Make Your Own Sewing Machine Cover

About 6 months ago, I got my sewing machine out after having not used it for a very long time.  I had been lazy and it was neither stored in a carrying case nor with a cover.  So, it was dusty!  This resulted in very poor performance.  So, my husband and I took it apart, cleaned it very well, and oiled it up.  It then purred like a kitten.

I found my old carrying case and with time, the plastic had become very brittle and it was broken to the point of being non-repairable.  So, I figured with just a yard of fabric, I could make a sewing machine cover.  So it was off to the drawing board to come up with a solution.  Here's my cover!

It was very easy, took less than a yard of fabric, and very little time.  Here's how I made mine.

I first measured my sewing machine and found it had the following dimensions:  16" wide (at the base), 7" deep (at the base), and 12" tall (at the highest point).  I wanted to make this with the least amount of pieces and seams.  So, I then crunched some numbers to determine how much fabric and the sizes of fabric I would need.   I also thought I wanted to used two fabrics (one patterned and one basic solid). See my worksheet.

So, if your sewing machine is the same dimensions as mine, here's what you need!

2/3 yard main fabric
1/8 yard contrasting fabric
Coordinating thread

Using a rotary cutter and cutting mat, cut your main fabric 19" x 33"

And cut your contrasting 6" x 33" (a tip:  the quilting straight edge strip guide is exactly 6" wide!)

Iron your pieces to make sure they are smooth and flat.  With right sides facing each other, pin the two pieces of fabric together along the long edge. Sew them together with a 5/8" seam allowance.

With a hot iron, press your seam open (pressing your seams makes everything lay much flatter)

With right sides facing once again, pin your fabric together so that the main fabric is facing main fabric and contrasting fabric is facing contrasting fabric.  Sew, together, once again, with a 5/8" seam allowance.

Now try the best you can to press this two seams you just sewed open and flat.

If you turn your cover right side out,  you will find it looks somewhat like a pillow case.  Then, if you put it on your sewing machine, it looks pretty sloppy but it should fit fairly well around the base of your machine.

Don't worry, we're going to fix the sloppiness.  Turn your cover inside out.  Now you are going to position your fabric so that one of your end seams is coming down the middle:  you will find the seam ends in a point at the top.  Then, using your  quilting ruler, position it so that the seam lines up at 3 1/2 inches with a total distance from end to end of your fabric is 7 inches.  Draw a line.

Place 2 or more pins in the "triangle area" to hold the fabric in place

The line you drew is your stitching line.  Move your fabric to your machine and stitch along your drawn line.  Repeat for the other side.  Turn your cover right side out and see how it fit.  Much neater, now, isn't it?

You're in the home stretch.  Turn your fabric inside out one last time.  Now, in the triangle areas that resulted from your last two seams, cut off the excess, leaving a 1/2 inch seam. 

Along the bottom edge, turn up the raw edge 1" (wrong sides together) and press.

Hold this pressed seam in place with pins and sew this bottom edge.  Turn right side out and "Yea," you've just made a sewing machine cover!

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