Bernina Q20 Cover

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I started my cover for the machine. It has only taken me 3.5yrs and a bit to tackle this, so this was it. It had to be done.

I have come to the conclusion that I am definitely not a sewist. I might be a good quilter but I am sadly lacking some of the skills for straight sewing.

I followed two patterns (by Beverly Guhl and Terry Burns) that can be found in the Bernina FB group. I used the two as I also needed a slot for my side thread spool which one of the patterns had, so I just combined them. I made my panels, quilted them in a grid...time consuming but no problem!

Then came the zipper which had to run over the front of the machine and down the side in a curve. Beverly Guhl also suggested that it could run down the middle but I did not want my zipper to go over the front screen (at that stage I was still unsure how the sizing would work out for the cover). I bought some zippers and gave it a go. Total fail as I did cut into the zipper on the curve and it became an almighty mess of unravelling zipper. Then I discovered that the size for the zipper in one pattern was wrong...I needed a smaller one. So off I went again and bought two more zippers. While there I also bought some bias tape and fabric glue, but more on that later.

I managed to put the zipper in

Not easily but it was in! The zipper extends slightly over the size of the cover on the bottom. Not sure what to do about that, so I just left it dangling. Might bent it back and sew to the inside. I am definitely not cutting it!

After that I needed to sew the individual panels together. Had not thought about this before, but they all needed to be sewn to the top and then at a 90 degree angle to the side. Now, this pattern uses double batting which I did use and the bulk became rather challenging in terms of bending it around and the bigger the cover got, the harder it became to maneuver this through the sewing machine.  My little sewing station is set up for piecing blocks and lightweight quilt tops, not this monster of a contraption. This took several days. After that I attached the binding to the bottom. God knows why, but I thought I might try to sew the binding to the back and then stitch in the ditch catching the back. Never tried this so this was a good opportunity, so I thought. I glued the binding to the back with my new fabric glue...fabulous! Then I stitched in the ditch with Invisafil thread and hit the back seam sometimes but not all the time, so in the end I had to go around and stitch it all by hand anyway. Did not take the ditch stitching out but just went over it again by hand. This binding is never coming off.

Then came the open slot for the threadmast. Had never done binding to an inner angle before and spent hours googling this. Tried to use the bias tape I bought. Again, total fail on the corners. I followed a very intricate method where you have to be very precise in the corner with measuring your 1/4in seam precisely and hitting the right spot as you turn. At the thickness of the batting and the unruliness of the cover that just did not work at all. In the end, I used 'normal' binding and followed a method where you snip into the corner, then pull the 90 degree angle into a straight line and hope for the best. That worked mostly in terms of the mitering. Not that pretty, but it is a corner.

So here is the finished cover

The slot for the thread spool could have been a bit smaller, but the pattern stated 4in from the seam line so that is what I went with. I measured the threadmast contraption and also made my cut out a bit wider than both patterns stated. Looking at it now, it probably could have been the 4in it stated.

Looks very slender but the size is perfect. While it looks as if it fits like a glove, there is ample space all around. It does not sit on the screen directly and also covers the plug in the back. The double batting and grid quilting made the panels very stiff, so it does stand up really nicely. If I had to do it again I think I would explore using a bag stiffening product to reduce the bulk.

All in all, not a bad effort. 

Karin

Machine Cover Project

Have been a bit tardy in keeping up with my blog and several other things this week, but did manage to work on something!

It's been more than 3 years since I have had my Bernina Q20. I never bought or made a cover but just always covered it with a very thin white sheet to keep the dust of when not in use.                          

 

The machine sits in the spare bedroom which is also now the bedroom for our cat. Recently I noticed that the cat had a swipe at it over the front panel, possibly going for the white sheet just hanging over. Lucky for me, the claws were trimmed and it did not leave a scratch but you could see a white faint mark from the trimmed nail. That came off, no problem, but I thought it was time to tackle the cover for the machine.

You can buy a cover, however that is quite expensive. Similarly, Amanda Murphy offers a written pattern which looks quite involved. In the Bernina FB group there are two patterns that generous quilters have put up there that one can follow and people have made the most fanciful covers. Just amazing! Over the years I have looked at that, but always shied away from it as it involves a zipper.

Anyway, I have started my cover having a bit of fun with it. Initially I thought that I just will make a box with an opening for the thread mast, but now have also bought a zipper. We shall see whether that works for me or not. If it does not work for me I can still just sew it together as a box.

This is pretty rough...I did not piece this, but just appliqued the piece of fabric on top, zoomed around it and presto! This is a piece of fabric I had left over from my recent bag making adventure. Just love those cats! In terms of quilting I kept it simple. I used double batting (wool and cotton) to make it more sturdy and just did the simple grid. The loft was unbelievable and going over that with the ruler was precarious as I did not even baste the piece beforehand. Learned my lesson and basted my second panel which made it much easier to quilt (less distortion as I went along).

Currently doing the top parts and when that is finished  I will trim the panels to size. And then comes the zipper. Should be interesting, to say the least, as the zipper has to come from the top to the bottom creating a corner.

Hopefully this will work out as it took ages to do the grids. Mind you I am hopeful that I will get some sort of cover out of this.

Karin