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A Flute Case

Aug 26th, 2007 by Kathy

“warm, warm, warm, hot… hot! oh… really cold”.

Gosh this was fun. Good ol’ giggle fun. Like take a guess, be lucky sort of fun. I had some great laughs (who can’t use those) and a lot of great ideas! Maybe my back to school projects aren’t finished yet. Well, no one guessed correctly, which I predicted, but I was pulling for you guys. Some of you were so ‘hot’ around the back-to-school tote thing I thought one picture might give it away.

But around here, there’s always a winner. And often two! This time the random number generator chose Pam of PamKittyMorning. My second prize goes to Nicolette of devliégendekoe for the guess that made me laugh the most. A bowling bag. Greg and I used to make a regular appearance at Japantown Bowl in San Francisco. Nothing better on a Friday night than sushi and a few games accompanied by Heineken out of the bottle. (While researching this post I’ve become aware that Japantown Bowl AND Park Bowl are no longer in existence, dang…I really hate change.)

The prizes deserve a post of their own so check back tomorrow. Send me your snail mails my friends and it will be in the mail before you can say “… a flute case, I knew it!”

Construction details:

I measured the physical case and cut two rectangles and a sashing dimension that were all much too large. Major hint: a flute case doesn’t need ease. It doesn’t eat Haagan-Dazs Vanilla & Almonds ice cream bars for dessert. I worked my way down to a pattern that was about 1/2″ bigger than the actual case measurement.

I created a sash that was two pieces (it’s 4 if you look at my pictures and count my seams but that’s because I didn’t know how the whole thing would come together, if I made it again it would have 2). One piece is split down the middle, a zipper and a slot for the case handle. The second piece is whole and joins the first one on either end.

Fusible fleece as batting. I quilted each of the four sections before piecing.

I assembled by sewing the sashing completely together (one big loop) and then sewed the sashing to one rectangle and then the other. Just like it was a boxed cushion. Yet another book review I need to do…

All the inside seams were finished with a serger.

In working my way down to the correct pattern size I basted the seams each time to make seam ripping, re-cutting, and re-sewing easier. I think it took 4 attempts to get right. I just couldn’t believe it didn’t need to be bigger!

Strap is a length of twill tape covered in ribbon. Just like the water bottle carrier.

Thanks for playing along. Only 10 more days till school begins!

Posted in Sewing | 26 Comments

26 Responses to “A Flute Case”

on 26 Aug 2007 at 9:56 pm1Pink Chalk Studio » Blog Archive » How to Bury Serger Threads

[…] * contest over, see the winners here. […]
on 27 Aug 2007 at 12:42 am2nicolette

I’m so glad I made you laugh! It’s great to read you actually did some bowling and some Heineken! Thank you for awarding me a prize Kathy! I love the flute bag. I wish I had had such a lovely bag when I had my clarinet lessons!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 1:24 am3katrin

never-ever i would have guessed a flute bag!
i don’t know if such a nice bag would have kept me playing saxophone. of course it must have been a larger bag, back then
on 27 Aug 2007 at 2:16 am4Adrienne

LOL! It’s really cute!!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 5:18 am5Mama Urchin

A flute bag, well that was a hard one to guess. Looks great though.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 5:25 am6Dee Light

I played the flute when I was in school!!! I love that tote, it is sooooo cute. Mt daughter’s piano teacher playes the flute, I wonder if I can figure out how to make one of those before Christmas!!! What a wonderful idea!!!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 5:47 am7Katie

Well darn. I never would have guessed!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 5:50 am8Katie

Oh! And thanks for leading me back to the ISO tutorial. I have a new digital SLR camera and I’m still hopeless with it. So any help I can get….
on 27 Aug 2007 at 6:39 am9Heidi

Shucks! I thought I was close! I love the flute case, a really great idea! Don’t think I’ll try to make mine a saxophone case though….
on 27 Aug 2007 at 6:52 am10Anina

I love it! But that one would have been very, very hard to guess indeed.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 7:37 am11Solidia

I love the little tote! I think my clarinet needs one. I’ll add that to the list! LOL!!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 7:43 am12Solidia

Oh how cute! I think my clarinet needs one!! I will add that to my list of things to do. LOL!!:)
on 27 Aug 2007 at 7:51 am13Christy

Oh that is totally cute. I’ll have to see if I can make one for my daughter who plays flute in her middle school band. School has started it’s second week today, and I am so thrilled!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 8:24 am14Pam

I can’t believe I won!!

I love the flute case.. really cute. And what a clever idea. So much cooler than the little hard case I remember from childhood. Very nicely done!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 8:25 am15Pam

PS I love the strap, and that the case fits inside, so much easier to carry!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 9:27 am16Amelie

this is a great idea! My mom would have loved one of those. I hope the girls have fun with the music sessions and lessons.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 2:40 pm17Robyn

That’s a really great idea and I love the colors.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 6:10 pm18Coralee

Wow, wish I had one of those when I used to play the flute! It’s fabulous!!!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 6:47 pm19Kim

I don’t suppose you have a pattern for a baritone case, do you?
Wheels would be good.
on 27 Aug 2007 at 9:17 pm20shannon

Very cute bag, her friends must be jealous!
on 27 Aug 2007 at 9:38 pm21melissa

you are truly a woman after my own heart, Kathy. As a flute player myself (still playing after all these years), I can appreciate having a strap on the case. I just recently bought a new flute that came with a similar case in leather. I must try to make a case like this for my old flute. Perhaps it will inspire a little person to show some interest??
on 27 Aug 2007 at 10:20 pm22Pink Chalk Studio » Blog Archive » The Zippered Pouch

[…] Lucky for contest winners Pam and Nicolette I successfully navigated my own gobbledygook and came out the victor. Aren’t they cute? Both fabrics are from Superbuzzy. An outside observer might say I’m obsessed with mini flowers. I am. They go with EVERYTHING. […]
on 28 Aug 2007 at 3:53 am23susan

how lovely a flute bag it is! your work never ceases to amaze me!
sorry i missed this during my “lost august”… i might .. might have guessed as my daughter plays the flute too!
we made a bag for the dreaded music stand. my sewing skills are limited so i just used a leg of an old pair of jeans, which we had embroidered, and put a drawstring in it. kept the stand under control enroute to school!
on 28 Aug 2007 at 5:21 am24Fiona

Love the Flute Case. Lovely fabric. Looks great.
on 28 Aug 2007 at 5:00 pm25stacey

omg, why didn’t my mom ever think of this when I was toting my flute back and forth tp school? What a great idea - I still have my flute - if I can talk one of my dear daughters to play it - they are so getting this cool case! nice idea!
on 29 Aug 2007 at 11:52 am26Eren

I played the flute in jr. h and hs too! Great idea!!!