Make (and Install) Your Own Leather Steering Wheel Covers

Make (and Install) Your Own Leather Steering Wheel Covers

Make (and Install) Your Own Leather Steering Wheel Covers : Multi-thousand tips to make your life easier.

Cars are a reflection of the owner. How a car looks from the outside and how it is cared for on the inside is a definite insight into a man's mind. It could even be said that the car is an accurate gauge of a person.
One of the parts of a car that hardly gets any attention, but is quite essential to the vehicle itself, is the steering wheel. Most car owners will just put in a leather guard and give it no second thought. Steering wheel sheaths serve a purpose because they keep wear and tear on the wheel to a minimum and at the same time add a little touch of class to the interior of your car. If you are the kind of person who takes care of little details such as the steering wheel, it shows that you will never let the little details go unattended.

Steering wheel sheaths are often made of rubber and can cost from around forty to fifty dollars. Making one is fairly easy, and all you'll need are the following items:

• Darning needle
• Measuring tape
• Ruler
• Braided fishing line
• Leather sheet
• Hole puncher

Once you have your materials, here's how to make and install the covers:

• Measure the steering wheel. Take the measuring tape and measure the diameter of the steering wheel. Normally, you will only cover the steering wheel, but if you want to cover more than that, just measure the surfaces you want covered. You also want to measure the thickness of the steering wheel because you need to wrap the leather sheath around the whole wheel. Be sure to allot an extra inch, as leather tends to stretch while you work.
• Leather work. Working on the other side of your leather sheet, measure out a rectangular strip based on the measurements you got earlier. Cut out the rectangle.
• Put in holes. Use the hole puncher to put in needle holes you'll use to bind the leather sheath to the wheel. You can use a 1/8- or 1/16-inch hole punch for this. Measure out 1/4 inch between every hole. You need not be exact in the spacing of the holes.
• Sew it in. Take your braided fishing line and knot it at one end. Then sew it through one edge of the leather and secure it. This is your anchor point.
• Start sewing. Wrap the leather strip around the steering wheel or areas you want to cover. Make sure that the open end is facing toward you, then thread the needle through the holes. Pull the line taut every three or four holes to make sure you're securing it properly.
• Finish up. Once you finish sewing the leather sheath around your steering wheel, twist the sheath so you hide the stitches under the wheel.

Keeping your steering wheel covered can be fun if you know how to do it yourself. The best thing is that you can customize the colors to match the upholstery of your seats and the interior decor of your car.