super cute sewing mat

Remember my paper pieced butterfly?

I used it to make a sewing machine mat for my mom for Mother's day.

(it is this week end in France)

It looks really good in my sewing room,

may be I should make one for myself too!

perfect with my summer treats quilt!

I have made so many sewing related presents for my mom,

it becomes challenging to find something new.

1- dress form quilt, 2- machine cover,

3- needle book, 4- sewing book, 5- sewing kit.

I followed this tutorial from Lillyella to make the pockets 

with the paper pieced butterfly, cool fabric and

the raw edges, and the thread catcher.

I followed this tutorial by the Sewing Loft to finish the mat.

Since I used a heavier fabric for the base

(I made a laptop cover out of that fabric)

I did not use any batting.

Instead of a regular fabric for the backing, I used shelf liner.

The trick in being able to stitch it is to use tissue paper on the bottom

so it is smooth on the sewing,

it just needs to be torn off at the end.

It makes the mat sticky to the surface you work on,

it protects that surface,

and it should absorb some of the vibrations from the machine.

I also made a cute little pin cushion that matches the mat and thread catcher

for a perfect ensemble.

It is not long enough to fully cover the machine in the back,

but it still looks really cute that way too!

Happy sewing!