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A Case for a Uke You may remember I received a ukulele in the mail a few weeks ago. It was built by Paul Helbert, who lives in western Virginia, a man I know only through the internet. I start lessons at the Senior Center in a couple days, but until then, I am occupying my time productively. What do you do when someone gives you something beautiful? Make something beautiful to carry it around in. By the way, Paul does commissions - he's available via email at paul.helbert@gmail.com and is a really great guy.
It had arrived in a came in a cardboard box. While I am certain I will someday end up as a hobo, living in a cardboard box, I did not want that to be the fate of my new friend.
I made a box out of scraps of 1/8" plywood from a build we are doing at the Toledo Community Boathouse - the good news is that is marine grade plywood (which is cool, 'cuz I'm an ex-Marine.)
The box is nice, but I wanted to pad it. I went down to the local Walmart (all our fabric stores have been driven out of business - more by the nasty old ladies that 'worked' there than anything else. I wanted something of a nautical theme and this was the best they had.
I cut up a grocery bag and traced around the lid
Then drew . . . what to call them? Wings? to run up the sides. This is all new to me. I'm making it up as I go along.
Bitter experience has taught me to check my work. Close enough.
Trader Joe's has a nautical theme to it's stores, so even the choice of grocery bags was significant. I folded the fabric over and cut both faces at once - I like to make all my mistakes at one time.
I added batting to make the cloth fluffier. I had hoped the new puppy would be more of a Helper Schnauzer, but alas, she is not. And she thought batting was just the BEST stuff for chewing and dragging around.
Now I was getting all McGyver-y. I pinned the batting to one layer of fabric and then both of those to the other layer. Later, I learned about basting and trying pull strings to the corners.
This is the sewing machine I use to make polytarp sails. The finest in 1939 technology. I sewed around the perimeter, except for the narrow end.
I then reached inside . . .
and pulled it inside out, then . . .
. I straightened the bits up and sewed the end shut. There you have it, the padding for the top.
The padding for the inside was more complex - because of the wings, you know. But after discovering basting and pull strings, I got it all nice and purty.
I had a little cloth left over (I'd purchased 2 yards, I had about 1/3rd left) so I made a carrying strap so I can hang it over my shoulder as I walk the rails.
I secured the strap with my patented 'penny fender washers' - I had wanted to use Hawaiian quarters,but I couldn't find any in my loose change. It'll be a shame to go to federal prison for defacing 2 cents.
Hasps are from the cabinet section of a local hardware store
As are the hinges (hinges are hard.)
And there she is - a thing of beauty. As I mentioned before Paul does commissions and he's available via email at paul.helbert@gmail.com. |
