seatbelt covers tutorial


I just love these car seat strap covers. I made Sadie a pair a long time ago, but I wasn’t happy with how they were made, so I re-did them. They’re the perfect way to eliminate red marks on your little one’s neck! and stylish too.***Just be sure they are not too long to interfere with the chest clasp on your car seat. Safety first.

Click below for more!

You’ll need:

4 pieces of fabric, 2 backing and two top fabrics measuring 4 1/2″x3 3/4″. Also two pieces of batting the same size. (you may need to check your straps, these were the measurements for our car seat, I would think they’d all be similar, but who knows?)

sew on velcro
bias tape
sewing stuff (thread, machine, scissors)

This tutorial is picture heavy! Just to warn you. I know I need TONS of pictures when I’m learning something, and step by step ones are my favs…so that’s how I do my tutorials. If you are smarter than me, good for you! Skip the parts where you’re like “blah di blah…she’s so boring…”๐Ÿ˜‰

Stack your fabrics right sides out, with the batting in between.
Then you’ll sew a few lines of stitches to keep it in place, and to make it look like a mini quilt, which is essentially what you’re making!
Then, take your bias tape and lay it down like so along one of the short edges, in the middle. Leave about an inch and a half un-sewn, so don’t start sewing at the beginning of your bias tape piece.
Stop about 1/4 inch from the edge, lift your presser foot, and turn your fabric like so.. …and then back stitch off the fabric, like so. Can you see it? Then fold the bias tape back like so.
and starting from the edge, continue down the side. Keep doing that until you get back to the side you started on.
Now you’ll unfold your bias tape like this..
and lay it down flush with your “quilt”, pin so that it lays flat.
and then, pulling your “quilt” out of the way, sew along your pin, I pull mine out as I go.
Then, trim the excess and finger press down, and then go back and sew down your now-joined piece of bias tape.
like this!
Now you’ll fold it over once, and then once more. This is the back view.
front view…continue around your “quilt”
When you get to the corners, tuck it in like this… and then over like this to make a nice corner. Sheesh my hands are dry and scaly. gross. here’s your “quilt” ready to be bound.
Next you’ll “stitch in the ditch”, aka stitch right next to the bias tape on the front…catching the back like this:
Not the prettiest, but it does the job! and hey, it’s not a real quilt. (although that’s how I bind mine. I hate hand sewing.) (I switched to my walking foot for this step, and then kept using it for the next cover. It worked great)
Then, cut a piece of your sew on velcro to fit the smaller sides, and sew them on! tada!
one set for baby…
…and one set for Sadie.
While I was at it, I made one for me! I love it! The dimensions are 4 3/4″x 9″, though I would suggest making it a little wider, mine is pretty tight on the strap. ๐Ÿ™‚

As usual, let me know if you have any questions!

***If you have used any of my tutorials, I’d love if you’d add a quick pic to my flicker group! Thanks!***

 

Comments

  1. These look so great!

  2. Very cute! SO where’s the picture with you using your strap?? ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. OH my gosh, i’m totally making myself one of these!

    I just started driving, and find it very distracting (I think its cause i’m a tad on the short side, and it hits me at an awkward when i’m driving!

    Thanks!

  4. Great idea. I really should make some for the car.

  5. I just finished making a set of these for my sons seat! it was such a easy quick project, I love sewing projects with immediate results =)

  6. I really should make some of these! Can I just say that I LOVE all of your tutorials AND I love the way you catalog them on your side bar. I REALLY need to do that.

    I also really need to do all of them!

    I just wanted you to know that I am featuring your sweet baby headband tomorrow from the Christmas in July linky part.

    I am having my last linky party tomorrow and I sure wouldn’t complain if you linked more of your great tutorials and projects. As I sat there looking at them all I kept thinking “that would make a great gift” “ooh so would that”.

    You get it. I know everyone else would think your projects are great too.

    Hope to see you again.

    Larissa
    Just Another Day in Paradise

  7. Jess,
    What brand of carseat have you got? My friend is looking for a new seat that would stop her daughter unstraping herself whenever the car stops (at red light, junctions…) and yours looks a little bit more childproof!
    Thanks. xx

  8. Great tutorial! I made a pair for my infant carseat. Turned out cute, thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. I am making several sets of these today for my son! He has acid reflux and I need more cause we change them out at least twice on a long trip day!

    We would love to have ya join us for Link it up Sunday
    http://motherhoodunedited.blogspot.com if you want to just head on over and link up! ๐Ÿ˜€

  10. Thank you for this tutorial! I have been wanting to make these for my little one for quite a while. I’ve actually been avoiding putting her in some of her cute summer tops because of the red marks on her neck from the carseat. Mine turned out okay – I don’t really “get” binding tape so i did my best. The 19 mth old shouldn’t complain . . .

  11. This is going to make the perfect Christmas gift. Where do I post or show the picture of my completed covers?

  12. You can post pics in my flickr pool, here:

    http://www.flickr.com/groups/1218187@N25/pool/with/5178095611/

    Would love to see them!

    JEss

  13. Hooray! I finished the ones I needed to make for Olivia’s car seat! Thanks again Jess!

  14. Awesome!! Thank you. I’ve only made one so far (3 more to go…I have twins) but I love this tutorial. And as someone who’s never done binding before I definitely needed all the pictures so thank you! I’m pretty sure I didn’t do it right still but they are going to turn out a whole lot better than if I’d winged it on my own ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Hi Jess, I have just made my daughter a second seatbelt cover, I discovered she was putting the belt behind her head as belt was scratchy on her neck when went into a booster seat!! She is now 8 and has long outgrown the Dora one I made her so just made a purple spotty one she’s thrilled- thanks for great tutorial!

  16. Thanks for posting, it is GREAT, I will be making one for my granddaughter!!!

  17. Your the first ive seen how to put on biased tape and with pictures and actually realize how to do it! THANKS!!

  18. Thank you so much for the tutorial, I’m going to stitch up a couple for my grandson !

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  1. […] Seatbelt Covers Tutorial from Craftiness is Not Optional demonstrates how to sew covers to keep those delicate little necks […]

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