Bicycle Seat 'Raincoats'
Issue #30
Holiday Craft-Off Winner: Robyn Paton
By Venus Zine Staff
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
SUPPLIES
• 1 yard vintage oilcloth or other waterproof material ($7)
• one 20-inch length of 1/4-inch–wide elastic ($2)
• one spool matching thread ($2)
• any other embellishments you want to add (embroidery floss, patches, etc)
TOOLS
• one safety pin
• pen, pencil, or tailor’s chalk
• ruler
• scissors/rotary cutter
TOTAL COST: $11
SKILL LEVEL: need some know-how
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Loosely trace the top portion of a bicycle seat (this works that much better if you’re using the bicycle seat of the “giftee” or your own bicycle seat, if it happens to be bigger) onto a sheet of plain or tracing paper — this will serve as the template for the top of your rain cover. It helps if you try to keep at least a little symmetry on both sides of the seat.
2. Increase the size of the tracing you just made by about 1/4 inch all of the way around, and smooth lines where necessary to make the outline look more like a bike seat.
3. Cut the template out of the tracing paper (including that extra 1/4 inch) and outline the pattern onto the oilcloth using a pen, pencil, or tailor’s chalk. At the same time, mark off a 34-inch x 4.5-inch rectangular strip on the oilcloth as well. This will be the base of your cover. Once marked, cut out both pieces.
4. Take the 34-inch x 4.5-inch rectangle and fold a 1/2-inch seam down the long side (so your rectangle will now be 34-inch x 4-inch with one folded-up edge), wrong sides together. Secure this fold by sewing a 3/8-inch seam on the fold (3/8 inch from the folded edge).
5. Feed one end of the elastic length onto the safety pin, and then guide the safety pin (with attached elastic) into the folded tube/seam you just created.
6. Using the head of the safety pin, feed the pin and elastic with your fingers until the elastic is slightly more than mid-way through the folded and sewn tube (about 18 to 20 inches). When the pin has reached this point, secure the elastic at the beginning of the tube (back at the point where you fed the safety pin into the tube) by stitching over the elastic and the vinyl.
7. By this point, your rectangle will have become slightly curly (as the elastic is forced to stretch to reach the length of the tube. You want the elastic to be able to stretch to the full length of the rectangle. Once you can do this, secure the elastic at the other end of the tube in the same way you did in step 6.
8. Trim elastic ends and sew both short ends of the rectangle together, right sides together. Now you have the stretchy loop for the base.
9. With right sides together, sew the unfinished edge of the “seat” cutout to the unfinished edge of the rectangle, with a 1/4-inch seam; you’ll have to follow some curves — this will be the toughest sewing part. Once you’ve sewn all the way around the circumference of the seat, you’re done.
10. Trim and tidy threads and edges, embellish as required (or desired), and try it on the bike for size (and style!).
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