My cousin just came to visit and helped me do some Spring cleaning (yes...it's Summer already).  I was forced to face the dust that has been finding it's home on my sewing machines over time.  It's really not fair to the machines and I'm sure machine repairmen would tell me it's actually really bad for the machine!  I found some beautiful patterns for sewing machine covers, but honestly they seemed like a lot of work and I feel compelled to make one for each machine...that's just time I really don't have right now.  Instead I started looking around and decided a small tabletopper would make an excellent cover for my machine.  The easy-breeziness of the look and the work involved is right up my alley.

For my project I used the pretty Cutwork Tabletopper found here.  I wanted something feminine looking to go with the light and airy feeling of my sewing room, and I chose to monogram it in way that's popular nowadays with the applique capital letter and my name underneath.  It's pretty and feminine, and when I'm tired of looking at it, I can embroider something in the opposite corner and switch!  Maybe I'll put a holiday design in the other corner!

Also, I have a friend with a very dry, funny sense of humor, so I chose a plain hemstitched version of the tabletopper and will embroider a funny saying in the corner.  Maybe something like "Remove cover to find my sanity" or something along those lines.  I don't know---I'm still working on that, which is why I am not showing you the finished version of that project yet!  LOL  Stay tuned...

BTW, if you are doing any applique by machine, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend these scissors:  (click here).  They are made especially for applique projects and helps keep you from cutting something on your item that isn't supposed to be cut.  How many of us have been there and done that?  These scissors really help.  Truthfully, I think I use them the wrong way...the duckbill is supposed to be held against your applique design, but I have really found it easier for me to do it this way.  Whatever works for you is the right way!

This is another one of those really fast projects that can actually make a difference.  30 minutes spent on making it pretty now, and no more time spent cleaning the dust out of those hard-to-reach places on my machine! 

Enjoy!

Susan