Getting Ready for Classical Conversations: Pouches for Tin Whistle

 

Luke and Levi love the tin whistle unit of fine arts in Classical Conversations {I don’t mind it either – the boys are pretty good at it!} Last summer, we found some great velvety fabric in their favorite colors.  With a few stitches, about half an hour of time, and the hard cardboard tube from tin foil, I created these wonderful and well-loved storage pouches for their instruments:

You do not need much fabric.  One-third of a yard of fabric will likely be fine – unless you are a sewer like me; I purchase half a yard so that I would have enough fabric in case I made a mistake, which often happens.  I also purchase one yard of ribbon for the draw sting.  Or maybe I bought two.  Just in case.

The cardboard tube from a standard-sized roll of aluminum foil is a perfect size in which to slip the tin whistle.  I was a little concerned that the boys’ instrument would be floating around in their backpacks on CC day, and I didn’t want them to be stepped or sat on.  The tubes I had were about 12” long.

The basic measurement for the case was 9 inches wide by 32” long (you’ll fold this length in half).

Sew a sleeve for the ribbon draw string, and sew straight up the two long edges.  Cut your ribbon in half.  Insert one half into the left side of the sleeve, then back around the other sleeve.  Repeat on the right side; knot your two ends together.

Slide your aluminum foil cardboard tube and tin whistle into the pouch

My model here, Levi, has cinched the top closed.

Levi’s bag is the orange and Luke’s is the army green.  Everything with Luke is army green.

If you have multiple kids, ask your friends right now to save their aluminum foil tubes!  And do not by the 200 foot roll of foil – it will add about an hour to your project to roll the foil onto another tube, and it is not easy or fun  (ask me how I know).

The pouches served us well during our first year of CC!  The boys never lost their whistles or their pouches, and since I wasn’t with them during our community day (I tutor a Challenge level program), I wasn’t worried about the boys stepping, sitting or otherwise crushing their whistles with their brute boy strength.

…And these do hang nicely on the office room door hooks during the season when they are not in use.