Cover it up!

Most if not all sewing machines come with a cover to help protect them.  The problem is they're usually a hideous plastic that stinks and frankly doesn't look very pretty.  So I figured I can do much better than ugly plastic.  I used two different tutorials to help make this project and also flew by the seat of my pants. The tutorials I used will be posted at the bottom of the page as usual. 

Here's the beautiful fabric I found at Jo-Ann's almost a month ago.  I wanted something colorful and I think the fabric I picked will do this project justice.  Now it's time to measure!  I've been told by my fellow sewers that I have a tiny sewing machine and truth be told I do.  So please do your own measuring.  A couple of things to remember while you measure: 
1) don't forget to include your flywheel
2) remember your seam allowances

Cut out your pieces according to what you just measured. I added batting to the front and back pieces and sew in interfacing on the sides for added plushness and stability.  "Why wouldn't you use batting or interfacing the whole way around?"  Good question and here's my answer.  It's all I had at the time and I wasn't about to go out and buy more when a snow/ice storm is rolling on through.

I wanted pockets big enough on either side to fit my foot pedal and power cord. Or one of the 5 pairs of scissors I own.

I started with sewing the front and back to the top. As I went along I did press my seams to help it take shape.

As you can see from the picture below I had a small error with my measurements.  And looking back I'm still not sure where it all went wrong.  But the important thing is I fixed it later on by taking off about 2 inches of fabric.  My pockets were tricky because I didn't want them to be too small or too large.  I eventually took off a 1/2 inch at a time till I was satisfied.  

I knew I wanted to put bias tape at the bottom of all the pieces but I had trouble find colors to match.  A good friend came to my rescue and lent me her bias tape maker.  I had left over fabric from my fat quarters and thought it'd make good bias tape.  There's a picture of it on the second picture below.  Some help from my friend and a broken seam ripper (sorry T) later I finally managed to get it right. 

I pinned the sides next and this is where I had some trouble lining everything up.  The bottom lined up perfectly but towards the top I had to mess with it a bit.    

Overall I am very happy with how it turned out.  It's the perfect little house for my sewing machine.

Sewing machine cover tutorial #1

Sewing machine cover tutorial #2  (if this link doesn't work please use the one above. I only used this tutorial for the pockets I made.)

Shade your eyes!

Why are cases for sunglasses so expensive? Most are plastic with a bit of pretend metal or wood material with again pretend metal. I bought a pair recently from a well known retailer in the sunglasses world and my new glasses wouldn't fit in any of their cases. Doesn't make much sense to me.  And as my sister so helpfully mentioned at the time "Why don't you get smaller glasses?".  Well let me tell you why, smaller glasses look ridiculous on my bighead.  I prefer the bigger rounded shades but not the ones that take over my whole face like some celebs wear these days. Alright let's get back on point here...

So instead of buying another case that most likely wouldn't fit, I'm making one. I went to my trusty website Pinterest to see what other crafter's have successfully made. Hey I never claimed to be an inventor of any kind.  After scrolling...and scrolling I finally found a case that looked semi easy to make.  If you wish to make your own I will as always post the accredited website/blog at the bottom of the page.

Off I went to my local fabric store in search of fat quarters and a zipper to match.  I overestimated my ability to make fabric choices apparently because I stood looking at all my choices for a good 15 minutes.  I imagine I had a glazed look in my eyes when a friendly sales lady came to my rescue.  And wanted to give a quick shout out to my amazing son because he sat in the cart quietly and calmly while I stared at fabric squares. Thank you J!

Once I picked out my polka dots and chevrons it was time to find a zipper.  Which I'm sad to report is white...yes I know with all the pretty possibilities I pick white. I did have an issue finding 1/4 inch foam so I picked out a thicker piece of interfacing.  I'm 94% positive it'll do this project justice but you never know.

As you can see below I used the template to cut out my pieces and I'm ready to sew the fabric to my zipper. Let me just say sewing zippers scares me almost to point of not bothering with them at all.  You can find the template I used by clicking the link below. 

Here we go...I'm so nervous and I know how ridiculous that sounds...

I was quite pleased with how my first zipper experience turned out.  It could probably be better but practice makes perfect after all. 

I made my case a bit different from the tutorial posted below. I wanted interfacing between both layers to give my sunglasses a fighting chance if they're dropped or worse yet sat on.  I don't recommend going the route I did with the next step.  It was a PITA to line up all the fabric and zipper edges.  I even had to break out my trusty seam ripper due to unforeseen complications.  

Once that part was over I flipped the case inside out, ironed the edges to make it look nice and abracadabra it's done!  

Overall I'm happy with how my case turned out. And I have a feeling I'll be experimenting with zipper a bit more thanks to my new zipper foot. 

Make a safe home for your sunglasses.  Enjoy!

They're here!

Aren't they beautiful? 

I happen to think they are! Now that I'm the proud owner of a zigzag, zipper, and straight stitch foot the project possibilities are endless. 

If you're having trouble finding parts for your sewing machine I hope you check out "Sewing Parts Online".  I have an 8 year old Kenmore and I had a troublesome time finding the feet above. I tried Jo-Ann's, Sears and their online store, and a random sewing store in my local area with next to no luck.  I did find my zipper foot at the "Sears Parts Direct" website but they asked for the astronomical price of $15.99.  I think not Sears! 

"Sewing Parts Online" has reasonable prices and I had my parts within 3 business days.  I can only speak from my experience but if I need parts in the near future I'm definitely buying from them again.  

Okay now it's time to catch up on projects...they're starting to really pile up.