How to Make a Homemade Leather Bench Seat Cover

[coloradosean2009]

I suspect that many of you suffer from multiple hobbies like myself. My newest "winter hobby" is leathercraft. I have made a couple of leather projects before and I now am confident that I can tackle a leather bench seat for my pickup. I hope that others who share an interest in leather working will chime in and show off their handy work also.

As you can see from the photo below, the old cover is shot. I could buy any of the replacement covers available for anywhere between $150 and $400. I also could take it to a shop beginning at $850.

The process is as follows:

1. Remove old seat from truck and pull the sliding tracks off.
2. Cut all of the hog rings holding the old cover on.

On a side note, you may consider gloves because all the little rings under the seat are sharp. When I got done it looked like I spent the day pruning roses.

[coloradosean2009]

3. Next you need to cut the cover along the seams very carefully. We are going to use the old seat cover to make our pattern. Stay on one side of the seam and don't rush.

4. Once we have the pieces cut I verify that I have enough leather for the project. You can see that I have selected two colors of leather. The darker leather is a 1/2 hide and measures approx 22sqft. I will use it for the back and the lower seat sides. This will give it a nice contrast and the leather was less expensive as the more substantial seat and back pieces.

The second leather that I have selected is a lighter tan color with a hint of green to match the truck. I went lighter color because of the sun here is Colorado. It is my hope that it will stay cooler.

The tan leather is an amazing piece of hide. Almost 57sqft of pebble soft tannage. This was one big cow. The hide is 100% blemish free. If you are in the market for this type of hide you need to do some homework as you can get taken for a ride at large retail "leather factory" stores. Ebay is also an option.

Next up: I will make a paper pattern from the pieces.

[msgross]

this will be cool, sourkraut (John) does leather work too...

[TheSebring]

Subscribed.

[Piece of Work]

Originally Posted by TheSebring

Subscribed.

ditto.

[West Texas Z]

Originally Posted by TheSebring

Subscribed.

me too.

[sourkraut]

looks like a nice project! i will be doing the same to my bench seat when i get to that point in my project.

[OARNGESI]

This will be interesting to see how it comes out

[bigguy69]

subscribed

[VA72C10]

joining in for the fun!

[basemodel67]

I'm in!

[coloradosean2009]

The paper pattern needs to be slightly larger than the pieces from the seat (aprox 1/4"). This extra leather will allow for the seam and is the key to making the seat cover the correct size (I hope).

I bought a roll of "construction paper" from the paint department in the Hom* Depot for about $12 and a roll of blue masking tape.

The paper pattern is where the learning curve comes in. You need to think about how much seam allowance you need in all directions as well as allowing for the metal wire that ultimately makes the connection to the seat frame. I recommend practice covering a few items before you make this your first project. That will give you a good feel for how each seam will come out.

Once you have the paper pattern you cut the leather pieces out using a rolling cutter or scissors. That part is easy - just don't forget your layout and cut a piece out of the wrong hide.

In addition to the pieces you will need strips of 1" wide brown for the piping accent.

The next step involves drilling a series of holes in the leather for the hand stitching. For this I use a Dre*mel equipped with a diamond abrasive bit. I recommend the diamond over a conventional drill bit because it won't pull the leather into the drill. The layout of the seam is 1/4" from the edge. The more accurate the seam the better the end product.

An overstich wheel will allow for quick layout of the stitch holes. I spent about 1.5 hours drilling the holes for this project. Expect twice as long if this is your first leather rodeo.

When we stitch the seams together I will use piping to give contrast and dimension to the seams. The strips of brown leather 1" wide will be wrapped around a piece of micro para-cord. Below you will see photos of a seam in a mock up. I hope the contrast will add visual appeal for the seat. The piping will also help shape the final product.

Next we will talk about making the seat a little more comfortable.

[drewskiren]

Can't wait to see, thanks for teaching us.

[coloradosean2009]

One more picture of the seam mock up. This time from the side that I will hand stitch. I am using binder clips to hold it together. The clips will come in handy when I start sewing the seam.

[jrdv]

Great Post!
I have been wanting to do this to the seat in my old Model A pickup.
Thanks for taking the time.

john

[coloradosean2009]

The bench seat that I have gains its support from a series of springs. One of the springs is broken. I have a replacement ordered and I am hoping it will fit. My plan is to sister the new spring next to the old one.

