It doesn’t take long to be in the quilting world until you start to hear about the legendary Singer Featherweight. These little machines were manufactured from 1933 until 1961, at a rate of over 1.5 million per year. They do one stitch, a straight stitch, but it was legendary in doing that one stitch well. I became bitten by the bug, and decided to try to find one manufactured in 1954, the year I was born. So I found one on EBay, and was the successful bidder! You know, these little machines are just plain cute! And I just love little things!
Speaking of little things, I decided to name my Featherweight Zola Mae. My Aunt Zola was my favorite aunt, and was an excellent sewer and quilter. And she was a tiny little woman. So it is a perfect name!
Well, it doesn’t take long once the Featherweight bug hits that you start to accessorize. So I decided to make case liner and cover.
The pattern is by Jean Meier, Meier-izms of Seattle, WA.
I decided to make my own pattern for the case cover. I wanted one to cover the case to protect from dings, and to take the stress off the carrying handle. Even though these machines are lightweight (hence the name), they still are 11 pounds, and that is a bit of stess on cotton fabric. I backed my outer fabric with DecoBond (a Pellon product) to give it some strength. I also used a double layer of DecoBond in the straps, and ran them under the bottom.
I had to use my thinking cap on how to get the liner on, but it finally clicked ! Voila!
If there is a next time, I will make the straps a bit longer. And I sewed it entirely on Zola Mae!
