Many of you also have a special companion machine in your sewing space that you can could hardly leave without its own special cover: a serger. With their different thread feeding systems and cutting mechanisms, sergers end up more square and taller than a sewing machine and so need differently-sized covers.

We created a cover for the Janome 1110DX serger. We also did some research online to check out the sizes of the generic vinyl box covers available to make sure our dimensions were compatible. These clear vinyl serger covers were so drab, and… really, if you can see through it, the cover doesn’t cover! Ours is done in sunny yellow, using the bold and beautiful zig zag motif and an accent polkadot. There’s a handy strap to make it easy to lift on and off and a pocket to hold extra thread cones, tweezers or even the manual.

The Janome 1110DX measures approximately 11″ wide x 12″ high x 11½” deep. These dimensions are likely to very similar to other small to midsize sergers available on the market from a number of manufacturers. We measured the height with the thread guide fully collapsed and the depth with the thread cone platform folded in.

Measure your own machine to see if this pattern will be right for you. The cover is designed to be approximately 1″ larger all around than the dimensions of the machine; you don’t want a super tight fit. You should be able to simply drop the cover into place over your machine.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Sewing machine and standard presser foot
• Optional: serger for finishing

Fabric and Other Supplies

• 1½ yards of 44-45″ wide fabric for the exterior fabric: we originally used Half Moon Modern by Moda Fabrics in Geometric Big Zig Zag Yellow
• 1½ yards of 44-45″ wide fabric for the accent strip, top handle and piping: we originally used Half Moon Modern by Moda Fabrics in Dots Spots Yellow
• 1¼ yards of 44-45″ wide solid fabric for the lining: we originally used Moda Fabrics’ 200 count muslin in Warm White
• 1¼ yard of quilt batting at least 25″ in width; we originally used Warm & Natural quilt batting
  NOTE: Our cover has a soft structure; if you would prefer a more rigid structure, instead of batting, use a heavyweight fusible interfacing, such as Pellon 71F single sided fusible extra-strong stabilizer; this product is only 20″ wide, so you would need 1½ yards.
• Scrap or ¼ yard of heavyweight fusible interfacing for the handle; you need ONE 1½” x 15½” strip
• 4 yards of ¼” piping cord
• ONE decorative button, apx. 1 to 1½”; we used a plain white 1″ button
• All purpose thread to match fabrics
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pen or pencil
• Seam gauge
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. From the fabric for the exterior panels (Geometric Big Zig Zag Yellow in our sample), cut the following:
   ONE 14″ wide x 38½” high rectangle for the main center panel
   TWO 13½” wide x 14″ high rectangles for the side panels
   ONE 14″ wide x 15″ high rectangle for the pocket – fussy cut to match the motif on the main center panel
2. From the fabric for the accent strip, top handle and piping (Dots Spots Yellow in our sample), cut the following:
   ONE 4″ x 40″ high strip for the handle/accent strap
   ONE 4″ x 15″ strip for the pocket accent
   FOUR OR MORE 2″ strips, on the bias for the piping; you’ll need one 50″ finished piece and two 39″ finished pieces.
   NOTE: Try to cut it all in as few strips as possible; you will seam them together end-to-end to equal the one 50″ finished length and the two 39″ finished lengths.
3. From the fabric for the lining (white muslin in our sample), cut the following:
   ONE 14″ wide x 38½” high rectangle for the main center panel
   TWO 13½” wide x 14″ high rectangles for the side panels
4. From the batting, cut the following:
   ONE 12½” wide x 37″ high rectangle for the main center panel
   TWO 13½” wide x 12½” high rectangles for the side panels
5. From the heavyweight fusible interfacing, cut ONE 1½” X 15½” strip

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Construct the lining box

1. Place the two 13½” x 14″ side panel pieces flat on your work surface.
2. Find a small juice glass or other small round object. Place the glass in each of the top corners (one of the 13½” sides) and trace the outside curve.
3. Cut along the drawn line to round each corner. Round only the top two corners of each side panel piece. The bottom two corners of each piece remain square.
   
