Make Your Own Quick Car Seat Covers
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I hate to get in my car if my clothes are dirty, wet, or stinky, because I don't want to mess up my nice upholstery. I don't like having seat covers all the time, though, so I decided to make some removable car seat covers for times when I need to protect the seats. This was a super easy and fast sewing project.
To make these seat covers, you only need to take one measurement, and that's around the fattest part of the headrest. You'll need this measurement to make sure you make a hole that will fit over the headrest later.
For the materials, you need a beach towel and a vinyl tablecloth. The towel is great for soaking up any water or sweat, and it will be comfy to sit on. The vinyl tablecloth will be used as a liner on the back, to keep the moisture from seeping through to the seats. Don't bother to get a really nice tablecloth for this, either. The thin, cheap ones will actually be more comfortable to sit on, easier to sew, and easier to fold up when not in use.
The first thing to do is make the hole for the headrest. Put the towel face down on the table and measure 10 inches from the end and make a mark.
Then measure the width of the towel, divide in half, and mark the center, forming an X where the two marks meet.
Divide your headrest measurement in half (mine was 26 inches, so half of that is 13 inches) and draw a line that long, centered on the X.
Cut along the line, creating an opening.
Lay the tablecloth out on the floor and put your towel on top. Make it all nice and smooth, then cut the tablecloth so it's about 1" bigger than the towel on all sides.
Put the towel and tablecloth wrong sides together, and fold the edge of the tablecloth in a half inch or so.
Line the edge up with the towel and pin in place. Do this on all four sides of the towel.
Then use the sewing machine to sew all four edges together.
When you've sewn all around, you'll have a single piece with towel on one side and vinyl on the other.
You've still got to close up that hole, though. Use some pins to hold the towel in place around the area you cut.
Then use the sewing machine to sew two rows of stitches around the hole.
Finally, use your scissors to cut the tablecloth along the slit, trimming away any excess.
If you want to get fancy here, you could encase the edge with some ribbon or bias tape, but I decided to keep it simple.
To put the cover on the seat, just slip it over the headrest and down onto the seat back.
A quick straightening and smoothing of the rest of the towel and you're all set!
The cover comes off just as quickly as it goes on, and you can fold it up and stick in the trunk for when you need it. The vinyl backing also makes this a great waterproof blanket for a picnic, play date at the park, or a stint on the sidelines at the soccer field. And the whole thing is machine washable! (Probably best to line dry, though, so the vinyl doesn't melt.)
I liked this seat cover so much that I just had to make another one for the other seat. Now I'm all set for summer!
45 comments so far:
Just want to point out that if a new car has side airbags in the seat, any seat covering will interfere with the airbag deployment. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way.
OMG! I *hate* the seat covers that the auto stores provide....they usually have some stupid design on them. You've just given me inspiration to custom make something that will work for my car! And I think I could get by with using upholstery fabric and maybe the terry towels, just for traction underneath. Thanks for the idea!
So happy to have inspired you, PatGLex!
I found this on Craft Gossip and think it's amazing. Unfortunantly I don't have a shiny new car. I do have a recently potty trained little one and a road trip coming up, and I think I could modify this to make one for her carseat just in case... I've had plenty of occasions where I've had to remove and disassemble a car seat to wash them. Thank you!!
Andrea, I love the idea of adapting this for a car seat, perhaps with a kitchen towel or hand towel? Besides helping with potty training accidents, I bet it would save headaches from spilled juice or ketchup during that road trip!
That is an amazing idea! You are certainly creative! :)
i love this idea! thank you for posting it...i just found some really adorable beach towels and am going to make my car some...i think i might add some elastic or ribbon to tie underneath my seat and in the back so it doesnt slide...LOVE THIS!
Christina, I love the idea of the elastic under the seat. Let us know how it comes out!
Very creative, just bought a new truck, this will be great! However, I will probably try this without the tablecloth, because I bought the exact tablecloth for my patio tables, when I washed them the backing came off, and I did not dry them.
This is exactly what I was looking for. (Just picked up the perfect towels for 1/2 price). If you place the peices face to face and sew the hole first, clipping the corners, it will have a more finished look. You just need to turn everything right side out after you sew the headrest hole and continue on from there, sewing the outside edges last instead of first. Another option would be to cover the raw sewn edges at the headrest hole with seam binding.
I have been wanting to do this for some time. I am going to try without the vinyl backing. Although not a "water proof" more comfortable and and good to protect from sweat after a workout.
Gonna try this, this week!
Neat idea!! I agree with Dawn, though, about washing the tablecloth..I have also washed them and the backing has always come off...If I may make a suggestion...instead of vinyl tablecloth use a shower curtain (fabric-type)..not the plastic liner (although that may work too). Thanks for this creative idea!!
Great idea to use a shower curtain, Sue! I'm sure that would hold up a lot better.
Just made one - super simple!
My car is far from new haha but I have leather seats, which translates to slip-n-slide in the summer... hopefully this helps!
My only modification was on the headrest slit: after I made cuts in both layers for it, I turned the ends under so they're not seen, pinned them in place and ran a zig-zag stitch over the edge all the way around the slot so it's nice and finished (plus reinforced).
