singer's got a brand new dress!

With my morning off, I got productive and finally made the sewing machine cover I've had on my to-make-projects pile for months. My poor little sewing machine has never been properly cared for. In a serious way. If sewing machines had an ASPCA, you'd probably see me on cable TV being dragged out of my apartment with a black bag over my head. Sarah McLachlan will sing in the background as photos of my sewing machine pan across the screen, begging you to adopt it. But it all ends today!

I've planned for years to take it in and get it serviced, but I just never got around to it. My latest excuse is that it would be a waste to get it serviced since it didn't have a cover and would just get all dusty up in its gear-business again. Crafters win at this kind of procrasti-logic.

But today I did it, I made my poor little Singer a brand new dress. And boy is it cute! This is also my first and probably last foray into "pattern-making". To start, I whipped out my tape measurer and plotted a scale from every possible angle. This is what I came up with. It isn't super fancy and ended up being quite a bit too long, but that was a good call in the end.

Using the measurements on the pattern sheet, I cut out pieces from a lightweight cotton fabric I chose for the inside liner. As you can see below, I sewed the two side panels to the top panel first and the sewed on each of the sides.

Once all the panels had been sewn together (particularly difficult at the corners since I'm pretty much rubbish at sewing box corners), I put it over the machine to make sure I wasn't wildly off in my measuring. Just make sure you sew the liner so that the right sides show when it's flipped inside out and fitted into the outer piece. She seemed to realize what I was doing at this point and got excited by all the attention being paid to her.

Next, I cut the same pieces out in the outer, more sturdy fabric. I also did two lines of accent patchwork and appliqued them to the front panel. Once all the pieces for the outer cover were joined, I flipped the liner inside out and did some tiny hand stitches at each of the top corners and midway across the top panel, just to secure the 
liner at the top.

I put it back on the machine and realized I was about 1.5" off on the length. This ended up being a great thing because I reversed it, trimmed the excess inner fabric, then pinned up the outer liner over the inner fabric. I sewed the hem along the pins and then cut any remaining excess. Add some of the most awesome buttons I've ever found and been saving for years, then BAM! I am no longer a sewing machine owner-monster.

And it's done. Now I finally have no excuse not to actually take care of her. You can't tell in the pictures, but the outer fabric is a really pretty egg blue color and looks sweet in my room! Now excuse me as I go sew some more and sing "so happy togetherrrrrrrr......".

As a random aside, do people name their sewing machines? I feel like she needs a name. We've been through almost 9 years of life together (woah, 9 years...when did that happen!). So ideas? What's a good name for an inanimate object you love and can't afford to get a better one could never replace?