The Felted Flea Bag

When we saw the incredible hand-knit Flea Bag gigbag carrying case Mike Hushnel got for Christmas (2007) from his loving sister Betsy for his Tiki Flea ukulele, we knew we just had to add it to The Flea Museum, and Mike was kind enough to let us do just that!

Here's what Mike said when we asked him to tell us all about it:

Well, I don't know about you, but this Christmas (2007) was one of the best ever! Why? Because of the incredible felted "Flea Bag" that my sister Betsy made for me and gave me as a gift!. I was actually stunned when I opened it. She made it so I could carry my Flea ukulele around in style, and I think it’s really great, and that she matched the colors of my Tiki Flea very nicely, too. It’s just too cool!

She even needle-felted my company logo onto the flap, too! It's kind of a silly logo but I've had some fun with it, and it cracks me up that my sister put it on the bag. You can see the B&W original in the corner of the picture, and also on my company web page, where we make hand-crafted leather items for motorcyclists.

The way in which she made this fantastic Flea Bag is called "felting," and it's very popular in knitting circles, and has been for the last several years. In fact, after animal skins, felt is the oldest of fabrics, and, ancient though it may be, the felting process is still in use to this day in the making of fine hats, coats, carpets and a myriad of other products, too.

Anyway, my sister has simply amazing knitting skills, and her work, as always, is just superb! In fact, if you’re interested in having her make a custom, one-of-a-kind, handmade Flea Bag like this one for you, too, please contact either my sister or me at the addresses below."

So, if you would like to have one of these fantastic Flea Bags for your own ukelele, your own special unique Flea Bag can be made up in your choice of colors, to match or contrast with your own personal Flea ukulele, and she can even add your company logo (or any other design you want, like a ukulele, or a moon, a star, your initials, or whatever else your little heart desires), right on the flap to personalize it and make it your very own!

And, Fluke owners, don't feel left out, 'cause a one-of-a-kind handmade "Fluke Bag" can be made to fit your uke, too! Betsy can be contacted at: jbsauls@aol.com, and Mike can be contacted at: hushnel@bellsouth.net