Covering More Things

I'm am knocking April projects off my list left and right. I feel in control of my home, of my space and of my project list. For once.

I'm sewing for sanity here. Pants into shorts, gifts for friends (more on that later), finishing pillows, organizing thread...The coup de grace? I made a cover for my sewing machine! 

This project has been in the back of my head for a while, especially once I took a close look at the dust my little Singer has been collecting between weekends. A few yards of free fabric, a coordinating discounted remnant from Joann's and we have a cover!I loosely followed this tutorial- mostly just to get an idea of what and how I was doing. Otherwise, it was pretty straightforward. Two coordinating fabrics (I can classify "coordinating" however I like, thankyouverymuch. Plus, when am I EVER going to have the chance to sew something this loud and crazy?) and you've got a pretty quick project. If you're up to the spatial challenge. By 9:30pm I was not.

I measured my machine pretty generously as I would rather trim and hem than have to re-cut because it was too small. My machine ends up being about 21x10x13 inches. So three middle pieces (including the 1/2in seam allowance on all sides) are 8x38 inches . The sides, originally the second fabric color, are 14.5x11 inches. Pin it up, sew some straight lines and zig zag those edges to prevent fraying. If there's a better stitch option, I'm still playing with my machine. 

The sides were a little tricky, as the tutorial says some mush about center lines and whatnot. This made no sense to me, so I sewed where I thought I should- feelin' pretty cocky. And then, you know, life hits you in the face and I realized that I sewed up one side, but didn't leave any room to sew the top. Good job, Brie.

Sewing teaches me humility. I have all of these plans and patterns and ideas so I rush to the machine, eager to zip through it all, only to realize that before you can run you must realize that you have FEET. And then learn to hold your head up. And then crawl...It's a long process, but I seam-rip a lot more than I would like to admit. And I find the time to laugh at myself, and realize that I need to slow down and enjoy what I'm doing. 

I sewed the sides on correctly the second time, and draped it over my machine. It's a little big and a little droopy: partly because of the fabric being so thin and partly because I was not terribly strict on my seam allowances and measurements. Nothing another seam can't fix.I took in the two middle seams a tad, just enough to squeeze the cover closer to the machine. And now for the pocket. This was my first attempt at tucking/folding and I was only slightly impressed with myself. I think I could have done better.

Once everything was on correctly it was time to hem- I turned the cover inside out and folded the bottom up until it was all even around the edges. Nothing fancy, just a little one inch hem. I trimmed the hanging edge (about three inches worth) and stepped back to admire. Unfortunately- because I was running in the rhythm then- I didn't take a picture of it half-done. Once the tutorial finished I realized that my machine is a bit lopsided. I had a lot of room on both ends because the edges of my machine sort of sloped, diagonal-like. 

So I adjusted. I tried, really carefully, to fold some of the fabric in, staying mostly with the natural fold of the cover as it fell in on itself. Two long tucks on the left side of the machine and two smaller tucks on the right side, just for balance. It was sort of nerve-wracking to do this, considering I had to sew over a seam or two. I was trying very hard to not mess up what I had just made. 

I pinned initially on the outside- two pins that crossed each other like an X because just one pin would come undone no matter how carefully I turned it inside out. Once the cover was turned, I grabbed where I had pinned and transferred the pins to the other side, so I could pull them out when I started sewing. Thinking back on it now, it may have just been easier to have the cover on inside-out the whole time and pin the folds out instead of in. Hindsight.

I can't decide if it makes me want to sew more- because it's awesome I just made that- or sew less- because it's so pretty.

Link up! Keeping it Simple, SewChatty, Monday Funday, Homemaker on a Dime, Made by You Monday