quick and easy bicycle seat cover

This easy (and quick!) waterproof 'raincoat' for bicycle seats beats
bikes wearing grocery bags as rain covers, and definitely tops sitting
on a squishy-just-been-rained-on seat. A perfect gift for the
commuting cyclist, the bike enthusiast, or just someone who you know
would love their bike to look that much more pretty.

Materials:
1 yard oilcloth, or other waterproof material
1 17-inch length of 1/4" wide elastic
1 spool matching thread
1 safety pin
a pen, pencil, or tailor's chalk
a ruler
scissors/rotary cutter
any other embellishments you want to add (embroidery floss, patches, etc).

(note: this tutorial was also featured in Venus Magazine's December 2006 Issue)
(also note: this is an entry in the Etsy & Instructables Sew Userful Contest. You can see my etsy listing over here)

Step 1 Creating the Seat Template

Loosely trace the top portion of your bicycle seat onto a sheet of plain or
tracing paper - this will serve as the template for the top of your
rain cover. You don't want this to be an exact tracing of the top, but
more of an outline. It helps if you try to keep at least a little
symmetry on both sides of the seat.

Comments

[jet73]

A shower cap will do the same job and looks nicer than plastic bag.

[ajs1313]

the use of aluminium foil will help you get a 3D template. this would allow you to fit the cover more snugly to the seat and thus create less pressure points from the folds in the loose fabric.

[soggs74]

my boyfriend is going to be so psyched when I give him one of these for Christmas. thanks!

[Robotrix]

This is genius! I can't believe i never thought of it, but man am i ever glad you did. I am 100% making this and i'll post pics once i'm done.

[mintyfresh]

Super! I would love to see pics if you do! -robyn

[lemonie]

Not Gaffer tape (as I was half expecting). Your finished seat doen't look very nice, as compared to the fabrics shown in some of the steps, and doesn't seem too tight(?) What brown 'stuff' did you use in the end? Or am I just looking at the oilcloth and it's the last image on step six that's the finished product? L

[mintyfresh]

There are two photos of finished seats in the entire collection. One made out of a dark woodgrain oilcloth, and the other made out of white sock monkey vinyl-coated fabric. As for the "tightness" of the seat cover, if it's too tight around your seat, you'll risk stretching the seams between the top and the bottom pieces of the cover itself, which would allow water to easily get through the edges (and promote quick wear of the cover itself). If you want a tighter fit, I suppose you could make the seat cover a little more snug and use waterproof sealing tape on the inside seams - I haven't tried this myself, but I can't see why that approach wouldn't work as well. Thanks for commenting!

[lemonie]

It's a load better than I've seen elsewhere (tape, plastic bags etc...). L

[mintyfresh]

Thanks! The plastic bag approach does work well, but I was looking for a more stylish solution. And it's a great way to find your bike in a crowd.

[Thinktank]

Four words. Shopping Bag Dental floss I am done .