Grandmother’s Groovy Sewing Machine Cover
When my sewing friend, Jennifer of Bee Sew Inspired, asked me to join her Organize Along, I was both excited and embarrassed — because my sewing space is both organized and disorganized! I’m really looking forward to the tips others in the Organize Along have to share because anyone who has seen my sewing space knows I could use a little help!
The topic for this week is “Fabrics: Sorting by type, storage, accessibility.” Okay, I have this one mostly down pat. I have tried many methods to keeping my fabrics organized, and I have found using clear storage bins works best for me. Here you can see all of my solid colors organized by color family. This helps me easily find what I need at a glance. I use this same method for organizing prints, as you can see a little glimpse of in the bottom right corner.
I have a busy schedule, with upcoming projects planned out almost a year in advance. I have found using these clear bins to separate each project is an absolute must so the fabrics don’t accidentally get used for another project or disappear in a pile of scraps somewhere.
Today’s tutorial features Riley Blake Confetti Cottons. I had specific colors in mind, and again, I was able to quickly go to my clear fabric bins to find just what I was looking for. I’m not perfectly organized, but at least this part of my sewing room is in ship shape!
Every sewing machine needs a sewing machine cover, am I right? In practical terms, sewing machine covers keep the dust out of your machine while it isn’t in use, and they can also include pockets for storing notions and tools. But who says they can’t also look amazing?
I decided the first step to organizing a sewing space is having a functional & fabulous sewing machine cover! I pulled out my Groovy Flower Templates (available in my shop) to create this totally Groovy Sewing Machine Cover, and I’m in love!
I used Riley Blake Designs Confetti Cottons in Pumpkin, Curry, Brownie, Pinã Colada, and Cloud. This color combination is so retro and sew fun!
The front pocket is perfect for storing scissors, rulers and more.
Every sewing machine is different, so my fabric requirements are very general — you will need to calculate your fabric requirements based on the size of your specific machine. To make this sewing machine cover, you will need:
1/3 yard of each color (Pumpkin, Curry, Brownie, Pinã Colada, and Cloud) for the flowers
Extra fabric in background color of choice for the pocket
Approximately 1-3/4 yd. Brownie Confetti Cotton for sewing machine cover background main piece, sides, pocket flowers, and for binding
Approximately 1 yard fabric for lining
Approximately 1 yard fabric Pellon Flex Foam, Fusible Fleece, or Quilt Batting
1/4 yd. medium weight fusible interfacing for pocket, if desired
Spray adhesive (for layering top, middle and lining pieces). This is optional
Another option I used is a simple fusible hem tape found HERE
Groovy Flower Template
Referring to the diagram above, you will need to measure a piece for the main body, 2 side pieces, and a pocket.
The most important measurement is your side pieces. Measure the width of your machine from its two widest points. Next, measure the height of the machine from the table to the tallest point on the machine. From these measurements you have your basic rectangle shape for the sides. Because we are quilting the cover pieces, fabric may shift around a bit, possibly altering the size of your pieces. For this reason, I suggest cutting your pieces out about 2” larger than your actual rectangle size. You can trim it to size later on.
The main body size is really determined by the measurement of your side pieces. It will need to go from bottom front, over the machine, and to the bottom of the back of the machine. You can roughly estimate the length you’ll need by adding up the sum of the two sides and one width measurement from a side piece. Always add several inches to this length (I recommend adding 6 or 7 extra inches) so you have room to make adjustments later on. The width of the machine is found by measuring from the widest points of the machine.
If you want the pocket to run across the machine like mine, the width will be the same as the width of your machine measurement. My pocket was 7” deep, although I did trimming on the entire machine cover after it was sewn together, so it ended up being 6” deep.
Cut 2 pieces contrasting fabric (I used Pumpkin Confetti Cotton) for the pocket and 2 pieces medium weight interfacing for the pocket.
To begin, we’ll start by cutting out our flowers from the Groovy Flower Template. I used the medium size template for this machine.
Cut out flowers and flower centers from each of the colors, except the Brownie background color. **If you are adding the contrasting color pocket like I did, you’ll want just two flowers and flower centers cut out from the Brownie background color.
For the main piece and side pieces, layer the lining + Flex Foam (or quilt batting or fusible fleece) + Brownie background fabric. You can use a spray adhesive to hold these together while you sew. I used a few strips of fusible hem tape only because that’s what I had on hand.
From here, you can watch my tutorial in the video above. I show how I scribble appliqué the flowers, assemble the cover, add the pocket, do the final trimming, and add binding. **In my video, I show the side piece cut to size and curved corners added before the appliqué has been added. Ignore this. With your oversized side piece, complete the appliqué. After the appliqué has been added, the side piece is ready to cut to your measurements. To curve the top corners, use a bowl or round object to trace and cut a curve.
I am thrilled with my new sewing machine cover! I smile every time I look at it. Make sure you are following Jennifer @beesewinspired on Instagram for more Organize Along projects and tutorials.
You can find me on Instagram @bayhillstudio and on YouTube, where I share more creative content and project ideas! I hope you’ll try making one of these fun sewing machine covers. If you do, please tag me @bayhillstudio so I can share your creativity with all of my amazing maker friends!