The Adorable & Easy Sewing Machine Cover

Lately I'm all about hand embroidery. I love how portable it is; I can work on it for a few minutes throughout the day with the rare moments my crazy girls give me. I originally started this embroidery for the 4th of July, but since I pursue happiness almost daily on my sewing machine, it seemed appropriate. And I loved how this line of Blend fabric designed by Charlotte Lyons coordinates with the patriotic colors.

The embroidery pattern can be downloaded here. I used 2 strands of floss for the pinwheels and a single strand for the grass and words.

This is a super easy project and is fabulous way to showcase a piece of embroidery or some pieces of special fabric. You can create this with a few fat quarters and lengths of ribbon!

1.) Measure your machine from the bottom at the front to the bottom of the back (as seen in picture below), my machine measured in at 27". You will also need to measure the width of your machine, mine was 18".

2.) We will now cut the fabric for the inside of the sewing cover. Cut your desired fabric a 1/2 larger than each measurement you just calculated. So, my inside fabric was cut 27.5" x 18.5". I choose to use muslin fabric, but you can create this to be a reversible cover.

3.) The back of my fabric was a single piece of fabric - that was cut to 18.5" x 14".

4.) Now depending on your machine size, your final measurements for the front of your cover will vary, but I will show you my layout for your reference. The measurements listed include a 1/4" seam allowance and were pieced in alphabetical order.

5.) Once the front is pieced, you will need to sew the front and back of the top together (see picture below for reference.) Now you have a completed top piece that should measure 27.5" x 18.5"

6.) Before I completed the cover I added just a little bit more embroidery on the cover as seen below.

7.) Now we will need to prepare our ties for the sides - cut (4) lengths of ribbon 20" long. You will pin these 4" up from each corner.

8.) Now place the two fabric pieces (inside and outside cover) right sides together, lining up the corners, and pin every couple of inches. **Be sure that your ribbon pieces are sandwiched between the two layers**.

9.) With a 1/4 seam allowance, sew along the perimeter of the cover.***Leave a 3-4" gap to turn it right side out*** Clip corners and turn.

10.) Give it a nice hot press and top stitch around the perimeter. Enjoy and pursue happiness!

If you have any questions or you spot an error (ack!), please feel free to email me at allthingsbelle@hotmail.com

I would love to see if you make one!

How To Soothe The Soul

This past week we had a sudden death in our family on my husband's side. It was a shock that I think we are still reeling from. I am quite the emotional sponge - I stopped reading and listening to the news back when I was pregnant with our second daughter. It's very hard for me to disengage my emotions and carry on. However, when my husband rushed to his hometown with our eldest daughter, the house was TOO quiet at night. I decided that "working" may be the best for me.. so I completed my quilt for Project Quilting. Our theme was a tool prompt, and we had to incorporate 4 pieces of inspiration.

I present "And Sew It Begins.." I depicted the sewing machine and scissors in a literal format. I crocheted on the bottom of the machine (my third tool) and lots of free motion stitching (my fourth tool). It's a cheery little piece. I'm debating if I want to display it my studio as a reminder that art is a great way to work through my emotions.

In my opinion the best & worst thing about life, is that it goes on. The sun comes up, the children need to be fed, and our lives continue.. The loss of Darlene is deeply felt in our home and we wish peace to all who knew and loved her..