will need to add some room all around the first traced line to account for seam allowances and wiggle room. I added 3/4 inch around the entire uke. (this picture is deceiving as it was hard to get a shot of it straight on- sorry about that... look at the base of the uke to get a better idea of how much room I added.)

 Step #2: Once you have your pattern for the front and back of the case you will use it to cut out 2 pieces in your main fabric, 2 pieces in duck cloth, and 2 pieces of your batting/fleece. You will want to cut your batting down 1/2 inch on all sides to reduce the bulk in your seam allowance when sewing.

Step #3: Place your batting on top of your duck cloth and your main fabric on top of the batting and quilt however you would like. I used a wavy stitch on my machine and quilted in straight lines. Quilt both your front and back panels.

Step #4: Next it's time to baste your piping on. (if you need help making your piping- here is a great tutorial  -for my piping I cut my bias strips 1 1/2 inch thick). Pin your piping on and baste around the edges of the main panels with a basting stitch. Even though your piping is cut on the bias and stretches, you may need to put some snips/notches in the seam allowance of the piping to get it to go around all of the curves of your pattern. Once you have both quilted panels trimmed in your piping- set aside for a minute.

Step #5:Now you will need to measure the depth or thickness of your instrument. My ukulele is 2 inches thick. 

One thing to note is that I made two cases- the first I made so it basically fit my uke like a glove- which I absolutely love the look of- but since it fits like a glove, zipping it up is kinda like putting on your jeans fresh out of the dryer- you gotta wiggle and jiggle to get the zipper shut.  The second case I gave it an extra 1/2 inch more in the depth of the case so it doesn't have any problem closing, but it definitely isn't as snug tight in the case. So decide what will work best for your project and alter accordingly.

You will need to add at least 1 1/4 inch for seam allowance to your depth measurement and more if you want it roomier. (when you sew your bag together- you use around a 1/2" seam allowance)

Ok.. my uke is 2 inches thick so I knew with seam allowance and putting my zipper in I needed to make my panel 3 1/4 inch thick (for the snug case) and 3 3/4 inch thick on the loose fitting case. The zipper I used is 36 inches, so I cut two panels that were 36 x 1.75 inches (for the snug case) and 36 x 2 inches (for the looser case). Once I put my zipper in they were the thickness I was hoping for. 

So calculate your measurements for the length and thickness of panels you will need. Then cut out 2 in your main fabric, 2 in duck cloth, and two in batting (but still cut your batting down a half inch smaller on all sides to reduce bulk). Layer them as you did the previous panels and quilt as desired.

I found my zipper at Joanns and it was the only one like it that was a smaller/daintier zipper but really long (36")- it's called a Robe zipper. If you are making this case for a bigger instrument you will want a longer and possibly heftier zipper. 

  Step #6: Sew your zipper into your panels. 

Place your zipper face down on the right side of one of your panels and pin in place. Use your zipper foot and stitch. Open up and place your other side of your zipper face down on the ride side of the other panel and stitch. 

 Step #7: Press your zipper panel open and top stitch. 

 I like to use a little trick of using my blind hem stitch foot to get my stitch perfectly straight, but you can use a regular presser foot as well- stitch about 1/8" from the zipper to give it a finished look and hold your zipper open on the back side. (see below)

Step #8: Make your top panel for your case. 

Start by measuring around the edge of one of your main panels- use a soft measuring tape so you can get an exact measurement. My perimeter was 56 inches.  

 So to determine the size for your top panel-

take the measurement of the perimeter of your main panel minus the length of your zipper panel plus a 1/2" for your seam allowance. 

Mine equation was 56"-36"+.5"=20.5"

Next measure the width of your zipper panel- mine was 3 1/4". 

So I cut a panel that was 20.5" x 3.25" in duck cloth, main fabric, and batting (but make sure you trim your batting to be smaller as you have in the previous panels). Quilt this panel as desired. 

Step #9: Place one end of your top panel right sides together with one end of your zipper panel and stitch with a 1/4" seam allowance. 

 Repeat with the opposite ends of the two panels. When you are done, you should have a circular panel.

 Step #10: Time to start assembling the case. You will need to pin your circular zipper+top panel piece right sides together to one of your main panels (your piping should be sandwiched in between these layers- already basted on). At this point you will want to determine where you would like the zipper placement. For mine, my zipper starts at the middle of the base of my uke and wraps around one whole side and up and over to the other side at the top of the ukulele's neck. Once I had it pinned, I got my other main panel and marked where the zipper placement was so I would have not trouble lining it up in the correct place when sewing on the other side of the case. 

