Love bird ukulele gig bags by Ivy Arch

Hot on the heels of the weekend's RSPB annual Big Garden Birdwatch survey* comes a new range of Ivy Arch bird print ukulele gig bags.
     I've used my Flea gig bag pattern for these soft cases as this gig bag shape is also popular with owners of a standard soprano ukulele (these bags fit both type of uke). I channel quilted the front panels in straight lines to contrast with the oval body shape.

The bird print fabrics are all from Ikea and I especially love their delightful new pale blue Evalotta material (designed by Malin Åkerblom) with its bright orange, red, pink and green exotic birds. 

    All four quilted uke gig bags are available to buy now from my Etsy shop.

* In the hour we spent observing Birdwatch we spotted a song thrush, a jay, a blue tit, two blackbirds, 10 carrion crows and 11 seagulls - most common in these parts.

Your Fleas have bags - new gigbags at ukebag.com

The Flea Museum is a fansite dedicated to all things FLEA ukulele. Last month they kindly ran a feature about the very first uke gig bag I made for my own Flea. I promised Flea Museum readers I’d make some more Flea gig bags for the shop and here they are at last!

Both are made from Ikea furnishing fabric in glorious, bold prints. I love Ikea’s fabric designs and these two with their circular motifs seemed a perfect fit for the curves of the Flea.

The psychedelic uke bag is made with mulitcoloured Saralisa printed fabric by artist Cilla Ramnek. The print reminds me of Heinz Edelmann's zany illustrations and hallucinogenic landscape of Pepperland in the Beatles' Yellow Submarine film.  And you thought it was just a bright, cheerful gig bag.

The yellow bird-cage fabric is by print designer by Lotta Kühlhorn. It's part of her Annamoa range for Ikea featuring designs inspired by different environments around Sweden.

To buy either of these or to see my other Ivy Arch handmade uke gig bags, visit ukebag.com. 

You can read my interview with the Flea Museum here.

A new bag for my Flea

For my birthday I bought myself a large piece of Sanderson’s beautiful Hayward fabric in turquoise. The print is inspired by the textures and patterns used to decorate 1950s Poole pottery and it's from Sanderson’s collection of reprinted iconic 50s designs (which includes Lucienne Day’s Perpetua, Marian Mahler’s Mobiles and Jacqueline Groag’s Festival prints). I wanted to make something special from the fabric, but also a thing I could use every day so I decided to attempt to make a new gig bag for my Flea ukulele.

I found an easy-to-follow guide on the Instructibles website (thank you tewharau), so took that as my starting point but added a side panel to give the bag more structure and shape (as is standard on all those dreary black uke carry cases). I put a shorter zip along the bottom of the bag as I thought it looked neat and channel quilted the bag to give it a luxe feel. I sewed a strap adjuster with D-ring onto the strap so that I can sling it across my back when I’m cycling, or shorten it into a handle to carry in my hand. 

Making a sewing pattern by drawing round my Flea

Preparing to cut out the pattern pieces

My favourite part is quilting wadding onto the fabric

I quilted curved lines to echo the shapes of the vases and also the Flea's curves

Adjustable strap

Zipped up bottom panel

The lining fabric I used is BRITTEN DÖRR by Emma Jones for IKEA

I’m very happy with the end result and already have orders to make two more bags for friends. My daughter is also begging me to make one for her battered yellow Mahalo…

* My Flea uke gig bags are now available for sale!  Visit  ukebag.com