Sewing Machine Cover and Mat!
...a Sewing Machine Cover and Mat!
Hello everyone! Today's Chloe Makes was a bit of "I need a cover for my sewing machine" so I thought, why not make it into a post and show you all how I did it! I took inspiration from Polka Dot Chair's roll up sewing machine mat, and also turned it into a cover! The beauty of this project is that it is completely customisable to your needs!
To begin, I cut out all the pieces, so I needed to work out what the dimensions of my cover would be. I measured the base of my machine and the height from the base on one side, to the base on the other. This gives you your width and length of your mat. Mine worked out at 40cm x 70cm, so adding a couple centimetres allowance for trimming, I had my dimensions. You will need 1 piece of this size for your top fabric, one for the bottom, and 1 piece of wadding, I used fusible fleece and this worked out really well (and easy!).
You also need to work out how big you want your pocket. I decided 10cm would be enough, so my pocket size was 40cm x 10cm, plus a little extra for trimming. Again, you need the three pieces in this size as for the mat base.
Finally, you need around 1m of ribbon for the ties, and some binding. To work out how much binding you need, add together all sides of the mat, plus the top of the pocket, I had 3m and that was plenty (read: way too much!).
I was planning on making a thread catcher as well, but I ran out of time, so that will be a project for another day.
So! Once all my pieces were cut out, it was time to iron the fusible fleece to the bottom fabric. You could also use a quilting method to secure all the pieces together, but this was much easier, and also much quicker!
Once this was all ironed together, I pinned, and then tacked all the layers together to stop slipping and ensure a neater finish.
Now all the pieces are sewn together, the first bit of binding that needs to go on is the top of the pocket. To decide which side the binding needs to be on, you need to work out where your pocket is going to go. For me, I wanted the pocket to be at the back when it was on the machine, so for the design to be the right way up at the front, the pocket needed to be at the top of the design. If your fabric is plain, or the direction of the design makes no difference, you wont need to worry about this part, however, I had to ensure the flowers were the right way up.
So, I used a bias binding from the shop in a pale pink, it went really nicely with the 100% cotton and poly-cotton fabrics I had chosen for the design. I unfolded the binding and sewed along the edge to create a nice finish, then folded it over and sewed the other side.
Next you need to sew the pockets shut. Pin the pocket where you want it and decide how big you want your pockets, then sew up from the bottom to the top of the pocket, ensuring that you back stitch where the binding is so it doesn't come unstitched when you use it! I just went with 3 equal sized pockets for ease.
On to the final steps! Figure out where you want to have your ties, I went with just above the pocket. Cut the ribbon into quarters and seal it with a flame so it doesn't fray. Pin each quarter to half way down the mat once it is folded in half, one on each half side, so when it's unfolded, there's two on each side (does that make sense?! See the image at the top of the post if it's a little unclear!). I suggest pinning the ribbon to the middle as well as the edge so it doesn't move whilst you are sewing, or you'll end up with a wonky ribbon! Pin the binding around the edges and sew to secure, then you're all done!
From first sight this project looks a little complicated, but it's actually so easy, I was surprised at how quickly it all came together! Keep an eye out for these in the shop as I'm sure I'll get roped into making more to cover the shop sewing machines!
Hope this has inspired you to make your own covers or mats, see you next week!
