I found myself with a dilemma last weekend as I was getting excited about a quilting workshop I was about to take – my sewing machine didn’t have a carrying case and I started to get a bit worried about transferring the machine back and forth without protection. I’ve seen lots of great patterns for covers to keep your machine dust free when not in use at home, so I decided to turn the idea upside down, literally, and make it tote-able for on-the-road sewing.
To start out, measure your machine across the front for length and from top to bottom for circumference. A tape measure like this is best to use. Depending on how floppy you want the cover to be, give yourself an extra inch or two on the circumference.
Next, select your fabrics. I used some leftover fabrics from previous projects that were big enough to cut as one piece. I’ve seen some that are plain, have lots of embellishments, or are even patchwork. It’s all up to you. Cut the front, back, and batting pieces to the measurements you took. Sandwich them all together and pin.
To sew the pieces together, it’s up to you on the style you’d like. You could simply sew around the edges and be all set or quilt it like I did. I quilted random straight lines up and down the cover to give it a softer, cushier feel.
You’re getting close to the end. Again, to keep it simple, you could pink the edges for a quick finish. I decided to use pre-made bias tape on mine as I had lots of scraps in my sewing desk. For the tie closures, I used some of the bias tape scraps and sewed them shut. Before sewing on the binding, I pinned them in place and layered the tape on top so that they would sewn shut. Do this on either side, making sure to match them up when the cover is folded in half.
With the binding on and the top ties in place, I put the cover on the machine and tied it shut. I decided to place the last sets of ties once I did this so I had a custom fit for my machine – I wanted one more at the top under the handle and either side with one set being right below the flywheel. These sets will now be sewn underneath the bias tape binding, but I didn’t mind. Mark the desired positions for them and sew into place.
There you go! Your machine is now ready to hit the road – just make sure to place it in a safe place in your car!
What other types of portable handmade covers have you guys made before?
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