How to Cover Automobile Seats

Buying a used car can be a great way to save money on a vehicle purchase. Often times though, the upholstery is stained, burned with cigarette holes or torn. You could buy pre-made covers from your local department store with crazy prints like Tweety bird or Hawaiian flowers on them or you can sew your own custom seat covers and give your car a great updated and custom look.

Things You'll Need

• Upholstery grade fabric Thread Sewing Machine Sewing Pins Staple Gun Staples

Instructions

1. Remove the seats from the car. The seats are generally bolted down to the car floor, so you will need to loosen the bolts to get them out. You may have to enlist a friend to help get them out of the car. Removing the seats will make it easier to remove the existing seat covers.

2. Remove the old fabric from the seats being careful not to tear them as you pull them off. You will use the existing seat covers as a pattern for the new ones. Removing all of the staples from underneath the seats will help the covers to come off easier. After all the seat covers have been removed, lay them out on a flat surface and remove all of the stitching with a seam ripper. This will allow you to create a perfect pattern of all the pieces.

3. Lay out your new fabric and pin the old car seat pieces on top with sewing pins.

4. Cut the pieces out with a pair of sewing scissors. Upholstery fabric is a bit heavier then regular fabric so you may want to use a pair of heavy-duty scissors. Electric sewing scissors are helpful because they glide along the fabric easily and won't give you blisters while trying to cut through the thick fabric. You can purchase battery operated sewing scissors at most sewing and fabric stores.

5. Pin the pieces with the right sides together to form the seat cover for each seat. Put the seat covers on the seats fitting them over the head rest, first. Now turn the seats over and staple the covers onto the seat. Staple all around the perimeter of the seats so that the fabric will be snug and will not wrinkle or move around when you slide in and out of the car.

6. Grab a friend and put the seats back into the car and refasten them to the floor with the bolts.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose upholstery grade fabric or scotch-guarded fabric for best results.