Category Archives: sewing machine cover

Old Fabric Crushes

by Dawn Posted on January 12, 2018

I happened across one of my posts the other day written in October 2012, a little over five years ago when my blog was in its first year. I was writing about three fabric groupings in my stash that I was wild about even though I hadn’t yet decided yet what to make with them. What a pleasant surprise to discover that I have, in fact, used all three groupings!

The first was this one, a mix from several lines anchored by the red and aqua floral print in the center from Denyse Schmidt’s line, “Flea Market Fancy,” reissued earlier in 2012:

Several of the fabrics wound up in this sewing machine dust cover . . .

. . . and this set of king-size pillowcases, both made in 2013:


The second group was this one, primarily from the “Ainsley” line by Northcott Fabrics:

From this group came a small project, a kaleidoscopic table topper made in 2014 . . .


. . . and a large project, my queen-size sampler quilt Catch a Falling Star, completed in 2015:

The third group was from the “Scarlet” line by Pamela Mostek for Clothworks:


These fabrics remained in my stash until 2017, when I used them to make my current Junior Billie Bag . . .


. . . and matching accessories:


Now when I see a new group of fabrics I just can’t live without, I’ll remind myself that the fabric in my stash is indeed getting used. I’ll just need three additional lifetimes to sew my way through all of it. Can you relate?

 

 

 

Posted in Billie Bag, home dec, Junior Billie Bag, kaleidoscope quilts, Reach for the Stars sampler quilt, roll-it-up pillowcases, sewing machine cover, sewing tool caddy, table topper, update, windmill block | 5 Comments

Susan’s Sewing Machine Dust Cover

by Dawn Posted on September 11, 2013

One of the first things I noticed when I started reading quilt blogs was that many quilting bloggers (blogging quilters?) offer giveaways. It seems like such a nice way to thank the people who visit blogs regularly and offer supportive comments. So after releasing my Sewing Machine Dust Cover pattern in late June, I launched my first Giveaway, offering a half dozen patterns plus a custom made cover for one winner. That winner turned out to be Susan S. of Milledgeville, Georgia.

Susan emailed me the dimensions of her Janome embroidery machine and I emailed her photos of four different combinations of fabrics from my stash to choose from. I would have enjoyed making her a cover from any of the four combinations, but she happened to choose one I especially liked: a peach, coral, and aqua combo featuring prints from the Martinique line by 3 Sisters for Moda:

Susan's fabric choices for custom dust cover

How I love Moda fabrics! A couple of other fabrics in my stash were chosen to complement the 3 Sisters prints.

I finished Susan’s sewing machine dust cover last week and took a few photos before popping it in the mail on Monday:

Susan S's sewing machine dust cover 2
In the photo below you can see the fabric on the inside of the dust cover:

Susan's sewing machine dust cover --inside
Susan’s sewing machine dust cover arrived at its destination today, and she sent me the nicest message:

“GUESS WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL TODAY??!!!!!! A beautiful sewing machine dust cover that fits my machine perfectly!! I love the gorgeous fabrics you used and it is constructed so very nicely. It really brightens up my sewing room . . . I’m loving it!! Thank you so very much — Susan”

You are welcome, Susan! It was a pleasure to make it for you.

 

 

 

Posted in Giveaway, sewing machine cover, update | 8 Comments

Giveaway Winners

by Dawn Posted on July 10, 2013

Are you a winner?

Last week I had my first Giveaway, offering up my new Sewing Machine Dust Cover pattern to six winners and a custom sewing machine dust cover to be made (by me) for one of the six. I used a Random Number Generator to pick the numbers, having decided in advance that the sixth number drawn would be the big winner. I also disqualified comments #2 and #9, since they were made by me and my husband.

Here is what the dust cover looks like:

Dawn's sewing machine dust cover

And the winners of the pattern, in the order I drew their names, are . . . (drum roll) . . .

Jennie B.
Merethe S.
Patch G.
Mallory J., and
Joyce M.

