Repair or Recover?
 

This is a side view of the case for my Domestic 6 machine, showing some of the damage to the covering (?) from water and sliding it around on the floor for 60+ years. How can I fix it? There isn't enough at the bottom to be able to turn it under and re-attach it.
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Any help would be greatly appreciated . Thanks .

Tolex is the name of the fabric that they use to cover guitar cases and amplifiers. It comes in many colors and designs.

I have seen a case that was stripped of the covering and the wood was then finished. It looked wonderful.

Pinterest has lots of ideas for featherweight cases (yours looks similar), that have been jazzed up. Some are very nice, some are a little tacky. Just depends on your taste I suppose. There comes a point when the case is just so bad, that you can have a little fun with it. Yours, honestly, does not look too bad. I've seen worse. I think if it were mine, I'd look into the fabric that they use on guitar cases.

Thank you all for the help, advice , and inspiration!

I took my friend's case apart and then reglued the joints and filled in all the cracks, let it dry, then recovered it with checked upholstery fabric. Used glue for fabric and wood, it was a permanent glue. Turned out very nice.

Thank you. That is an idea I had if I decided to re-cover it. My favorite fabric print with a light padding or sand it down and do decoupage.

I would strongly recommend decoupage. It's surprisingly easy, and you could go wild using a printed fabric or paper. First strip off all the black material and sand the surface smooth. Then use tack cloth to remove all the dust from sanding. Then give it a coat of mod podge or the like. Let that dry and start to apply more of the same in a limited area at a time, smooth on the paper or fabric. When it's dry apply more coats. Instructions are on the bottle or there are probably dozens of youtube tutorials. The finish is very stable and resists water when it's dry. It could be used inside the case, too, in case there's water damage there.

Thank you Rose_P for the process instructions. I think that's what I'm going to do. But, going into winter weather, it's a project that has to wait for spring. Health problems with my boyfriend prevents me from doing that kind of work in the house.

I have a case or two that have been covered with wild fabric. I think they are fun.