Projects
Foot
of the>Month > Ruffled Sewing Machine Cover
This month we are celebrating sewing and decorating the sewing room by dressing up an
ordinary sewing machine cover. We’re featuring the Brother Stitch in the Ditch attachment
for the MuVit™ foot for our Foot of the Month, using the foot to stitch ribbon to the top of the
cover. We’ve also included a short tutorial about the Brother Digital Dual Feed MuVit™ foot.
You’ll find a variety of serger techniques highlighted in the project too! We used the serger for
a quick rolled hem finish and then speedily gathered fabric into ruffles to trim the cover.
Materials and Supplies

Brother Sewing Machine with Digital Dual Feed
capability.
 SA196 Brother MuVit™ Foot (This is an included
accessory for some Brother Machine Models and an
optional accessory for others). Please read more
important information about the MuVit™ foot at the end
of these instructions. Read your manual for additional
details.
 SA204 Brother Stitch in the Ditch attachment for
MuVit™ Foot.
Note: as an alternative you can use SA184 Brother Edge
Joining foot for sewing the ribbons. If using this foot
consider hand-basting ribbons in place to avoid shifting
while sewing.
 Brother Serger with differential feed capability
 Plain white fabric sewing machine cover
 Basic sewing notions, including good quality polyester
sewing thread to match fabric.
 Grosgrain ribbon, two complimentary colors measuring
7/8-inch wide. Amount of yardage will vary based on
custom measurements*.
 Fabric for ruffles based on custom measurements*.
Figure #1a
*Note: See instructions below for fabric and ribbon amounts.
Instructions for Creating Cover
1. Gather supplies. Begin by pinning ribbon lengths in rows
along the top (squared off) portion of your cover. Alternate
colors and tuck raw edges under at each end. Be sure to
leave
open
space
for
any
included
handle
slot.
*See Figure #1a and #1b.
2. Set up sewing machine by attaching the MuVit™ Foot, and
changing to the Stitch in the Ditch accessory in place of the
standard, included accessory toe.
Designed exclusively for you from the
Brother Education Department
Figure #1b
Projects
Foot
of the>Month > Ruffled Sewing Machine Cover
3. Select the Rick-rack zig zag stitch. Attach ribbon, working
Figure #2a
from end to end and running the blade on the foot between
the two pieces of ribbon. Be sure to remove pins as you
stitch. Press when finished, taking care to test your iron,
using a low temperature when pressing on the white cover
fabric. *See Figure #2a and #2b.
4. To finish stitching ribbons select a center needle straight
stitch and then move the needle position slightly to the left
Figure #2b
of the blade. Edge stitch with the blade along the outer edge
of the ribbon while the stitch catches the ribbon along the
edge. *See Figure #3a and #3b.
5. Measure the remaining blank area of the cover to determine
the length and width of your ruffle strips as follows:

Measure circumference of the cover below the ribbons at
the top, and then along the bottom at the hem. Select
the greatest measurement if they differ. Multiply this
number by 1.5 to create ruffle fullness. Record this final
number as necessary length for strip.

