Car Seat Cover Tutorial

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I realize there are a lot of tutorials for car seat covers out there, but I decided to make one of my own.  I tried to make it a little more easy to follow than some of the tutorials I've seen.  Let me know if you have any questions!

What you will need:
1 yard of main material
1 yard of contrasting material
Sewable Velcro
Thread
Straight pins
Scissors
Fabric marker
Tape measurer
Straight edge
Plate
Embellishments (buttons, ribbons, etc)

Not necessary, but nice to have:
Rotary mat
Rotary cutter
Rotary ruler
Binding tape

First you'll want to fold your fabric in half and cut it 17" wide and 42" long.  This will leave you with a rectangle that is 34"x 42".  You also need to cut 2 rectangles of each fabric that are 3"x 7 1/2" for your straps.

 Once you have cut both fabrics to the correct size, use a plate to help you round the edges of your rectangles.  I found it best to cut both fabrics at the same time so the corners would match up.  If you have a really sharp rotary cutter, you are able to cut all the corners and both fabrics at the same time.  If you don't have a good rotary cutter, you can use a fabric marker to draw the rounded edge and then cut it with scissors.

 Here's the cut corners.

 Line up fabrics right sides together and sew around the outside using a 1/4" seam.  Make sure to leave a few inches open though so you can flip it right side out.

 Before flipping it right-side-out, cut little notches in the around the corners (careful not to cut your seam) to help your edges to stay nice and round.  

You can finish your edge however you like.  I decided to use binding tape.  Some other options are to just leave it as is, but make sure to iron the seams so they are nice and sharp, you could go around the outside edge with a 1/8" seam, or your could serge around the outside.

With your 3" x 7 1/2" rectangles, sew right sides together.  Once again leaving an opening so you can flip it right-side-out.

 Cut the corners a bit before flipping it so you can have a sharper edge.

 Once it's been flipped right-side-out, iron the seams and then sew a 1/8" seam around the outside - making sure to close up the open area.

 Figure out which fabric you'd like to show on your straps.  I wanted to keep them matching the top fabric and attach velcro accordingly.  

 Fold your cover in half and measure 18" from the top and then 3" over and draw a 2" line.  Do this on both sides.  These lines are where you will sew on your straps.  FYI the 18" side is the back of your cover.

 Here is my line.

 Next take your straps and draw lines at 2 1/2" from the top and from the bottom.

 Here is a little diagram to show you the measurements of those lines.

Line up the line you drew on your strap with the line you previously drew on your cover.  You'll want to line them up so that the part of your strap that you want to be on top will be on the drawn line.  Make sure that the 18 inches is the back part of your cover.  Once you have pinned the straps in place sew a square around those two lines.  Attach your straps to the car seat and you're done!

 Here is the finished product.

I apologize if that was confusing.  Please ask me questions if you have any!