How to Easily Sew Your Own Cricut Maker Cover | Free Sewing Pattern
I was lucky enough to upgrade to a Cricut Maker just before Christmas. Now that the holidays are over and I’ve put all my Christmas items away, it was time for another sewing project. I will walk you through how to easily sew your own Cricut Maker Cover.
Previously, I had a Cricut Air 2 – the size is quite similar so this would likely work for that machine as well.
In Cricut’s Design Space, there is a free project to sew your own Cricut Maker Cover. However, I found it a bit confusing. I also couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of cutting out fabric and then putting it in my Cricut Maker to cut. That seemed like double the work.
So here is a very easy way to sew your own Cricut Maker cover. The pieces are easy to cut – basically just a bunch of rectangles and squares.
What’s great about this cover is that it is fully reversible! One side will consist of 2 different, complementary fabrics and the other side is solid.
This is a very simple dust cover. There are no pockets for tools as I personally have too many tools and keep them separately. I do, however, keep the blades with my machine in that little container on the left side.
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What Kinds of Fabric are Best to Use?
Any type of cotton works well to sew your own Cricut Maker cover. I haven’t tried using a knit fabric, but woven cottons work well. Although I had a bunch of fabric in my stash, it’s always fun to go to the fabric store and find something to go with what I have. Time passes quickly while I just wander around with a swatch in my hand, trying to find the perfect complementary fabric.
FABRIC SUGGESTIONS
- Quilting Cottons – so many options! Pretty much any colour and any pattern you want, you can find in the quilting section. What is also great is how for the top cover, you’ll want 2 complimentary fabrics – quilting cottons tend to be clustered together in themes, making it easier to pick 2 complimentary fabrics. The downside is that they can be pricey. There are so many quilting cottons I would have loved but I couldn’t justify the cost when it’s just a cover for my Cricut Maker.
- Cotton Flannel – these tend to be more reasonably priced. The only drawback may be in finding a suitable pattern. Most flannels are geared towards babies and children. I was able to find a few patterned flannels that work.
Personally, I tend to stay away from patterns that include lines. Things like stripes or plaids can be tricky as you need to sew them perfectly so that it lines up nicely. Quite often the pattern is not printed on the fabric straight and so you may need to adjust. I find that overall, seemingly random patterns tend to be the most forgiving and you don’t have to worry about lining it up properly.
Be careful of patterned fabric that is directional – meaning it has a certain top and bottom. The way I’ve cut out the pieces to this project is laterally so that you can use up the least amount of fabric. If your fabric has a top and bottom, you’ll have to purchase more so that it doesn’t appear sideways on the cover.
As with all fabrics, I always prewash them before I start my projects. You don’t want any surprises later on. Some cotton fabrics will have a lot of shrinkage and you don’t want your project to come out misshapen from the wash at a later date.
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Supplies Needed to Sew Your Own Cricut Maker Cover
This is a very easy sewing project. You just need some cotton fabric. Knit fabrics are harder to work with. You also need basic sewing knowledge with your sewing machine.
I have included an optional padded layer (easily achieved with flannel or fleece) which gives the cover a bit more weight to it. Two layers of cotton didn’t seem quite enough for me – I wanted something a bit more substantial. Note that only the main body of the cover (not the sides) has padding. You could certainly cut 2 extra side pieces of the padding fabric if you wanted to add that.
things you need
- Main Fabric – 1 yard/1 metre;
- Contrasting Fabric – 1/2 yard/.5 meter
- Lining Fabric – 1/2 yard/.5 meter; to make things simpler, you could make the lining fabric the same as the main or contrasting fabric. Just add the 2 amounts together.
- Padding Fabric – 1/2 yard/.5 metre; you can use flannel or fleece for this. Keep in mind that if your main or contrasting fabric is light coloured, you’ll want the padding fabric to also be light coloured (otherwise it may show through).
- Thread
- Sewing Machine
- Scissors or rotary cutter
- Straight edge or quilting ruler
Cut the Following Pieces From Your Fabric
Here are the pieces you need to cut to sew your own Cricut Maker cover. Please note that all of these measurements are in inches.
All pieces include 1/2 inch seam allowance.
CUT
Main Fabric – 4 Pieces
- 18 x 8 (top)
- 18 x 8 (top)
- 7 x 7 (side)
- 7 x 7 (side)
CUT
Contrasting Fabric – 1 Piece
- 18 x 9 (top)
CUT
Lining Fabric – 3 Pieces
- 18 x 23 (main body)
- 7 x 7 (side)
- 7 x 7 (side)
Padding Fabric – cut 1 piece
CUT
Padding Fabric – 1 Piece
- 18 x 23 (main body)
Prepare the Sides
You will have cut 4 squares for the sides – 2 from the main fabric and 2 from the lining. As the Cricut Maker is not completely square, you’re going to trim this a bit.
