Project description
I own a rigid-shell violin case — the moulded oblong type with a slightly domed lid over the lower bout — and I want it wrapped, panel by panel, in genuine leather rather than the factory nylon shell it currently has. This is not a soft gig bag: the shell stays rigid, and the leather goes over it as a fitted skin, glued and hand-stitched at every seam so the case keeps its shape and impact resistance while looking and feeling like a proper leather trunk.
The core of the job is the pattern. The case has a scroll bulge near the pegbox end, a narrower waist where the case necks down, and a wider lower bout — none of it is a flat rectangle, so the leather has to be pattern-cut in wrapped panels, wet-formed or heat-moulded where the curvature is tight, and skived thin at every overlap so the seams don't sit proud under the corner guards. I'd like the lid and the base treated as two separate wraps joined at the hinge line, with a soft welted edge running the full perimeter so the leather doesn't crack when the lid is opened flat against the base.
Inside, I want the whole cavity re-lined in plush fabric or suede-faced leather over new foam padding — a shaped cradle for the neck and scroll so the instrument doesn't shift, recessed pockets for the shoulder rest and mute, and a separate zippered accessory compartment in the lid for rosin, a spare set of strings, a small screwdriver for the fine tuners, and a cleaning cloth. The bow holders need to be re-set into the new lining without losing their spring tension.
Hardware: the case currently has its original clasps and a carrying handle, both of which should be reused if the leather can be worked cleanly around their mounting plates, plus new leather-wrapped shoulder strap attachment points on both sides so the case can be worn slung, not just carried by hand.
I can bring the case in for measuring and fitting, or ship it with full dimensions and photographs — whichever works better for your process. Looking for a firm timeline and a sample of the corner-wrap technique you'd use before the full commission starts.
The core of the job is the pattern. The case has a scroll bulge near the pegbox end, a narrower waist where the case necks down, and a wider lower bout — none of it is a flat rectangle, so the leather has to be pattern-cut in wrapped panels, wet-formed or heat-moulded where the curvature is tight, and skived thin at every overlap so the seams don't sit proud under the corner guards. I'd like the lid and the base treated as two separate wraps joined at the hinge line, with a soft welted edge running the full perimeter so the leather doesn't crack when the lid is opened flat against the base.
Inside, I want the whole cavity re-lined in plush fabric or suede-faced leather over new foam padding — a shaped cradle for the neck and scroll so the instrument doesn't shift, recessed pockets for the shoulder rest and mute, and a separate zippered accessory compartment in the lid for rosin, a spare set of strings, a small screwdriver for the fine tuners, and a cleaning cloth. The bow holders need to be re-set into the new lining without losing their spring tension.
Hardware: the case currently has its original clasps and a carrying handle, both of which should be reused if the leather can be worked cleanly around their mounting plates, plus new leather-wrapped shoulder strap attachment points on both sides so the case can be worn slung, not just carried by hand.
I can bring the case in for measuring and fitting, or ship it with full dimensions and photographs — whichever works better for your process. Looking for a firm timeline and a sample of the corner-wrap technique you'd use before the full commission starts.
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