The winner of the pattern and custom sewing machine cover is . . . (drum roll) . . . Susan S., who wrote, “I’d love to win your sewing machine cover . . . I’ve been meaning to make one for years and haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

Congratulations to the winners! Please email me with your full name and mailing address, and I will get the patterns in the mail next week. (I’m out of town this week, hence the slight delay.) Susan, let me know what colors and fabric styles you like so I can send you some fabric combinations to choose from.

Thank you all for entering my Giveaway!

 

 

 

Posted in sewing machine cover, update | 4 Comments

A Summer’s Day Show and Tell

by Dawn Posted on July 3, 2013

My quilt group, the Quisters, met at my house last week on a perfect summer day. Between bites of marionberry pie, we had quite a show-and-tell session. Here is Peggy’s Paperweight quilt top, started last summer in a class taught by Pamela Dinndorf of Aardvark Quilts:

6-13 Peg's Paperweight quilt top

Such a happy and colorful top! Peggy also designed and hooked this fabulous rug, perfectly capturing the charm of her beach house on the Oregon coast:

6-13 Peg with Sandy Toes rug

The scene includes her goldendoodle, Lucy, on the left, and her grandchildren on the right.

Peg is already at work hooking another rug, Cat’s Paws, designed by Sharon Smith of Off the Hook Wool Rugs:

6-13 Peg's Cat's Paws rug in progress

 

Deborah recently competed a quilt she started a few years ago in a class taught by fellow Quister Lee Fowler.  This is Sushi Rolls:

Deborah's Sushi Roll quilt top

Love the red and green color combo! I can see this on the back of Deborah’s couch at Christmas but it would work all year round.

Here is Lee’s newly completed Pickle Dish quilt:

6-13 Lee's Pickle Dish quilt

Twenty-five of Lee’s friends contributed one or more paper-pieced arcs, and Lee put the rest of the quilt together with fabric from her stash (and a little more help from her friends). I spy lots of polka dots — one of Lee’s favorite design elements — and quite a few Kaffe Fassett prints.

Lee has also been making blocks for a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt. Here are some of those blocks:

Lee's Scrappy Trip blocks

What a great way to use up strips left over from other projects!

Vivienne is currently working on a strippy diamond quilt:

6-13 Viv's diamond blocks

Isn’t that a luscious combination of colors and fabrics?

I spent much of June working on my Sewing Machine Dust Cover pattern. Here’s a picture of the dust cover I made as a class sample:

sewing mach dust cover

By the way, I’m giving away a custom sewing machine dust cover and some patterns as part of my first Giveaway, which ends this Saturday, July 6. If you’d like a chance to win, just leave a comment at the end of my previous post, telling me what projects you’re working on this summer.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

 

 

 

Posted in Quisters (Quilt Sisters), sewing machine cover, update, wool rug hooking | 1 Comment

A New Pattern — and a Giveaway!

by Dawn Posted on June 29, 2013

I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest pattern from First Light Designs. Here’s a picture of the cover:

sewing machine dust cover

 

It’s available at the Pine Needle Quilt Shop in Lake Oswego, Oregon and the Rose of Sharin’ Quilt Shop in Danville, Pennsylvania.

Would you like to have a pattern? I’m hosting a Giveaway this coming week — my very first! You have six chances to win. I’m giving away five copies of my pattern, and the sixth winner is going to get a pattern and a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me. It might be you!

To enter, simply leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me what you hope to accomplish this summer on the sewing/quilting front. Multiple projects? One big finish? It’s always fun to know what’s going on in sewing rooms around the world.

I’ll keep the Giveaway open through Saturday, July 6 and announce the winners the following week. Be sure your contact info is included in your comments. For the winner of the sewing machine dust cover, I’ll be in touch to give you some fabric and color options.