4. After rounding the corners, fold each side piece in half and press a center crease or measure and mark the center point (6¾” from each side) with a pin.
5. Find the 14″ x 38½” main center panel of the lining. Fold the piece in half and press a center crease or measure and mark the center point (19¼” from the top and bottom) with a pin.
6. With right sides together, match the center marks of one side panel and the main panel, aligning the raw edges. Pin in place.
   
7. Fold the main panel down, easing it around the rounded corner of the side panel, and continue pinning the two layers right sides together. The bottom of the main panel should match up perfectly with the bottom square corner of the side panel.
   
8. Repeat to align and pin the opposite side of the side panel to the main panel.
   
9. Stitch the layers together, using a ½” seam allowance.
10. Repeat to attach the remaining side panel to the main panel.
11. As an option, and especially if your fabric is prone to raveling, consider finishing all the seam allowances with a finishing stitch on your sewing machine or a serger. We serged all the seams and around the bottom.
12. Turn the lining right side out. Press well. Set aside.

Quilting the exterior panels

1. Match up the center exterior panel and the two side panels (Geometric Big Zig Zag Yellow in our sample) with the relative batting pieces. Each batting piece is ¾” smaller all around than each fabric piece. This is to keep the batting out of the side seams, which will make it easier to add the piping later in the instructions.
2. Center the batting piece on the wrong side of each fabric piece. Pin each pair together.
   
3. Run parallel vertical rows of stitching to quilt each pair together. We used the points of the fabric’s zig zag motif as guide lines for our rows.
   

Create the handle/strap

1. Following manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the 1½” x 15½” interfacing strip to the wrong side of the 4″ x 40″ handle strip. The interfacing strip should be positioned so it is centered side-to-side and top-to-bottom on the wrong side of the strip. The easiest way to find this position is to fold the strip in half (4″ x 20″) and fold the interfacing strip in half as well (1½” x 7¾”). Mark both center points with a pin. Unfold both pieces, line up the pins, adjust the interfacing so it is centered side-to-side, and fuse in place.
   
2. With the interfacing fused in place, fold the strip right sides together lengthwise. Pin in place along the one long edge, leaving both ends open. Stitch along the long side, using a ½” seam allowance.
   
3. Press seam open and turn the handle/accent strap right side out.
4. Roll the seam so it is at the back and your motif is centered and straight along the top. Press flat.
   
5. Find the 14″ wide x 38½” quilted exterior piece. Fold it in half (14″ x 19¼”) and mark the center point on each side.
6. Lay the exterior piece right side up and flat on your work surface.
7. Lay the handle/strap, also right side up, across the center of the exterior piece. One raw end of the handle/strap should line up at each center pin point of the exterior piece.
8. From this pin point/raw edge, measure up the strap 13½” and mark with a pin. This the point where the strap ends and the handle begins. In other words, where the topstitching holding the strap in place will end.
9. Edgestitch the strap in place along both sides. At each 13½”pin point, stitch across the strap.
   NOTE: The handle will “bag” in the middle because it is (and should be) wider than the cover. You need that slack to form the arc of the handle.

Create and place the pocket

1. Find the 4″ x 15″ pocket accent strap. As you did with the handle/strap, fold this strip right sides together lengthwise. Pin in place along the one long edge, leaving both ends open. Stitch along the long side, using a ½” seam allowance.
2. Press seam open and turn the pocket accent strap right side out.
3. Roll the seam so it is at the back and your motif is centered and straight along the top. Press flat.
4. Find the 14″ x 15″ pocket piece. Place it right side up and flat on your work surface.
5. Lay the pocket accent strap, also right side up, across the center of the exterior piece. One raw end of the strap should line up at each center pin point of the pocket piece. Pin the pocket accent strap in place.
   
