Sewing Machine Tool Organizer

A few years ago I turned some old patchwork into a sewing machine mat (pictured below).

It was large enough to have some added space on the sides of the machine for some extra stuff and included a full row of pockets across the front. It was the perfect size for my BERNINA 440 QE, but when I upgraded to a bigger BERNINA 770 QE the mat suddenly seemed too small. I missed having extra space on the sides of the machine both on the table top to hold scissors and pin cushion, and with pockets to hold tools.

Time to make a new sewing machine mat, right? Yes! I took the best parts of that first mat and made some improvements; extra room on the top of the mat for other tools (pincushion, large shears, cup of tea, etc.), the front pockets are deep enough to hold tools but short enough to clear my legs, the backing includes stiff interfacing to keep the mat from sagging or bunching up, and I created angled pockets to hold tall tools (like a sewing gauge and tweezers) so they don't poke up above the table and get in the way of sewing.

I also got enough comments on that first mat to know that some people really wanted to have instructions to make one of their own! You can find out how to make one yourself with my Sewing Machine Mat Tutorial at BERNINA's WeAllSew blog. I hope you enjoy it!

Are you really surprised that I added a patchwork rainbow to my mat? ;)

It also works fantastic for other stuff, like using my fabric die cutter. I have thread snips, tweezers, and a small dental pic in the pockets to keep the die blocks clean while cutting. And the mat helps hold the die cutter in place. If you think the mat would slip around while using a die cutter, you need to follow the link above to learn my secret for keeping the mat securely on the table and free from slipping around!

Loving it so far, especially how it brightens up the space. I'd love to see photos if you create a sewing machine mat - please link in the comments or tag @erika.mulvenna at Instagram.

Happy stitching!