 

 

 

Posted in Giveaway, sewing machine cover, update | 23 Comments

Think Pink!

by Dawn Posted on June 24, 2013

I learned from Thelma at Cupcakes ‘n Daisies that yesterday was National Pink Day. I’m working on a project right now that has a lot of pink in it, so I thought I would post about it, even though I’m a day late. Take a look:

Dust Cover in Progress

 

Regular readers of my site must be thinking, “What? She’s making another sewing machine dust cover?” (I’ve already made several versions, which you can see in my Small Pieces Gallery here.)

Yep. Two reasons for it: one, I needed a partially-made sample for a class I taught recently, to demonstrate how I sew the side panel to the main body and add the bias binding strip, and two, in response to multiple requests, I have written a pattern. (I always make samples while writing a pattern to test my directions.)

I’ll introduce my pattern later this week along with a giveaway — my first! — so please check back. I’ll be giving away several copies of my pattern, and one winner will get a custom sewing machine dust cover made by me for her machine.

Yesterday also happened to be National Pecan Sandies Day. (Who thinks these national days up, anyway, and why June 23?) If you’re inclined to celebrate after the fact by whipping up a batch of pecan sandies, here is a recipe from allrecipes.com.

 

 

 

Posted in Janome 6500 sewing machine, sewing machine cover, update | 2 Comments

Birthday Party

by Dawn Posted on April 11, 2013

Of the six women in my quilt group, the Quisters, three have March birthdays. We all lead busy lives so it wasn’t until yesterday — well into April — that the six of us were available to celebrate together. We congregated at the Portland White House for lunch, laughter, gift-giving, and dessert. (Dessert was so good it deserves a special mention: Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake served with Blueberry-Lemon Sauce and whipped cream.)

Now I can show you what I made for the birthday girls. For Lee and Peggy, I made iPad Mini covers. Here is Lee’s:

Lee's iPad Mini cover, front and back
Lee’s iPad Mini Cover, Front and Back

The three elastic strips on the back hold the iPad in place on a padded surface when in use. The elastic strips also wrap around to the front, holding the outside flap securely in place when the iPad Mini is being carried around.

This is what Lee’s cover looks like on the inside:

2013-3, Lee's ipad Mini cover, open
iPad Mini Cover, Open

 

Here is Peggy’s:

2013-3, Peg's iPad Mini cover (2)
Peg’s iPad Mini Cover

 

This is what Peggy’s looks like on the inside:

2013-3, Peg's iPad Mini cover
iPad Mini Cover, Open

 

It’s a little hard to see in the photos, but the iPad Mini covers have an accessory pocket on the inside to hold earbuds and a stylus.

For Deborah I made a custom sewing machine dust cover:

2013-3, Deb's sewing machine dust cover, side view
Deborah’s Dust Cover

 

It’s hard to get a good look at the lining fabric so for the next photo I turned the dust cover inside out:

2013-3, Deborah's sew mach dust cover inside out
Almost Reversible!

 

I’m working on patterns for both the iPad Mini cover and the sewing machine dust cover, so if you’re interested in making one for yourself or a friend, please check back with me.

 

 

 

Posted in iPad cover, Quisters (Quilt Sisters), sewing machine cover, update | 6 Comments

Quisters’ Show and Tell

by Dawn Posted on March 7, 2013

Today is the last full day of my quilt group’s retreat in Central Oregon. Our fellow Quister Deborah had to leave early but Peggy and Vickie and I are still here enjoying the brilliant sunshine, crisp air, and each other’s company. We are also taking great pleasure in surveying our various and sundry completed projects and works-in-progress.

Vickie is working on two wool appliqué projects. In my last post, you saw one of them in a tableau. Here is a close-up of that project, bursting with vivid color and texture:

Vickie's circles

The project measures 12″ x 15½” and contains 35 multilayered wool discs, each uniquely embellished.

Vickie is also working on a series of seasonal pillows. Here is her Summer Sampler pillow, designed by Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs. It measures 14″ x 16″:

Vickie's wool applique

I finished another sewing machine dust cover, number four. I didn’t need another one but I was teaching a class at the Pine Needle recently and needed to demonstrate a particular construction technique. This one is made with three prints from the Madrona Road line by Violet Craft for Michael Miller:

Dawn's sewing machine dust cover

I’m working on some other projects that I can’t show you yet. Birthdays coming up. ‘Nuff said.

