Car seat coverings are typically used to provide additional softness or padding to make you comfortable and at ease while driving. Additionally, you can customize your car’s interior while avoiding harming the original fabric by using custom car seats. The cost of purchasing custom covers that precisely fit your automobile seats can be high. But using the correct material and this article as a complete guide, you can sew your car seat covers.
How to Make Seat Covers for Car
Collect necessary materials
- Elastic (0.5 to 1 inch wide)
- Clothing fabric,
- A magic feather
- Scissors or a fabric cutter
- A sewing machine
- Strong needles and thread
- Rope or twine
Measure your seats:
Before you start, you’ll need to measure the dimensions of your car seats to ensure that the seat covers will fit properly. Measure each seat’s width, depth, and height, and note any special features, such as headrests or armrests.
Choose your material:
You can use many materials to make seat covers, including cloth, leather, and vinyl. Consider the climate you live in and the level of wear and tear your seat covers will be subjected to. Cloth seat covers are generally the most affordable and comfortable option, while leather and vinyl may be more durable but also more expensive.
Create a style for the car seat cover
Place a large sheet of paper, such as a newspaper, a clear plastic sheet, a blank sewing pattern, or another large sheet over the car seat so that it hangs over the edges. Use the magic marker to outline the seams in the current vehicle seat upholstery on the paper placed flat against the seat.
Cut the shape out
Discard any extra plastic or paper by cutting along the lines you previously created with the scissors. You can use this as a pattern template to create custom car seat covers.
Sew the seat covers:
You’ll need to sew the two pieces together using cloth material to create the final seat cover. Start by sewing the backrest and seat cushion along the sides and bottom edge. Then, attach any additional pieces, such as the headrest or armrest covers. If you’re using leather or vinyl, you can skip this step as the material is already in one piece.
Make fabric cuts using the style:
To create the car seat cover cloth, place the pattern sheet on it. To ensure you have extra fabric to sew the parts together, use the magic marker to draw a line 0.5 inches outside the pattern lines around the design. Then cut the fabric by those lines using scissors or a fabric cutter.
Combine the fabric’s seams with sewing. The fabric’s edges should have a 0.5-inch pattern piece sewn with a needle or sewing machine. If you’re doing this with a thread and a needle, use tight enough stitches so that the car seat cover will endure regular use.
To further tighten the seam, you can even use a cross stitch to complete the stitched edges.
Fasten the elastic
Calculate how much elastic is required to hold the bottom fabric of the car or measure around the seat. About two-thirds of the length you just measured will be required. For instance, if the chair’s sides and front measure 48 inches, you’ll only need roughly 32 inches of elastic.
Place the seat cover on the vehicle.
Stretch the elastic portions of the seat cover to fit over the seat and back of your car seat before installing it. After that, use your hands to smooth out any wrinkles in the fabric.
Firmly tighten the seat cover:
To maintain the seat cover tightly in place for repeated usage, tie the connecting cords around the rear of the car seat. Even if it takes effort, making your car seat coverings may be incredibly satisfying. After all, anyone may purchase a chair cover, but not many can claim to have made one themselves.
Make any necessary adjustments:
Once your seat covers are in place, you may need adjustments to ensure a proper fit. For example, you may need to tuck in any excess material or tighten the elastic bands to ensure that the seat covers stay in place.
Repeat the process for all seats:
If you’re making seat covers for multiple seats, repeat the process for each seat until all of your seats are covered.
How to Get Seat Coverings to Match Firmly
You understand how annoying it may be if you’ve recently had unfastened seat coverings. It slides around, piles up, and makes things more challenging. But if you try to make them fit precisely, the result will make you much happier.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Begin by determining the chair’s width at its broadest point. Most chairs are about 18 inches broad, but it’s best to measure to be safe.
- Create a fabric wrap by cutting a piece twice as wide as your chair and twice as long. For instance, you need a piece of cloth that is 36 inches wide if your chair is 18 inches broad.
- Fold the fabric so it is twice as long as your chair and 18 inches (45 cm) broad by folding it half lengthwise. As a result, you will have two layers of fabric to deal with.
- Leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of fabric at either end for seam allowance as you sew a seam down the middle of the fabric. For either side of your seat, this separates two compartments.
- Filling those pockets is the exciting next step. Anything from used pillow stuffing to dried rice or beans (make sure they’re dry) can be used.
- It’s important to stuff the pockets just enough to make them beautiful and puffy without stuffing them so much that they burst when you sit on them. When you’ve used just the right batting, fill the gaps using a sewing machine or a needle and thread.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of fabric are the seat covers made of?
The five fundamental materials are imitation cloth, vinyl, polyester, nylon, and leather. Hybrid materials for seat covers include canvas, ballistic nylon, neoprene, and a few more. However, it’s important to remember that these materials are derived from the five primary components.
How can I improve the fit of my car seat cover?
Tuck the universal seat cover through the edge while holding it taut when connecting the front and back. Where the back and bottom of the chair connect, there ought to be a neat, straight line. After it is fastened, you should place the cover’s bottom piece over the seat’s bottom.
What shade of car seat cover is ideal?
A lovely color that complements your outside will look excellent since you can see a portion of the car seat cover from the windows. You can quickly discover which colors go well together with a convenient color wheel, giving you an excellent idea of the hues to select for your car seat cover.
What material is resistant to seat covers?
Polyester seat covers are inexpensive, resistant, adaptable, and strong enough to withstand damage. They assist in keeping vehicle seats from getting damaged and are available in various colors and styles.
Conclusion
You may enjoy the appearance of your new seats at a quarter of the price once the seat covers are put on. It’s one of the greatest methods to maintain the quality of your seats, increase the comfort and attractiveness of your interior, and keep your car’s market value high.
Expert Opinion
For a simple DIY installation, refer to the installation instructions that came with your car seat covers. Most slipcovers fasten with Velcro or elastic and slide over the chair’s back. It might be necessary to follow a separate installation procedure for custom-made seats for your car.
Resources:
I am an Automotive specialist. I graduated from Michigan with Bachelor in Automotive Engineering and Management. Also, I hold degrees in Electrical and Automation Engineering (BEng), Automatic and Industrial Electronic Engineering, and Automotive Technology. I have worked at General Motors Company for over five years as the Marketing Operations Production Coordinator. Now, I own my garage in Miami, Florida. I love cars and love to share everything about them with my readers. I am the founder of the Automotiveex blog, where I share everything about automotive, like car news, car mechanical issues, and anything else that comes up in my blog posts.