Now put your zipper foot on your machine and move your needle so it is positioned so you can stitch as close to the piping as you can- your seam allowance will be roughly 1/2". Now it's time to stitch. Don't get discouraged on this part- it is kinda tricky sewing through the layers of the duck cloth and getting a close fit. Just stitch around once and then look to see if you need to go over any areas to get a closer stitch. If your machine is having a hard time stitching through it you could use a heavy needle.

Once the first side of the case is stitched to the zipper panel, it's time to pin your other side of your case on and stitch. Use those marks you made as a guide of where to line up your panel with the zipper openings so you get it even. One thing to remember is that you will need to open your zipper up so that when you stitch this side on you have a way to turn it right side out. When it is all pinned in place go ahead and stitch like you did with the first side. Again- don't get frustrated- just go slow and sew as close to that piping as you can get. 

Wheww... Take a deep breath- you are finished with the trickiest part! 

Step #11: Ok... now let's talk handles... Depending on the size of your instrument you may need a different size/heavier handle than what I made- but for mine I just used my cotton fabric and cut a piece that was 4" x 7". Then I pressed the ends in 1/4" on each side (making it 6.5" now). Then I folded and pressed in half (so it was 2x6.5") and then opened up and folded the raw edges in towards the center and pressed and then folded back over so the handle piece was 1"x6.5" with all of the raw edges tucked in. Then I stitch 1/8" from the edge around the whole thing to create my strap/handle.

I found that it was best to complete my case, put my instrument inside the case, and then pin the handle on the top panel (not the zipper side) to figure out where it needed to go. You will want your handle wherever it needs to go on the case so that the weight of your instrument is distributed evenly. Once it is pinned in place, you can stitch a 1" square on either side of the handle to secure it.

(in this picture below it shows me placing the handle on before trying my instrument in the case and I ended up having to pick out the stitches and redoing it because the position wasn't right to have the weight distributed equally.)

 Now it is time for the lining. Cut out panels in your lining fabric. You will need 2 main panels, 2 of the panels you used for your zipper panel, and 1 top panel. Use the same measurements that you used in the previous steps. 

Step #12: You need to recreate your circular top/zipper panel- but with out the zipper. So take the two strips you cut for your zipper panel and press in 1/4 inch on two edges that meet together where the zipper would go. Then place them right side together with the top panel and stitch in place with a 1/4" seam allowance. (picture below explains this if you are confused) Repeat for opposite ends... You should now have a circular panel like you did in step #9.

 Step #13: Use the exterior of the bag and mark on your lining pieces where the zipper start and stop is so you can position the lining exact. Then put together the lining like you did for the exterior of the case. Luckily this is 10 times easier since you are just using cotton fabric and not duck cloth! ;) 

Step #14: Hand stitch the lining into the case. I  hand basted the seam allowances of my lining to the seam allowances of the case so that the lining was held snug where it needs to be and isn't just hanging loose in there. (you could probably use fabric glue to glue your seam allowances together if you wanted too.) And then I just tucked the raw edge of my lining in as I went and whip stitched my lining in. 

That's it! You are all done!! 

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley

Star Wars Messenger Bags

Since I don't have any boys (yet), I rarely sew with "boy" fabric. Last summer I wanted to make something that would be "cool" enough for my 2 darling nephews to use. Since I was making all of my nieces Oliver + S Messenger Bags, I thought I would make some for my nephews too.

 They are lovers of all things Star Wars... So I went in search of the "coolest" Star Wars fabric I could find. For my oldest nephew, I wanted to get something that wasn't too over the top... He just turned 12 and I wanted something that had the Star Wars vibe but was a little more grown up looking. I came across this fabric. I loved it!

 He is also learning to play the guitar so I knew that some Michael Miller Groovy Guitar fabric was in order for the lining. I trimmed it all in a light grey solid and used some Michael Miller Huevos Dot in Stone for the strap. I really love the way it turned out!

For my youngest nephew I went with a fabric that definitely screamed Star Wars. I found this fabric at Joann's. I loved that it was navy (my favorite color). Even though it is definitely a Star Wars looking fabric, I felt like it was a bit classier since it was only navy and white (instead of a bunch of bright colors like most other Star Wars fabrics are).

 I lined the bag with Riley Blake Medium Chevron in Navy. Then I trimmed in a solid navy and used the navy for the strap too.

