Easy Padded Steering Wheel Cover

It is officially becoming summer here in Arizona...and my first clue was burning my hands on the car steering wheel after it has been sitting out in the afternoon. So, while driving home (and trying not to touch the wheel...safe right?) I decided my next project was a steering wheel cover!

I started by measuring the circumference of my steering wheel with a tape measure and then cutting my strips of fabric.

Materials:

Two strips of fabric 4" by the circumference of your wheel plus 1". If your fabric is not long enough I show how to make two smaller pieces to sew together for one long strip.

One strip of batting 1/2" smaller than your strip all the way around

Two pieces of 1/2" elastic 3/4 the length of your wheel measurement.

1. Make your strips 4" by the circumference measurement plus 1". My wheel is 47" around, so I had to sew together strips to make the total length of 48". I cut out four strips of fabric at 4" by 24". This fabric was actually an old dress that I found at a vintage shop for 50 cents.

2. Put two strips together (right sides facing) and sew up one of the small side to make a long strip. Do the same for the other two strips. You should now have two long strips.

Now I wanted my cover to be padded so that it wouldn't get hot during the summer. I had some batting left over from a headboard project (that I will hopefully post someday...).

3. Cut your batting into a strip 1/2" smaller on all sides than one of your fabric strips.

You could cut the batting the same size as the strip...I just didn't want to put my machine through any extra layers, and I thought it would be easier when inserting the elastic later.

4. Sew the batting with a 1/4" seam to the WRONG side of one of your strips. You should now have one fabric strip and one strip with batting on the backside.

5. Put the strips face to face with the right sides touching and sew up the long sides with a 1/2" seam allowance. You should now have a long tube. Flip the tube inside out.

6. Now to make the casing for the elastic, stitch on the existing seam that you have from your batting...this makes it look a little cleaner by having just one stitch showing.

7. Thread your elastic through the casings on both sides of the tube. This is easiest by attaching a safety pin at the front end. I also attach a safety pin to the end of the elastic that way I don't accidentally pull it into the casing all the way.

8. Sew the ends of the elastic together on each side and pull the tube over them to hide them. Now fold the tube with right sides together (whichever side you want facing out) and sew with an 1" seam. I went over mine several times with a zig zag stitch so that it would hold through all my crazy driving:)

Turn right side out and you're done! This was so easy that I may need to make one for every season:)

Price:

material: $.50 ( I even have some left over...seat belt cover?)

elastic: $.30

batting: $.20 (was a scrap of a yard)

TOTAL: $1.00