How to Sew an Infant Car Seat Replacement Cover
With the sturdy construction of an infant car seat, replacing the cover makes much more sense than discarding the whole unit just because it looks old. Rather than ordering a new seat cover, you can sew an infant car seat replacement cover yourself without voiding the warranty or compromising your baby's safety. Try an environmentally friendly solution for your own baby or as a creative gift for someone in need of an infant car seat.
Things You'll Need
- Old sheet or brown craft paper roll
- Marker
- Washable fabric pen
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Fire-repellent upholstery fabric
- Fabric backing
- Batting
- Elastic
Instructions
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1
Remove the old cover. Make a pattern of the old cover using an old sheet or brown craft paper. Note the shapes of the pieces that make up the old cover.
Lay the old cover on the sheet or brown craft paper. Use a marker, fabric pen or pencil to outline each piece on the pattern material. Add an extra inch to the outline of each part for the seam allowance.
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2
Cut out the car seat cover pattern pieces with scissors. Pin them together along the seams, then lay the pattern onto the infant car seat.
Check how well the pieces fit, and move the positions of the straight pins to adjust the pattern to fit the form of the car seat. Take the straight pins out of the pattern pieces.
You can also use the old infant car seat cover itself as a pattern. Use a seam ripper to open up the seams and separate the parts. Label each pattern piece with instructions on where and how to join the pieces.
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3
Cut the new cover. Spread out the new stain-resistant, fire-resistant fabric onto your work surface, and lay the pattern pieces onto the new upholstery fabric. Pin the pattern pieces to the new fabric, or trace its outline with a fabric pen. Cut along these lines to make the parts of the car seat cover.
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4
Cut the car seat cover backing and batting. Lay the newly cut upholstery fabric pieces onto the backing fabric, then cut out the same pieces from that fabric.
Lay the upholstery fabric pieces onto the batting, and trace the outline of each piece onto the batting. Cut out the batting pieces.
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5
Sew the cover. Pin the pattern pieces together following the instructions you previously wrote on the pattern pieces that explain how to join the pieces.
Stitch the upholstery fabric parts together, then stitch the backing parts together.
Pin the backing to the front cover with right sides facing inward. Stitch the pieces together all around, about 3/4 inch in from the cut edge. Leave the bottom of the infant car seat cover open.
Turn the cover inside out, and slide the batting pieces inside the pocket. Lay it flat, and pin along the edges and a few places across the surface of the cover to hold the batting in place.
Mark the locations for the seatbelt slots. Sew large buttonholes at these spots, and make a slit in each buttonhole to open them up.
Stitch 1/2- to 1-inch-wide elastic along the edges of the car seat where the original cover had elastic. Fold in the edges, and sew the bottom edge of the cover closed.
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