May Blog Hop: Day 1

We're finishing off the month of May with a bang: a 4-day blog hop of tutorials and giveaways!

Today, Kristen from KD-Quilts is visiting, sharing her quilt-as-you-go sewing machine cover made from the Needles and Pins collection from Kanvas. Kristen is a modern quilter in the Virginia Beach area and her blog features her modern quilt designs, patterns, and how-tos. Check it out! She's also holding a giveaway for a pack of 10" squares of the Needles and Pins collection, so be sure to head over and find out how to enter.

Hello, Kristen here from KD-Quilts!  I am so excited to be here on the Benartex blog today, sharing a tutorial for a quilt as you go sewing machine cover.  We all have our precious machines, and yes, they usually come with a boring cover, but why stick with a boring cover?!  Believe me, having a super cute cover to keep your baby clean and protected will make you remember to actually cover it up!

I used prints from the Needles and Pins line to make my cover.  Have you seen these?  They just scream to be made into something for the sewing room....like a sewing machine cover!

 Materials:

•                 Scrap batting
•                 Inside (foundation) fabric.  This doesn’t have to be anything pretty, it won’t be visible unless the cover is off and upside down
•                 Exterior fabric (I used 6 prints from Kanvas' Needles and Pins line)
•                 Basic quilting supplies (you know: scissors, pins, sewing machine etc.)
•                 Binding clips…not a necessity, but I HIGHLY recommend them!

First and foremost, you will need to know how big your machine is.  Obviously, all machines are different sized and you will need to adjust the tutorial accordingly.  Don’t panic, it’s not hard to do at all!

I have a Janome Memorycraft 6600P, so if you do too you are all set with my measurements! I will include these measurements in italics.

TOP

19 x 6

SIDES

7.5 x 13

FRONT AND BACK

19 x 13

Since we will be using 1/2 inch seam allowances, you will need to add ONE inch to all of your measurements.  

Once you have your measurements, you will need to cut 2 sides, 2 main panels, and 1 top from the interior fabric as well as from the scrap batting. 

*Cut batting a little wider to allow for shifting in the quilting.*

I wanted solid exterior sides on mine, so I just cut one piece of fabric large enough for each side.

Now it is time to quilt!

If you are unfamiliar with the quilt-as-you-go method, here’s a little recap on how I did it on my cover’s front panel:

Place your first scrap fabric face up on top of the batting.  

Straight line quilt (or quilt however desired) until this whole piece is quilted.

Place your next scrap right sides together with the edges in line.  Sew a 1/4 inch seam joining the two.

Flip this second piece over and continue quilting.

Keep quilting, seaming together, flipping and quilting until the whole piece is covered. On mine, I chose to do a small pieced section in the front, and then solid on the sides.

To make the patchwork back part of the cover, assemble the squares into 4 rows of 3. Quilt each row of three, then attach the next row using the QAYG method described above.

 Now quilt all of your pieces: front, back, both sides and top.

 

Trim any extra batting and fabric so that your pieces are the size of the interior fabric.

Lay the interior fabric onto each piece it goes to.  Fold under the bottoms of the front and back and both sides 1/2 inch and sew down.  This makes the bottom finished.

Remember those binding clips I said I recommended?  This is one of the times they will come in use!  

Baste the interior fabric for the top to the top exterior using a 1/4 inch seam.

NOW, ONTO ASSEMBLY!

Using a 1/2 inch seam allowance, sew the sides to the front panel, right sides together.  Then attach the back panel.  This will make one long tube.

Keeping the right sides facing in.  Set the top inside.  Here is where binding clips are a REALLY good thing!

Sew around all four sides.  I find it helpful to open the seam allowances on the corners and to pivot once you get the the middle of the seam and onto the next side. Really just try it.  It makes a lot more sense when you are actually doing it instead of just reading.

Once you get all the way around, flip right side out.

Ta Da!!  You’re finished!  Now go cover that machine!

Thanks Kristen! Head over to her blog to enter to win some Needles and Pins fabric for yourself!