6. Edgestitch the strap in place along both sides. You don’t need to stitch across the ends.
   
7. Fold the pocket in half, wrong sides together, so it is now 7½” x 14″. Press well.
8. Following your machine’s instruction manual, make one vertical buttonhole, starting it approximately ¼” down from the top folded edge of the pocket.
   
9. Sew the button in place on the exterior strap to match the position of the buttonhole.
   
10. Pin the finished pocket in place on one end of the exterior piece, lining up the motifs so they are a perfect match.
    NOTE: We took the photo below, showing the pocket pinned in position, prior to making my buttonhole. You should do the buttonhole and button first and then pin in place.
    
11. Machine baste the finished pocket in place along both sides and across the bottom.

Piping

1. If this is your first time making piping, see our tutorial, How To Make And Attach Your Own Piping.
2. Stitch together your 2″ bias strips as needed to create one 50″ finished length and two 39″ finished lengths.
   
3. Cut the ¼” piping cord into matching lengths: one 50″ and two 39″.
4. Wrap the fabric around the cord. Pin close to the cording to hold it in place.
5. Using a zipper foot, sew close to the cording to create your fabric covered piping.
   NOTE: If your sewing machine allows, move the needle all the way to the left. Or, use a narrow base zipper foot so you can get nice and tight against the cording.
6. The flange (this is the fabric portion that is flat) on the cording should be a perfect ½” seam allowance.
7. Set the 50″ length of piping aside.
8. Find the exterior piece to which you just attached the pocket. Pin one 39″ length of piping onto each long side, aligning the raw edges.
9. Stitch the piping onto the right side of the exterior piece, aligning the raw edges. As you remember from before, the batting edge is cut back from the fabric edge so you are just working with three layers: the exterior fabric and the two layers of the piping’s flange. Keep your stitching as close to the piping cord as possible.
   
10. Again, if you’re new to attaching piping, check out our tutorial for additional tips on joining and finishing.

Create the exterior box

1. Switch back to a regular presser foot.
2. These steps are the same as the steps you used to create the lining box, starting by rounding the corners of the top side panels. And finishing by sewing the top side panels to the main exterior piece.
   
3. If you catch the batting in the seam here or there, that is perfectly okay.
4. Find the remaining 50″ length of piping. Pin it all the way around the bottom of the box, aligning the raw edge of the box fabric with the raw edges of the piping flange.
   NOTE: It will look neater if you start/stop at a point where the side piping comes down to the bottom edge.
5. Switch again to a zipper foot.
6. Stitch the piping in place all around the bottom edge, keeping your seam line as close to the piping cord as possible.
7. To join, with a seam ripper, peel back the fabric to expose the cording underneath.
8. Trim the end of cording tail so it exactly meets the head of the cording. Fold under the end of the loose fabric to create a clean edge, adjusting and wrapping this folded end under and around the loose piping tail so it overlaps the sewn down raw edge by about ½”.
   
9. Stitch in place, matching your seam line.
   
10. One more time in case you dozed off before: if you’re new to attaching piping, check out our tutorial for additional tips on joining and finishing.

Attach the lining

1. Find the completed lining box. It should be right side out.
2. Turn the completed exterior box wrong side out.
3. Slip the lining inside the exterior. Match up the lining seams and the exterior seams all around.
4. Pin together the bottom raw edges of the lining and the exterior.
   NOTE: Remember, we serged the bottom raw edge of our lining box way back when, which is why this edge is finished in the photo below.
   
5. Using a ½” seam allowance, stitch all around this bottom edge, leaving a 5-6″ opening for turning.
   
6. Turn the cover right side out through the opening.
7. Press well, turning in the raw edges of the opening so they are flush with the sewn seam.
8. Hand stitch the opening closed.

Hints and Tips

Unlike a lined bag where the force of gravity helps keep the lining in place, this lining of this serger cover will want to drop out when you lift the cover off the machine. To help hold it in place, hand stitch through all the layers at either end of the handle. From the front, you can hide your stitches behind and at the base of the handle at either end.

Project Design: Alicia Thommas
Sample Creation: Debbie Guild