In the meantime, I have a set of pool noodles that I bought at THE Wa*-Ma*t. I have used these in the past to add strength to a seat while not changing the outer dimensions. The funny thing about the pool noodles is they always seem to be just the right size.

In the first couple of photos you can see the vertical orientation that I have been successful in using in the past on a Mercedes 250 bucket seat. This method adds considerable strength to the corner that gets the most use. Every time the driver gets in and out of the seat the corner gets mashed down. By adding the pool noodles the corner is stiff while still allowing for just the right amount of give.

I also am considering laying the noodle in the spring set with a horizontal orientation. This will provide less support but will be uniform along the length. The other advantage of this orientation would be the ease in lashing the noodle to the spingset. I am not sure which orientation I will end up using - any recommendations would be nice.

That is it for me this weekend. I will spend some time during the week finishing up some holes in the leather and preparing to sew the cover together. My goal is to have the cover done by the end of next weekend. Seems lame having the truck out of order just because the seat is in pieces.

[8mpg]

why on earth hand stitch? I admire teh work, but man...I dont have the patience for that. Im plan on making some seat covers for my Dodge seats

[coloradosean2009]

Originally Posted by 8mpg

why on earth hand stitch? I admire teh work, but man...I dont have the patience for that. Im plan on making some seat covers for my Dodge seats

I am lacking a sewing machine that can stitch leather. I hope to pick one up some day, but until then I use the tools I have.

[TonyJohnson]

Wow, that's quite an undertaking. Can't wait to see the results.

[sourkraut]

coloradosean2009 i am proud of you! it gives it more soul hand stitched! that is how i do all of my work!http://www.sourkrautcustom.com/

[coloradosean2009]

Kraut -

I like your work. You have a nice style that shows in all the pieces.

Here are a couple of photos of a bag that I made for my wife. I notice you have a seat with cross stitching too.

I also made her a laptop sleeve. The inside is lined with goat leather. Man is that stuff soft and strong.

Keep up the good work.

[beebster]

Originally Posted by sourkraut

coloradosean2009 it gives it more soul hand stitched! URL="http://www.sourkrautcustom.com/"]http://www.sourkrautcustom.com/[/URL]

You pretty much hit it right on the head!
adds more soul and has that "handmade" look.

[coloradosean2009]

This weekend was productive. I started out by punching rivet holes along the seam that will be used to attach the cover to the frame. The idea is to create a pocket in the leather that will allow a wire to pass through. The wire adds strength to the connection to the frame. This seam will not show and needs to be strong. I decided to use rivets because they are fast and strong.

While I was punching the rivet holes I also punched some holes to allow the hog rings to catch the wire. This is an extra step that I decided to do on the bench bottom only.

Next I added a layer of poly batting. I bought the batting at a hobby store on sale with a coupon for a grand total of $6.50. I used the batting to add a little life to the foam core. On a side note, when I did this project on a 1972 mercedes that I used to own. The Germans were still using horse hair in 1972 and the project was very messy. The foam pad for this bench is a dream to work with compared to the horse hair.

Finally I sewed the bench cover together. I use only nylon thread for leather. Any other thread is crap and will fail. Be sure to back stitch the ends of the seams as you will need to tug like crazy to make the cover fit tight.

The last photo is a test fit before riveting the wire seam at the bottom.

[coloradosean2009]

After confirming fit, I moved back to the bench to rivet the wire reinforced seam. I bought 100 rivets and needed 96. The four extras came in handy after I buggered a couple when I got in a hurry.

I used a piece of scrap to attach a holster for my mag light. I added a couple of shock cord loops to help keep the light in place. Now I will always have my flashlight handy when I need it.

Once the rivets are all pounded in, place the cover back on the bottom. Now is the time to insert the wire into the bottom seam. Use the wire that was on the old cover.

Next you will need to compress the seat springs while pulling on the cover. The compression of the springs will pull the leather tight when let go. The wire seam will meet up with the frame to allow for the use of hog rings.

I have included a picture of the p.o.s. hog ring pliers that I bought from LM* alongside the pair of pliers that I picked up at the local ace. You can also see the difference between a proper gauge ring and the lightweight crap that came with the small one. I know better than to buy a tool like this from a catalog but part of me thought L*C would have made an effort to source a tool that was not a total p.o.s.

[coloradosean2009]

Here are a couple of photos of the final product on the bench bottom.

I am ready to start sewing the back cover together. I will take a couple of days off the project to let my hands recover before tackling the back cover.