Figure #3a
Measure the blank area of the cover beginning at the
point where the ribbon ends on the top squared off
edge, and continuing to the bottom edge of the cover.
Divide this number by 3 and then add 2-inches to
measurement for an overlap on each of the strips.
Record this final number as necessary width for strip.
6. Use the above measurements to cut strips for three tiers of
ruffles on your cover. Note: Depending on your fabric you
may need to piece your strips to get the necessary
measurement for the length. If this is the case, wait to piece
the strips until after you have hemmed the bottom edge in
the next step. You can use the serger or the sewing machine
to piece your strips together.
7. Set up the Serger for a rolled hem and hem the bottom edge
of each strip. Piece as necessary as described in step 6. You
should have three long strips for creating your ruffles.
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Brother Education Department
Figure #3b
Projects
Foot
of the>Month > Ruffled Sewing Machine Cover
8. Set up the serger for a three thread wide stitch. Serge or
sew the seams if necessary to create three strips for your
ruffles. Next, set the serger for full gathering with the
differential
feed
*See
Figure
#4
for
Figure #4
Set differential feed dial to the
highest number possible.
steps.
Note: By setting all three of these to the highest setting
possible you will gain the maximum amount of gathers. Test
your stitching on a sample piece. Sometimes it is necessary
to slack off a bit on the needle tension to avoid thread
breakage.
9. Gather each of the three strips as follows: To gather, begin
by running a long (1 – 2 feet) chain of serger thread.
Leaving this extra long tail allows you to ease off extra
Set stitch length to the longest stitch
length possible.
gathers and adjust as you sew the tiers together. Repeat
this process at each end of serger stitching to ease off the
gathers from both ends. To gather each strip guide raw
edge along serger blade, skimming slightly as you stitch.
You can hold your index finger at the back of the gathered
fabric to “push in” more gathers, releasing your finger
periodically as you progress.
Increase needle tension.
Note: This setting will vary from
machine to machine. Increase until
you achieve the greatest amount of
gathers possible.
Designed exclusively for you from the
Brother Education Department
Projects
Foot
of the>Month > Ruffled Sewing Machine Cover
10. Use the sewing machine to sew strips to the cover as
Figure #5
follows:

Loosely pin the first ruffle at the top with right sides
together, having the gathered edge of the strip
positioned just below the ribbon.

Adjust gathers, leaving ½-inch additional length for a
¼-inch seam allowance. Tie the serger thread tails at
each end to keep gathers fixed at that length.

Remove the ruffle and use a small seam to sew the strip
with right sides together, creating a circular piece for the
ruffle. *See Figure #5.

If your cover is the same general size from top to bottom
you can now gather the remaining two strips to equal
Figure #6a
the same circumference as the first. If not, pin fit each
additional ruffle after stitching the first one to the cover.
Sew each strip to the cover, beginning near the ribbons
at the top and ending at the bottom hem, with each
ruffle overlapping the previous one slightly. *See
Figure #6a and #6b.

You can adjust the overlap position of the last ruffle to
make sure it reaches the bottom edge of your cover.
You are finished!
Please read additional information about the MuVit™ foot
below:
Designed exclusively for you from the
Brother Education Department
Figure #6b
Projects
Foot
of the>Month > Ruffled Sewing Machine Cover
Important Information about the MuVit™ foot:
Figure #7a
Digitally controlled, this foot allows for a variety of
adjustments when sewing different fabrics. In our example
we sewed cotton fabric ruffles and grosgrain ribbon to the
ripstop nylon fabric cover. This fabric combination would
normally slip during sewing, requiring basting to keep the
layers from shifting. This is a common problem when
sewing together fabrics layers of two different types. The
digitally
controlled
MuVit™
foot
helps
evenly
feed
problematic fabric layers. This foot is belt driven and the
“speed” of the belt is adjustable with controls available in
the Set mode of the machine.
With a setting of ZERO the belt assists in even feeding on
both the top and bottom. Touch PLUS to cause the belt to
feed the top layer at a faster rate than the bottom. This
Figure #7b
causes an easing effect for the top layer. Touch MINUS to
cause the belt to feed the top layer at a slower rate than the
bottom. This causes a stretching effect for the top layer.
We recommend beginning with the setting at ZERO.
*See Figure #7a and #7b.
Figure #8
Since every sewing situation is different you will need to test
your fabrics and experiment with the plus or minus setting
to
determine
adjustments
suitable
for
your
sewing
situation. We used a setting of -03 for sewing our ribbons to
the cover and a setting of 00 for attaching the ruffles. We
recommend recording the results and saving samples of
your test pieces. Since the foot is large at the back end, take
care to smooth out the fabric layers beyond the back of the
foot. In addition, the lever on the foot allows for
dis-engaging
the
dual
feed
action
when
desired.
*See Figure #8.
Designed exclusively for you from the
Brother Education Department