How to Make a Soft Guitar Case

Guitars can be quite expensive, so shelling out even more money for a case right after you've purchased a new guitar can be painful. Fortunately, soft cases are easy to make with moderately priced materials and only minimal sewing knowledge. Soft cases do not provide the same level of damage protection as expensive hard cases do, but they will prevent minor scratches and dings as long as you store and transport your guitar with care, making a soft case a good choice for budget-conscious guitar players.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Thick cloth
• Thread
• Sewing needle
• Cotton
• Ropes or a large zipper

Instructions

1. Measure the front of your guitar's body and neck. You do not need to measure the sides, since you'll simply be sewing together two panels to cover the front and back, leaving a little bit of slack to accommodate the guitar's thickness.

2. Add about 6 inches to the measurements in every direction to accommodate for an electric guitar's sides and some sewing slack. For acoustic guitars, add 12 inches.

3. Cut out four pieces of thick cloth using your adjusted measurements. Each piece should favor the body's measurements, tapering up toward the neck dimensions only near the very top of the fabric.

4. Line up two pieces of cut-out cloth on top of each other and sew the outside edges, leaving a small space near the top. Repeat this step with the other two pieces.

5. Stick your fingers inside the small holes left in each of the sewn cloth pieces, grabbing the inside and pulling the sewn cloth inside out.

6. Stuff the two sewn cloth panels with cotton and sew the hole closed.

7. Line up the two panels and sew them together, leaving one entire side of the panels open.

8. Turn the pieces inside out, so the seam is on the inside.

9. Sew ropes or thick cloth ties to the outside of the newly constructed panels, so you can close off the open end of the case. Or, if you are a slightly more advanced sewer, you can attach a zipper to the opened side. Your guitar should fit snugly into the cushioned, soft interior of your completed case, where it will be stored securely when tied or zipped closed.

Tips & Warnings

• To save on material costs, look for discarded furniture or old clothes to tear apart for cloth or cotton stuffing; just make sure you do not use items containing traces of mold or mildew.