So I’ve finished making a case that will hold my
tenor banjo, mandolin, and 4 whistles. I lined it
with microvelvet and overestimated the amount
of fabric I needed, so I wanted to use the extra
to make an instrument blanket, like those found
in nice violin cases. If you’ve never seen one of
these, it’s velvet on one side and satin on the
other. For example:
Now, I was looking at a friend’s violin case blanket,
and it seems a little thicker than just one layer
of velvet and one of satin. We thought maybe
there was some interfacing involved or some
kind of thin padding. Has anyone ever made one
or taken one apart, or might otherwise advice a
novice sewer on this subject? I tried using iron-on
interfacing on scraps but the velvet does not take
well to ironing.
I have blankets for my fiddle case and two mandolin cases. Both have some stuffing in them, but not very much.
I was involved in a long thread on the subject of case blankets in another forum. It seems to be the common opinion that case blankets for other instruments are a recent carry-over from violin cases. The majority opinion was that, for the violin, the blanket’s primary job is to keep the rosin on the bows away from everything else when the case is closed. It seems they serve no actual purpose for other instruments, and have been added by manufacturers to dress up cases because they are available and cheap. Some players reported having problems with the blanket pressing down on the instrument. I have to admit I never use the blankets for my mandolins. They’re more of a pain than they’re worth. They tend to get dirty, wrinkled, stuck in the hinges, etc. If you ever play outside, the blanket will track all kinds of debris into your case. A real mess.
While I think it’s really cool that you built a case, and I’d LOVE to hear details about a tenor banjo/mandolin/whistle case (boy could I use one!), I really think you should reconsider making a blanket.
How about some pics of the case? I think that’s great!
Pics will come. I was mostly thinking about the blanket
because at band practice I have to lay my instruments
on top of the case or on a piece of furniture. Either way,
there is a risk of the banjo’s metal parts scratching these
surfaces, and the whistles tend to roll off. The blanket
would solve both problems. And look all professional to boot.
Also, I am not a mechanical engineer, so there ended up too
much tolerance between the banjo and the foam in the lid,
so a blanket will help take up some slack and keep the thing
secure.
Sorry. Hope that didn’t sound offensive. Just passing on info and personal experience. Good luck with it, and hope you have pics soon. Sounds like a great idea.
BTW, how much does it weigh with all the instruments inside? Does it have wheels? I’d love to have one with wheels.
No, not at all! I appreciate the perspective. I didn’t
even think about dirt transmission. I will probably
make it regardless, because honestly, I have nothing
else to do with the fabric. But I may not end up
using it (or at least not leaving it in the case). I was
also toying with the idea of placing holes for dowels
in the edge of the lid, so I can leave the lid open and
have a “stand” for the mando/banjo. The dowels will
hold the pegboards steady. That’s still just an idea
though, I need to be careful of “feature-creep”.
It’s fairly heavy with the instruments inside. Not so
much that I can’t tote it, though. People have
mentioned wheels, but I don’t think I’ll go that way.
All the wheeled luggage I’ve ever used turned out
to be easier to just carry. Though I may change my
mind if I find the right wheels.
the best thing to use between the satin and velvet is felting. Most sewing/ fabric shops have felt in bolts, usually in many colors. I would pick a color that wouldn’t show on the satin side since odds are that the velvet won’t let the color show.
you can also get cotton cording there and make a wrap so you have same material piping around the edge.
One original use for a quilt was as a way to resurrect a worn-out woolen blanket. If you want to add bulk to your blanket, you should be looking at quilting it with any piece of bulky fabric. There’s probably a foam-based lining bulking up the models you’re thinking of, and any fabric store can sell you something along that line, although I suspect the foam in a violin case is custom formed in a way you won’t find in a fabric store. Velvet and satin, one their own or laminated, don’t have enough squish to avoid shifting the bridge if you get too many layers in the wrong place while closing the lid.
I’ve long suspected that it’s sized for women 5’5" or shorter. I’m just tall enough to make wheelie stuff uncomfortably short to push, so I end up picking it up, too.
Thanks for the info, but you’re about 20
days too late. I ended up just sewing the
edges together without any interfacing
and using fabric glue to keep the velvet
attached to the satin. It works well as a
blanket.
As Tim2723 suggested, it does add just
enough thickness to make the lid fit too
tightly against the mando bridge. So I
fold it up and bung it in the hole where
the banjo headstock goes. That works
fairly well.
I know, it weighs heavily on my mind
I’m still trying to correct the straps that
hold the lid up when it’s open. When I
bought some to use, I didn’t realize they
were elastic Now I’ve got the right
kind of strap but glue is not sufficient to
hold the strap on, so I’m going to have
to invest in a staple gun or something.
But I may not end up
Now I’ve got the right