Sewing Machine Cover

I finally got my own sewing machine! I've been borrowing one here and there for years now. Now that I think about it, this is my first sewing machine!

Anyway, I got a nice area set up for it so that I didn't have to pack it away every time I was done with it. However, my cats like to play with thread like all cats do. I have a terrible habit of leaving a machine threaded when I'm done with it, but the cats will un-thread it if I don't put the machine away.

Sewing machine covers can be pricey, and you still have to remove the machine from most of them in order to use it. I just wanted to cover it up so that the cats couldn't get at it. So I took the box that the machine came in and made a cover with it.

Materials:

• Box big enough to fit over your machine
• Something to cover the box with: wrapping paper, fabric, contact paper...
• Tape, or if using fabric, glue.
• Scissors
• Two washers
• 1 shoelace

Process:

It's actually very simple, and I'm sure someone else out there has posted something similar.

Tape the top of the box closed, then cut the bottom open and cut the flaps off. You could just put your box upside down if you want and cut the top flaps off the box.

Wrap the box with your material or wrapping paper (I used wrapping paper because I wouldn't have to wait for the glue to dry).

Punch two holes in the top of the box, big enough to fit the shoelace through. Thread the shoelace into both holes from the outside of the box.

On the inside of the box, place a washer over each shoelace, all the way down to the holes. Tie the shoelace into a knot over each washer.

And now you have a sewing machine cover with a handle!

Removable Neck Pillow Cover

A friend of mine has been redecorating her bedroom. It started with a wall hanging that was given to her as a gift. It was gorgeous, but didn't match the decor in her room at all. So, she decided to start redecorating. When she bought her comforter, one of her favorite pillows wouldn't match. She likes to sleep with the pillow, so I told her that I would make a cover for it so that it would match her comforter set and she'd also be able to wash it.

I started by measuring the length and diameter of the pillow. The width of my cut of fabric was the diameter plus one inch for a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Once I measured the length of the pillow (just to the edge seam), I added a few inches to each end to allow for an elastic pocket and to allow the fabric to go to the center of the end of the pillow.

Here's the pillow I started with:

After cutting one piece of the pink fabric, allowing for the measurements described above, I sewed the short edges (end) about one and a half inches back to make a pocket for the elastic.

Next I added the ribbon.

I sewed the ribbons on by sewing down both sides.

I then sewed the long seam, but forgot to leave the ends open so I could insert the elastic. I had to rip the edges open...oops!

I measured the elastic by taking the length of the short edge and cutting it in half and using that size for each of the elastic pieces. The elastic is so that I can close the edge some but still allow the user to get the pillow in and out of the cover.

After inserting the elastic and pinning it in place, I sewed the ends of the long edge.

The finished cover without the pillow:

With the pillow inside:

I wasn't happy that I could still see the end of the pillow once it was inside of the cover, so I turned it inside out and sewed Velcro inside to help it stay closed.

Once I got the pillow back inside and closed the ends with the Velcro, it looked much better!