Dressed-Up Machine

I've been intending to make a cover for my sewing machine for several months. Between the dust of living on a dirt road and the fluff of living with a cat, I knew it would be happier and safer if it was covered when not in use. Spending two hours dusting, de-linting, and oiling it (which I should have done upon getting it from the previous owner rather than waiting for it to make ugly noises) really drove the point home.

So, as soon as I was certain the oil wasn't going to come off on my fabric, I set out to whip up a quick cover.

The loud turquoise Elvis print is actually the inside fabric. Am I a secret Elvis fan? Um, not really. It was a scrap of the perfect size - and I couldn't imagine what else I'd use it for!

The outside is pretty scrappy too - two cast off legs (from converting $12 jeans to capris) and a stripe of plum and navy floral print. The corners are a little silly - I had too much material to manage a straight corner, but for the most part I'm acting as if that was intentional. The visible one on the right is the worst, the other three are more intentional looking.

My favorite part?

Looks a bit more human now, to me anyway. Like someone wearing a cloak - like Red Riding Hood. Or maybe an enchanted character from Beauty and the Beast.

The process was simple - cut the back to the right size, make the front, sandwich back, front, and a thin lining layer then sew together just like a quilt being quick turned. Turn it around, top stitch and tie it on! I can't believe I waited this long to do this.

Which means I really need to re-do the cover on my older machine. I'll spare you the picture, but it's more like a giant bag of pastel and cream fabric - though I did manage a hole for the handle so I can pick it up and move it easily. But I really ought to make another attempt at covering it - it looked slapdash before, and now it really looks sad in comparison.