Sewing Machine Mat

December 2, 2022 Crafts & Projects, Fabric & Sewing

Featured fabric: Henry Glass Fabrics S is for Sew collection by Debbie Busby.

Pattern adapted from: Missouri Star Quilt Co.

Sewn by: Lindsay Conner

Use this handy sewing machine mat to store your scissors, rotary cutter, and other notions while you sit and sew! You can make this quilted sewing machine mat for yourself or as a gift for a fellow crafter. Customize the pockets to fit your favorite items (maybe even one for candy!) and the mat itself to fit the width of your sewing machine.

To make this project, you’ll need 1 yard each of 2 different fabric prints and ¼ yard of fabric for the binding.

Skills learned: Machine piecing, quilting, binding

Skill level: Beginner

Finished size: 54” x 54” (137.16cm square)

Fabric requirements:

Main fabric: 1 yard (.91m)
I used: 2845-88 || S Is For Sew Wavy Floral Red

Pocket fabric (also the quilt back): 1 yard (.91m)
I used: 2846-33 Cream || S Is For Sew Tossed Spools

Binding fabric: 1/4 yard (.23m)
I used: 2850-99 Black || S Is For Sew Button Tape

Quilt batting: 29” x 36” (73.66cm x 91.44cm)

Equipment needed:

Sewing machine

Iron

Fabric cutting tools (scissors or rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat)

Safety pins

Fabric clips

Cutting Directions

Measure your sewing machine’s width and add 4”. This amount = Y.

From each of the main and pocket fabrics, cut a piece that is Y” x 36”, the same size as your batting. (My sewing machine is 25” wide, so I cut it 29” x 36”.) The batting will be cut the same size.

Binding fabric: Cut (3) strips 2.5” x width of fabric.

Quilt the Mat

1. Make a quilt sandwich with the pocket fabric right side down, then the batting, then the main fabric right side up. Smooth out the layers and use safety pins or basting spray to keep the layers in place.

2. Take the stacked fabrics to your sewing machine and quilt through all the layers with straight line, wavy line, or free motion quilting. I chose alternating sizes of a wavy line stitch.

3. Using your cutting mat, ruler, and rotary cutter, trim the quilted mat to the width of your sewing machine (Y) x 32”. Mine was cut to 25” x 32”.

Make the Binding

We need to bind the mat in two steps. First, you will bind one short edge of the quilted mat. This will be the top edge of your pocket. Then, we will bind the other three sides of the mat.

4. Take a single 2.5” binding strip and fold the wrong sides together so it is 1.25” wide. Press. Pin or clip the raw edges of the folded strip to one short edge of the quilted mat. Sew through all the pinned layers ¼” from the edge.

5. Trim the edges of the sewn strip even with the mat. Fold the binding around to the other side of the mat and pin or clip in place. Topstitch the binding to fully enclose the mat’s raw edge.

6. Take the other two binding strips and arrange the ends so the right sides are facing and they’re at a 90-degree angle to each other, as pictured. Sew a diagonal line from corner to corner to join them (as shown by the red laser line).

7. Use scissors to trim off the excess fabric ¼” from the edge of the sewn line.

8. At one end of the binding strip, fold the fabric ¼” toward the wrong side and press.

9. With the end still pressed under, fold the binding strip in half widthwise so it is 1.25” wide. Press and set aside for now.

Make the Pocket

10. Fold the bound edge of the quilted mat up by 6”, measuring both sides to make sure they’re even. This forms the pocket flap.

11. Take the folded short edge of the binding and line it up with one side of the folded pocket flap, with all raw edges lined up. Pin or clip binding in place on the backside of the mat

12. Sew the binding to the mat with a ¼” seam allowance. When you are ¼” from a corner, pivot and stitch a diagonal line off the corner off the mat.

13. Fold the binding strip back along the diagonal line you just sewed and hold this in place with your fingers.

14. Then, keeping the diagonal fold, bring the rest of the binding tail over top to the next side, and continue sewing to the mat with ¼” seam allowance.

15. When you reach the end of the third side of the mat (we don’t need to add binding along the pocket itself), trim the binding strip by about ½”, and fold the raw edge under like you did on the other side. Backstitch when you reach the end of the binding and trim the threads.

16. Fold the binding around to the front of the mat and clip it in place.

17. Decide how wide you want the pocket sections to be. I pulled out scissors, a rotary cutter, and quilting gloves to use for measuring. Starting at the top of the pocket, start a straight line of stitching, backstitch for security, then continue sewing to the bottom of the mat to make each pocket section. I added three lines for a total of four pockets. You can use a larger pocket as a “thread catcher” to toss your extra strands of cut thread in, or store extra bobbins, spools of thread, or whatever you’d like!