Peggy finished the most wonderful quilt while she was here. Last summer she took a class from Janet Fogg called “Illustrating the Past” in which a fabric piece from the past — it could be a quilt, a quilt top, a fragment, a block — is updated with piecing and appliqué techniques to create a new original work. Peggy had been given a vintage quilt containing blocks of appliquéd flowers. She transformed it in the most amazing way:

Peg's Sunshine quilt 1-001

Here is a close-up of that sunshine face:

Peg's Sunshine quilt 2

The sun is pieced and then appliqued to the original quilt. Peggy hand-quilted parts of the face and some of the rays.

Here’s another look at the quilt, which measures 74″ x 88″:

Peg's Sunshine quilt 3

The batting in the appliquéd blocks had migrated so badly that Peggy made a slit in the side of each block, removed the batting, and replaced it with new batting. Then she sewed narrow strips around the blocks to cover the slits. The strips add more color to the quilt and tie the old and new elements together. The result is a highly original quilt that honors the past while celebrating the present.

Peggy is also a talented rug hooker who has designed and hooked several rugs. Here is a look at her current work-in-progress, an image of her beach house on the Oregon coast:

Peggy's hooked wool rug-in-progress

This wool rug will measure about 25″ x 48″ when it’s finished.

As you can see, my creative Quisters and I have had a great week!

 

 

 

Posted in Quisters (Quilt Sisters), sewing machine cover, update, wool applique, wool rug hooking | 1 Comment

Yet Another Sewing Machine Dust Cover

by Dawn Posted on January 5, 2013

Yes, I’m still at it. Still playing with the design and construction of a sewing machine dust cover designed to fit my Janome 6500.  Here’s my latest version:

Bigger Than a Breadbox
Bigger Than a Breadbox

 

Since I’m going to be teaching a class on this soon, I wanted to test my directions again as well as an idea I had about the binding process. Versions 1 and 2 (which you can see together here) have the bottom edges of the front, back, and sides bound first, before the side panels are joined to the front and back piece. Wouldn’t it be easier, I wondered, if the side panels were bound first? Then one long binding strip could be added around the bottom of the dust cover.  The answer: yes, much easier!

A View from the Side
A View from the Side

 

I really had fun with this fabric. The floral print is from Denyse Schmidt’s Flea Market Fancy line for Free Spirit. The chevron stripe is by Riley Blake, and the binding fabric is Teeny Tiny Flowers by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse Dry Goods. The whimsical lining fabric, seen in the photo below, is Sew Stitchy by Aneela Hoey for Moda:

custom sewing machine cover, inside
A Peek at the Lining

Now on to the next good thing: finishing one of many Works-in-Progress!

 

 

 

Posted in Janome 6500 sewing machine, sewing machine cover, update | 3 Comments

Sewing Machine Dust Cover: Still Experimenting

by Dawn Posted on December 13, 2012

A couple of months ago I made a very simple dust cover for my sewing machine and wrote a post about it. Here’s one of the photos from that post:

Sewing Machine Dust Cover

 

As I was working on it, I was thinking about modifications I would make on the next one: rounded corners, for one thing, and incorporating some kind of trim. Last week I had a chance to experiment, and here is the second version:

The Experiment Continues
A Slightly Different View

 

The patterned fabrics are from the Enchantment line by Kathy Davis for Free Spirit Fabrics. I used a soft mottled green (Krysta by Michael Miller) for the flange trim and binding.

I like this version a lot but have a couple more tweaks in mind. Stay tuned . . . there will be Version 3. At this rate, my sewing machine will have a full wardrobe of dust covers.

 

 

 

Posted in sewing machine cover, update | Comments Off on Sewing Machine Dust Cover: Still Experimenting