I really like how this one turned out. It was a lot of fun working with some boy fabric for a change! :)

Happy Sewing!!

xoxo, Ashley

Heather Bailey Messenger Bag

Happy New Years everyone! I hope you all had a happy holiday season!! I spent the last 6 weeks with family in Utah... It was a total blast!

I am home now and just trying to get back into my groove! It's been about 2 months since I touched my sewing machine and I am just itching to get working on a project!! In the meantime I thought I would share some projects that I never got around to sharing last year... Some messenger bags I made for my nieces and nephews.

When I made my first Oliver + S Messenger bag I fell in love with the pattern. I found the patter in the Oliver + S Little Things to Sew book. It is done so well and I just love making it. (I think I could make it in my sleep after making it 9 times now! ha ha)

  This is the version that I made for two of my nieces. The small version of the pattern works great for toddlers and the large version of the pattern works great for bigger kids.

Check back for the other versions I made of this bag... I will share them later this week! 

Happy Sewing! 

xoxo, Ashley

Little House Needlebook Tutorial

Can you believe that there is only 8 more days until Christmas!? Although most of my shopping and handmade gifts are finished up, I am definitely feeling like it is crunch time to finish up those last minute projects and gifts! So if you are like me and looking for something quick and easy gift to make a sewing buddy- I have the perfect project for you! 

 A little house needlebook. It's quick and easy, but packs a big punch since it is just so cute and tiny! :) I loved my Little House Zipper Pouch so much that I wanted to make a needlebook that was similar so I came up with this....

This project is perfect for using up small scraps of fabric lying around... All you'll need is a bit of fabric, some trim (mini pom poms, ric rac, lace, etc) a couple buttons, some batting, and a hair elastic.

To start, cut the fabric for your little house. You will need Two pieces that are 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches for the main part of your house. Two pieces of fabric that are 3 x 4 1/2 inches for the roof of your house. And two pieces of trim that are 4 1/2 inches long. Lay your trim on top of the piece for your house and then pin the roof piece right sides together and stitch. Open and press the seam towards the roof and then top stitch above the trim. Repeat with the other house/trim/roof panel.

Next you will trim your roof. I chose to have a pointed roof but you can make your roof however you would like. Once your roof is trimmed you can personalize your house however you would like. I added a door and two windows and just raw edge appliqued them to my little house- then added a small button door knob to the door.

( Ok- in this next picture- pretend that both roofs are cut to a point!)

Next take a strip of fabric that is 1 inch by approx. 4 inches. You will trim off the excess so it doesn't need to be exact. Now you are going to join your front and back of the house together. 

 Line the strip of fabric up with one side of the house (right sides together and sew with a 1/4 inch seam) then stitch the other side of the house to the other side of the strip of fabric. Once the front and back of the house are connected you can trim off any excess joining fabric.

Now that you have the outside of your needlbook complete you will use it as a guide and cut out one piece of batting and one piece of fabric for the inside of your needlebook.

 Next cut a 1 1/2 inch piece of an elastic hairband. Fold it in a loop and stitch it to the back side of the house. 

Now it is time to sew your needlebook together. Put the inside and outside fabric right sides together with the batting on top. 

Stitch all the way around the needlebook with a 1/4 inch seam allowance but leave a 2 inch opening on the base of the back side of the house to turn it all right sides out. Before turning it right sides out, trip the points of your house and clip the seam allowance generously in "V" of the roofs to ease the curve once it is turned right sides out. Be careful not to clip through the seams. If you turn it right side out and it isn't laying flat or is puckering there you need to clip more- again- be sure not to clip through the stitched seam.

 Turn it right side out and hand stitch the opening closed. 

Next it is time to sew in your pages of your needlbook. You can add as many as you would like and can make them the shape of the house or a simple rectangle like I did. Just measure the size you would like it to be and cut it out of a piece of felt. Line up the pages and stitch a line down the middle of the sheets of felt to hold it in place. You can use a decorative scissor to make the edges of your pages pretty if you would like.

Now all that is left is to stitch a button to the front of your needlebook for your elastic to wrap onto. (I hand stitched around the edge of my needlebook too with pearl cotton just for fun but it's not necessary!)

That's it! Now you have the perfect handmade sewing gift to give someone just in time for Christmas! 

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am taking the rest of December off to be spend time with family so I will see you in 2014! 

xoxo, Ashley

Quilted Weekender Bag: Take 4

I finally finished my 4th weekender bag and have been so excited to share it with you all! After making my weekender #2 in two days and weekender #3 in 4 days I decided to keep to a leisurely pace and took my time with this last one. It was nice not having to rush for a deadline for once! 