Measure 5 1/2 inches on one side and cut a straight line from that point to the opposite top corner. I like to use my rotary cutter for this.
For the opposite side piece, you will do the mirror image. So if you measured 5 1/2 inches on the left side, you will now do it on the right side (or vice-versa).
You should have 2 pieces that are mirror images of themselves.
Do this for both the main fabric and the lining – remember to work in pairs.
Sew the Lining
I use a 1/4 inch seam allowance for everything.
Lay the side piece along the short end of the lining piece. You are going to sew 3 sides to attach it to the lining piece.
Sew the first line and stop 1/2 an inch from the corner of the side piece. Lift your presser foot up and turn only the side piece in order to sew the next side. Don’t forget to put the presser foot back down. Stop when you get a 1/2 inch from the next corner. Lift the presser foot up again and turn only the side piece in order to sew the last side.
Repeat the same procedure on the other side. Remember that the side piece is a mirror image of the piece you just sewed.
Once the sides are on, test fit it on your Cricut Maker.
Sew the Top
Please note that to sew your own Cricut Maker Cover, I used a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
To sew the top, you will need the following 3 pieces of cut fabric:
- Main Fabric – 18 x 8
- Main Fabric 18 x 8
- Contrasting Fabric 18 x 9
Sew the above 3 pieces together, with the contrasting piece in the middle.
Press the seams open on the underside.
Optional – top stitch on both sides of the 2 seams on the right side of the fabric.
If you wish to add any embellishments like embroidery or heat transfer vinyl – now is the time to do that. It’s much easier now than when fully assembled (but not impossible). Check out my blog post All About Heat Transfer Vinyl for tips and information.
Place the padding fabric (18 x 23) underneath your sewn top part and baste together. To baste, I sewed close to the edge, all the way around.
Attach the sides as you did the lining. Sew on three sides.
Do this in the same manner as the lining. Remember that the angled part is the top. You will be attaching 3 sides of the side piece to the entire side panel.
Attach the Lining to the Top Part of the Cover
Put right sides of the lining and the top part together – you will literally be putting one inside of the other.
Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the bottom – sewing both the lining and top layer together. For the sides, it will be 2 layers of fabric. For the main body, it will be 3 layers as the padded layer will also be there. Leave a 6-inch opening (do not go completely all the way around).
Using that 6-inch opening, turn it right side out.
In order to attach all the layers together, sew in the seam of the main fabric and the contrasting fabric, through all 3 layers. You can’t actually see the line of sewing as it is in the seam – the purpose it to attach all the layers together so that it doesn’t shift. When I took sewing in high school, we called this “stitch in the ditch”. Is it still called that?
Iron along the bottom seam to make it flat. For the opening, make sure that the fabric is turned up.
You can hand sew that opening closed. I just stitched close to the edge all the way around.
That’s it! Now you have a nice dust cover for your Cricut Maker. To be honest, I use my Maker several times a week and so it doesn’t really have time to collect dust but I do have a nice cover for it. It wasn’t too hard to sew your own Cricut Maker cover.
A nice aspect of this cover is that it’s reversible.
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Followed your pattern and made my cover. I was a little confused on how to sew the second side piece on, but once I got my head around that, all was good. Thank you for the pattern.
You’re very welcome. Hope it turned it out well.
really confused on the side pieces and the lining part. you said to sew three sides but what three sides? am I sewing all 4 squares onto this one lining piece? it looks like you laid the square upside down? is that correct?
Hi. The sides are sewn on 3 sides: front, top and back. Since the cover slips over the machine, the bottom is not sewn. What you see in the post, I have pinned – that is the first side. If you look at the photo where it’s pinned, you would sew starting on the right side and work your way towards the corner. At the corner, you will keep your needle in, raise the presser foot and turn the fabric 45 degrees so that you can sew down what would appear to be the left-hand side. When you reach a 1/2 inch to the end, you will stop again with your needle in, raise the presser foot and turn the fabric 45 degrees. You will have to kind of twist/manoeuver the fabric so that you are sewing the side piece to attach to the remainder of the lining piece. When you do that, your work will no longer be flat – it’ll sit up and be 3D like. If you scroll down and look at the photo of where I attach the lining to the outside, you’ll see the ends. Hope this makes sense. If not, let me know.
Hello! Im sorry but im also really confused about the side pieces, do you only move the side pieces 45°?
Hello! For the sides, you sew 1 side at a time. You will move them 90 degrees for each side. If you pin or clip it first (as it should be in the final product), it may be clearer for you see. Hope this helps.
Awesome cover. Thank you very much for the free pattern to make sure our Cricut Makers are safe from dust.
You’re welcome!
Confused. You ask to cut padding at 18×23. Further down you refer to the padding size as 12×23. Do we trim the padding? After creating the main fabric with sides you instruct to place the 12×23 padding on the main? If that is the case, it does not lay flat like your picture illustrates he main fabric would be in in its intended shape as aa cover
Thanks for catching that. It should say 18×23. The padding is meant to double up the main body part (main and contrasting fabric pieces) and NOT the sides. The 18×23 should match when you sew the main and contrasting to create the top which goes over the Cricut. The lining is cut in the same size, 18×23. Sorry for any confusion.
