We had hardwood floors installed in our new house and the dust and debris it left in our basement (where my sewing room is) was unreal. I quickly made a serger cover to keep it clean and then tweaked the pattern and tutorial to make my Mom one for her birthday! This tutorial is really simple; you could customize it with applique, embroidery, patchwork, really anything. My Mom picked out the fabrics so I decided to keep it plain and let them shine.
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I absolutely love my Brother 1034d serger* – I use it for all my knit projects (which is pretty much everything my son and I wear) and for finishing seams on woven projects that will take a lot of abuse, like curtains, beanbags, etc. Embarrassingly, I bought it when I very first started sewing – my first project was a bunch of cotton wipes for cloth diapering and I was immediately a fan. It’s been used heavily for the past two+ years and I’ve had zero issues. People moan about threading it, but it really isn’t bad once you do it a few times! I highly recommend it.
Supplies
- 1/2 yard of accent fabric (blue – Facet by Maude Asbury) & 1/2 yard of main fabric (red – Folklore by Heather Rosas)
- 2 yards of fusible fleece* (I used Pellon brand)
- Iron
- Coordinating thread & sewing machine
Steps
The entire project is sewn with a 3/8″ seam allowance.
1. Draw out your side piece pattern. You can create an actual pattern piece or simply measure and cut; I measured and cut with my rotary cutter and quilt rulers so I drew a little mock-up of the shape with the measurements. Cut 4 of the shaped sides, mirrored so one is reversed – 2 of fusible fleece, 2 of nice fabric. Cut 2 long rectangles, 1 of fusible fleece, 1 of nice fabric, measuring 15″ by 34″. Press to fuse the fleece to the back of each nice fabric piece.
If you’re doing any embellishing, now is the time! On my version I put a handle – it was about 16″ up from the front hem of the rectangle. I don’t actually use it very often so I didn’t include it in this tutorial/my Mom’s.
2. Lay the two pattern pieces right sides together (RST), with the straight edges aligning. You’re going to start sewing the longest (13″) side first, pivoting around so the rectangle goes along the entire side.
3. To make a nice sharp corner, stop with your needle down, 3/8″ from the edge of the corner. Pull up your presser foot with the needle still down.
4. Pivot the pieces around, keeping them RST. You may need to use a seam ripper or pen to smooth out the fabric underneath – any excess can be pulled towards the left/back so you have a smooth line to continue sewing with the 3/8″ seam allowance, Continue all the way around, pivoting at each corner.
5. Lay the second side piece RST and repeat, sewing the longer 13″ side, up, and around. Trim any unevenness around the bottom where the panels meet. Press all seams open.
6. Trim down the seam allowance and clip each corner so they poke out better, making sure not to clip through the stitching.
7. Turn the bottom raw edge up 1/2″ all the way around, press. Stitch to hem, press. You’re done!
Lisa
Sunday 22nd of May 2022
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this tutorial. I am a new"ish" sewer and I am stuck. I cut everything out and ironed on the fusible fleece. I put right sides together and sewed along the 13" edge but now I don't know what to do next. I wish there were more photos of each step or a video. I can't quite visualize how this comes together. Thanks for any help you can offer. Best, Lisa
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Saturday 4th of June 2022
Hi Lisa, I'm so sorry your comments got flagged by my spam filter for some reason and now I'm just seeing them when I manually sift through! I'm guessing you have either figured it out or lit it on fire in frustration by now, but if not, please let me know if you're still stuck and where at; I can try to help, so sorry again for the delay!
Emma
Thursday 12th of May 2022
Do you make a cut out for the cables, or do you unplug the machine when you’re covering it? Thanks for the tutorial.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Thursday 12th of May 2022
I always unplug mine so they tuck under!
Michele
Wednesday 20th of April 2022
Thank you so much for this pattern! I did one just a few weeks ago and reviewed it on Patternreview.com. My trusty 1034D thanks you! :) I know its been a long time since you posted this, but I wanted to thank you!
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Wednesday 20th of April 2022
Michele, I'm so glad to hear this!! For every hundred thousand views, one person or so leaves a comment, and it is always appreciated, no matter how old the post is :)
Mieke
Thursday 19th of November 2020
This fabulous. I have made one for my serger and now my husband would like something similar for his sharpening tool. I am sure it will work out fine.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Tuesday 24th of November 2020
So glad to hear it Mieke!! Thanks for leaving this kind comment!
Janet Roscoe
Wednesday 28th of October 2020
I find the directions very confusing. I love the cover - just can't make it.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Saturday 7th of November 2020
Janet, are you stuck on a certain step?