Thanks for the idea! I'm about to do the same, just with 2 towels sewn together first, and no headrest hole... gonna be the dog's beach blanket so she stays off mine!
So glad you enjoyed this project, Heather. Great idea to reinforce with zig-zag stitching!
I love these for my husband, who's always at the beach! I don't own a sewing machine but I wish I could buy some from you :)
Instead of using a vinyl tablecloth, try using a waterproof mattress cover. Be aware of the proper waterproof side in positioning .
Great idea, Sue!
Great work.it is clean ,simple and focused .it was really very useful.
I purchased one of these at the tennis pro shop at a tournament. Paid an insane amount for it!! silly me!
However , My neice is playing college tennis and i think this will be a great addition to her graduation gift.
I think all my grads may get one this year!!
thanks for the instruction. I think I will add contrasting bias tape to the opening to finish the edges and to give it a little "pop" of color.
karen
Contrasting bias tape is a great idea, Karen!
If you have a removable head rest can't you just make the slit big enough for the holes?
Also how much are you leaving to hand over the back?
Sally, if your headrests are easy to remove every time you want to put the cover on or take it off, then you can definitely make the slit smaller. My headrests are kind of a paint to remove, though.
This is perfect. I have leather seats in my car & dont like them in the Texas summers. I knew if I looked long enough I would find a great way to make them.... just have to borrow my moms sewing machine now. :)
These are awesome! I wanted to get really crazy covers for my car, but couldn't find any that were just right, so I wound up with "plain" animal prints. My car is 15 years old, so I think I can look into replacing the covers I have (and I can probably use the fabric from the old covers for something). Thank you!
I found your site through Pinterest, and I'm having trouble leaving it.;-)
Mona, we're glad you found us. Hope you find lots of inspiration here!
I was trying to sketch something like this out and then bam I found your tutorial on Pinterest! I just a got a new (to me car) with leather heated seats in the front and I have dog. Been trying to figure out the best way to do it! Thanks! I'm just going to use a towel and instead of making a slit to fit over the headrest (read: HUGE headrest) I'm going to add buttons to secure it. :)
So glad we could help, Bella! Hope you're pleased with your covers.
i am going to make one of these for my dog to sit/lay on in the car. I will just hose it off to clean and hang on the clothesline to dry. I may use vinyl from the fabric department or a vinyl shower curtain on the back.
do you sell those hawaiin print car seat covers because I want a pair
Sorry, Sue, but we don't sell tehse seat covers. We made them from beach towels we found at Walmart!
LOVE that I found this. I was just brainstorming this morning about what I would need to create a seat cover for the drive home after super sweaty runs, and I came up with the exact idea, beach towel backed with a vinyl tablecloth. But first I had to search pinterest for any other tips or ideas. Question though, if you have time. With attaching it only by sliding the headrest through the hole and also being backed by vinyl, how well does it stay put while you're using it?
Anna, great minds think alike! I don't have any trouble with it staying put, but keep in mind that I only use it when I'm particularly dirty or sweaty, so keeping it in place isn't a big deal. If I tried to use it every day, it would probably be a lot more difficult.
Very cute!
I'm so excited to try this! Thank you!
Been looking for seat covers for my new car. I thought of using a beach towel. Glad i found your site on pinterest. Can't wait to go shopping for a towel. Would using velcro tape prevent them from slipping? I plan on leaving mine on for a long time. Also, you could make a few and switch out the colors.
Darnel, I'm glad we could inspire you! If you want to leave the covers on a long time, I would definitely take extra steps to make them snug. Maybe velcro, maybe elastic, depending on how your seat is shaped. I also like your idea to make different colros and switch them out occasionally :)
These are great. I've been looking for covers for my trooper but they are so expensive due to the fact that they have arm rests. My only concern is them staying put and not bunching up when getting in and out of the car. Suggestions?
Jubillee, maybe you could add elastic straps anywhere that needs to be held in place?
Thanks! My two guys are unpires and get in the cars sweaty and dirty dusty. I’ve lifted and tucked a towel under the headrest and pushed the head rest down to try keeping the towel snug so that the rest of the towel lays over all the back rest and seat — but it always comes down after sitting in it once.
I can’t belieb I have not thought of this simple trick. Forever thankful:)
Lorraine, we're glad to inspire you! Hope this solution works well for you.
What size beach towel did you use?
Katie, your best bet is to get a measuring tape and see how wide/long a towel would need to be to cover your car seat adequately.
Absolutely LOVE these car seat covers, but what do I do if I don’t have a sewing machine? I have a new-to-me VW Convertible Bug and I have spent the last 2 days looking to buy something EXACTLY like what you have made. I’m not afraid of trying to make 2 of these car seat covers but I have no clue what to look for when buying a sewing machine - any suggestions?
Ashton, we're so excited to have the solution you were looking for! Before you invest in a sewing machine just for this project, maybe you could try sewing it by hand? Or maybe you have a friend who can loan you a sewing machine just for this quick project.