Thanks for the pattern! Is the lining meant to be sewn on to the top BEFORE the sides? The way it is written, we sew the sides on first but then, like mentioned above, it doesn’t lay flat to baste the lining in.
Hi! I sewed the sides and left them facing the main piece and then sewed the lining. I didn’t turn out the sides, but they were attached and in there (underneath).
Sorry (it’s been a year since I did this)! Yes – sew the padding to the main BEFORE adding the corners. Let me fix that right now.
I had some pics in the wrong order. It should be correct now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Thank you for the great pattern! I love my cricut cover. Like you the one on design space confused me and I did not want pockets for tools.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for letting me know. Happy crafting!
I used your idea to make a dust cover for my Maker. I had some really nice double-sided quilted fabric so I didn’t line it. I’m going to do dust covers for my Explorer Air, 2 sergers and sewing machines.
Great! Double-sided fabric makes things easier!
Hello! I am so excited to have found this pattern! Just a quick question, is this for a regular Cricut or for the longer version, the Expression Cricut. Thank you for your time!
Hello! I have the Cricut Maker which is approximately 21.5(long) x 7(wide) x 6.5 (tall). I’m not sure if the Expression is the same size or not. Since this pattern is really just a bunch of rectangles, it would easily be adjustable to fit yours if it is different. Just a note that the Maker is sloped – the back is taller than the front. That’s why the sides have a sloped angle on the top of the pattern pieces. Happy sewing!
I am making this cover. I’m a little confused on the side pieces. I get how to sew them on. My confusion is when do they turn right side out? I don’t see any part that shows this step.
You will sew the outside (main) and lining, right sides together, leaving a small opening. Then you will turn it right side out. Does that make sense?
You state that the side pieces are 7×7, but in the photos it appears that at least the side is 71/2. Can you verify which is correct?
Hi Sara! The pieces are 7×7. When the ruler is at an angle, it looks like it is longer. Hope this helps.
Thank you so much!
I’m so lost. Do you happen to have a video of this?
Oh I’m so sorry. At the moment, I don’t have a video at the moment. Feel free to email me at: wcoastmom@toomuchlove.ca and I can help you walk through the steps if that is easier.
Thank you so much for this! I was beginning to modify the pattern on the website, I had no need for pockets nor did I want to mess with bias tape. Then I came across this and you have simplified it for me. Saved me a lot of time again thank you it came out great.
So glad to hear that! Thank you for your support. I too had no need for the pockets and didn’t want to use bias tape. Glad it worked so well for you.
I did this product step by step exactly as written and my cover came out completely wrong on the outside fabric. My contrast print was across the top instead of down the middle, and when I sewed the sides on (both ining and outside) I was left with extra hangover fabric. I’m now very frustrated and confused by this
Hello. I’m sorry that this is not working for you. It sounds like you oriented either the lining or the top piece a different way. Could you please send me photos to: wcoastmom@toomuchlove.ca and I will walk you through how to fix this.
Just finished making mine! Thanks so much for the pattern and instructions!
Fabulous! You’re so welcome.
I made your dust cover yesterday 🙂 – I have also shared your pattern with a Cricut group on Facebook who were wondering where I got it from. Thank you so much, this one was much easier than the one on Design Space.
I did have overhanging fabric at the end, but that was due to my using a 1cm seam allowance rather than 1/2 an inch.
Is it possible to include the seam allowance above each part that you are sewing and the seam allowance you used to do the final edging part at the end? I just sewed as close to the edge as I could.
Great suggestion! Thank you for the feedback. Much appreciated.
Thank you so much for the tutorial! I made mine today. Like a few other folks here, I got a bit confused with certain parts. I would like to make another one for a friend and was wondering if I could film it and share it on YouTube (with a link to your post, of course) so that people who could use a bit of extra help can see how I do it. Please let me know. Thank you again. I’m so happy my Cricut has a cover now!
That sounds great! Thank you for including a link. Much appreciated.
I have just finished the video sew-along based on your Cricut Dust Cover tutorial post. I thought I would share it with you: https://youtu.be/P7i7PsulVxE. I made a few minor adjustments to the instructions (based on my own understanding). I hope that’s OK. Thank you SO MUCH for allowing me to use the pattern for the video. I had a lot of fun making these covers!
That’s great. Thank you! Hope others find it helpful.
Thank you! After I made a cover for my Maker I modified and made a cover for my sewing machine to match. Next I will make a cover for my Sizzix, my mug press and my overlock machine!
I have to catch up to you! Glad it worked well as a base pattern.
Is there a printable version I can download?
Sorry – at the moment, it’s just this. But that is a good idea. I’ll put it on my to-do list.