D.I.Y Sewing Machine Cover - Tutorial Part 2

Good morning guys! I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my D.I.Y Sewing Machine Cover tutorial - our machines really do deserve a pretty quilty cover don't they? I know Beau appreciates being protected from the elements (and the cat), and it makes that corner of my sewing room looks pretty and inviting. :)


At the end of Part 1 we had a pieced and quilted machine cover all ready for the final touches. Make sure your cover is trimmed of any excess backing and wadding, and squared up ready to move on!
I'm going to show you how I make my fabric ties and it's a bit of a cheats method because I don't enjoy turning in long lengths of fabric to form ties and bag handles etc.  I find this works well for me (and yes I do have one of those grippy turning tools which I dislike using) but you can sew them anyway that makes you happy.


Before I show you how to make the ties, here are a few other options if fabric bows are not your thing:

  • add one or two buttons to the front sides and hat elastic loops to the back sides to secure the cover. This is a good option if you want to use your cover as a mat for your machine to sit on while you're sewing - gotta love a dual purpose project.
  • add a length of elastic or trim between the sides to secure your cover.
  • use ribbon as ties instead of making your own fabric ties. You could add three or four down each side to make it look pretty.
  • sew a quilted fabric strip in your chosen width and length, adding either wadding or iron on pellon for stability.

All of these options work very well and they look great. They will need to be added to your cover before you sew on your bindings (except the buttons, sew those on last).


  • To make the fabric ties you will need 4 strips of fabric 5" wide x 21 1/2" long. Make sure each short edge is squared up and that each strip is pressed well.


  • Fold each strip in half lengthways, wrong sides together and press to create a crease through the middle. This crease will be your guide for folding the next few steps.
  • Fold one corner in towards the crease, wrong sides together and press to form half of your point.
  • Repeat for the other corner to form your point.


  • Fold the top edge in towards the crease, wrong sides together and press.
  • Repeat for the bottom edge.


  • Fold your strip in half lengthways to enclose all the raw edges and top stitch a scant 1/8" across the point and down the length of the tie to secure. Make 4 ties. 


Once your ties are sewn, position them on the wrong side of your cover, raw edges together and sew a scant 1/8" across the top to secure. I found it was easier to lay the machine cover over the machine first and decide exactly where I wanted my bows to sit before I pinned and sewed the ties in place.


Cut your binding strips to your preferred width - I cut mine at 2 1/4" wide. Attach your bindings to the front of your machine cover and make sure your ties stay safely out of the way as you sew, I pinned mine back just to be sure.
Fold your binding to the back and hand stitch into place. Place your finished cover over your machine and tie the bows to keep it in place.
Voila! You're done! I hope you enjoyed making your new sewing machine cover. :) I'm sure it will look pretty in your sewing space and you'll be happy knowing your machine is safe against the elements which is very important.


I love my new cover and I'm so happy to share it with you in this tutorial. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions - I'm always here to help if I can, so ask away!
Happy sewing :)

4 comments

  1. Thank you very much. It's so pretty and very useful. Hugs.

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  2. You're very welcome :) I hope you enjoy making one for your own sewing space :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Just what I was looking for! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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