Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Sewing machine cover, from leather couch cushions

Someone was throwing away an old couch, so old that the covering on the cushions and back was REAL LEATHER.  Not vinyl, not pleather, not 'bonded leather', but real 100% cowhide-- which had clearly been much used in its 30-year career as a couch.  Since it was destined for either landfill or creative reuse I decided to salvage it and see what could be made with such pieces.

Project #1 - sewing machine cover to replace the large plastic bag that had been serving as a cover for last year.....8? 10? years. Definitely time.

Luckily a sewing machine cover is not spatially complicated, but I did decide to add a pocket to the outside to hold odds and ends.

Here is an overhead view while deciding what pieces of leather to use.



















More fiddling around, putting the existing cushion cover over the sewing machine to see how the leather would drape over the top.















The final product (with the hole for the top handle not visible).
Not the most cutesy or perfectly-seamed piece, but for my first time working with leather using the sewing machine I'm pleased how it turned out.  I'm also happy to have been able to salvage this natural material and extend its useful life.


















Happy freestyling, reduce, REUSE REUSE REUSE, and then recycle.