I really love how funky this turned out! I knew I wanted to have leopard print velveteen handles and leopard print cotton piping. The rest of the bag just came together with lots of prints I had in my stash. Many of them are Anna Maria Horner but there are a handful of other designers thrown in there too!

Of course I have to credit the wildly talented Elizabeth of Oh, Frannson for giving me (and all of the sewing world) the idea of making a quilt as you go version of the weekender bag. I am constantly amazed at all of the versions that have come into fruition inspired by that one bag! She is definitely a trend setter! :)

I made this bag as a gift but it hasn't been gifted yet... Instead, it is on display at my very favorite brick and mortar fabric shop- Sew to Speak. So if you live in my neck of the woods you can see it in person there! :)

Although I don't have any plans to make another weekender anytime soon (never say never), I can't say that I am cured of the "Weekender Bag Addiction". Can someone start a weekender bags anonymous support group soon? I can be the treasurer! 

"Hello! My name is Ashley and it had been 1 month since I made my last weekender bag."

I hope you are all having a fun holiday weekend!

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley

Pottery Barn Teen Inspired Christmas Stocking

A few weeks ago, I came across this PB Teen Christmas Stocking... 

(image source)

I loved the look of it and wanted to recreate my own version. Lucky for me, Bloomerie Fabrics had sent me a bit of Koi fabric and I knew it was perfect for this project!

I used Pennants Waving in Ivory for the cuff and lining of the stocking and The Way of the Flowers for the Peace sign applique and back of the stocking. 

I am not much of an artist, but I tried my very hardest to draw a peace sign with a fabric marker on my fabric and then cut it out and applied a heavy fusible interfacing to give the fabric a bit more stiffness and then just raw edge appliqued it onto my stocking with pearl cotton (hand stitched).

I used some wool blend felt for the letter applique on the base of the stocking. I freehanded the letters (inspired by the original stocking) and glued them to the stocking with fabric glue and then hand stitched around the edges with pearl cotton. I have never really worked with felt but I am a huge fan of it! I can't wait to use it in another project! The texture is really awesome!

I used a layer of batting in between the outer layer and lining of the stocking. Then I used a bit of mini pom pom around the bottom of the cuff. Overall I am really happy with how it turned out! Can't wait to send it to my little sis for Christmas!

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley

Our Family's Christmas Elf

I have wanted to start a Christmas Elf tradition in my home ever since I my oldest daughter's first Christmas. I love the cute Elf on a Shelf tradition that so many families do in their homes, but I wanted our family's Christmas Elf tradition to be different in a couple ways... The biggest being that I wanted our elf to be unique.

Since Santa is very aware of the fact that I love to sew, I knew he would definitely be on board with me taking part in the creative process of our family's elf. All I needed was a sprinkle of Santa's magic after our elf was complete for her to come to life and carry on our tradition! ;)

I started looking for ideas/patterns online and just wasn't seeing anything I loved... until I came across this darling Little Red Riding Hood Doll Pattern. It was exactly the look I was going for! I ordered my pattern from Dolls and Daydreams on etsy. (I am so impressed with Sarah's doll patterns! This pattern was 55 pages long with step by step photos walking through each part!) The pattern was in instant download, so I had it within seconds! Perfect!!

Next I came up with my color palette. I wanted to go with something that wasn't super "traditional" red and green Christmas colors- so I decided on peach and apple green. I love this color combo!   

Since I loved the pattern so much, I tried to stick to it pretty close so that my doll was just as cute as the original. I did make a few alterations to make her an elf (instead of Little Red). The first thing I did different was added a little curve to the shoe pattern to make her elf shoes.

Then I opted to only use the hood portion of the pattern and not add the cape. (Although I do think she would have been pretty cute with that cape too- I just wanted to make extra sure she looked like an elf and not a green and peach version of Little Red.) I also hand stitched a handmade felt ball (made with wool roving) to the tip of the hat. And instead of the cute mushroom in Little Red's hair, I made a candy cane instead. 

I am so happy with how she turned out! She is perfect for our family's new tradition! And Santa has already made a special trip to our house to sprinkle some magic on her, so our Christmas Elf tradition is already in action! 

(Yes- I am one of those crazy Christmas people! We start Christmas traditions and decor as soon as Halloween is over at our house!)  

We named our Christmas elf Evie... I think it's a perfect name for her! :)

Happy Sewing!

xoxo, Ashley