Learn the proper steps to install a leather steering wheel cover to protect your vehicle’s steering wheel.
Leather steering wheel covers not only help protect your steering wheel from daily wear and tear or sun damage, but also greatly enhance the driving experience by providing excellent grip for better handling.
Here you will gain the knowledge to perform a baseball stitch installation on any newly purchased or homemade leather steering wheel cover.
The regular instructions that usually come with a store-bought leather wrap show a typical loop stitch. If it’s the factory look you’re after, you’ll need to know how to use a baseball stitch.
1) To start, take your leather steering wheel wrap and spread it over the entire steering wheel. Make sure the temperature in your vehicle is not too high or low, as leather stretches easily in hot weather and becomes less elastic in cold weather. Place the cover over the bottom of the steering wheel and spread it over the sides. Don’t forget to use your fingers to stretch it over the top of the wheel. At this point you need to be a little careful not to pull too hard on the seam as you can easily rip it. Double check it to see if it’s neatly lined up so the seam is where it’s supposed to be. It is usually located above the old location in the sea, but you may want it to be a little more to the front or back. Consistency is important here, as a seam that snakes inside the trim can make installation difficult. A quick tip is to turn slowly as you sew so you can pull evenly from both the front and back.
2) Now you can start sewing the steering wheel leather wrap. You will need 2 needles for this. Start by threading one end through each seam joint in the middle, located at the bottom of the ruffle. Tie the 2 threads together and then have 1 thread coming out of each seam. Allow about 7 inches of thread to pass through and tie 2 or 3 knots to join the ends. After that, you can pass the threads so that the knot is in the seam.
3) Carefully trim the excess thread to about a quarter inch, but make sure it’s not too close. Be sure to use holes that are directly opposite each other. To start your stitches, be sure to cross the threads above and also below the seam, as well as backing up the opposite side. One important thing to keep in mind is that you will need to consistently cross the threads the same way each time.
4) Do not start sewing at the seam as this will make it very difficult for it to pull hard. Similar to a loop stitch, you need to pull each stitch tight before moving on to the next. As you try to tighten each individual stitch, you will notice that the wax on the thread helps to hold the previous stitches tight. The correct way to pull is firmly and slowly rather than quick jerky movements. Also, pull straight sideways and not forward, as you may accidentally overstretch the cover if pulled incorrectly.
5) Slowly and methodically should be your method when trying to install a steering wheel cover for the first time. Managing the yarn is the most challenging step, but doing it slowly and surely will get you at an easier pace. Please allow 2-3 hours to successfully perform the baseball stitch on the leather steering wheel cover. You’ll notice that when you get to a radius, the baseball stitch has distinct advantages over the loop stitch method. First of all, you will have a thread on each side of the spoke which will allow you to wrap the thread on both sides. Second, you will be able to pull the seam tighter and closer to the spokes than with a loop stitch.
6) You have now reached your first spoke on the steering wheel. To cross the spokes of the wheel, use a loop stitch by winding the yarn around and into the next hole on both sides of the wheel spoke. Pull each and every point as hard as possible with a firm, steady pull. Don’t worry about breaking the waxed thread as it was designed to take a lot of abuse. After you get to the other side of the wheel spoke, pick up the next couple of holes that you can almost completely close and continue.
7) If the leather wheel cover is the correct size, it will not stretch too much if you continue sewing. There will be some bunching, but this is normal in the installation process. After you get to the bottom again, take the last stitches and tie them over and over under the original knot as you pull the threads through the seam. You will then need to tie several knots and then cut off the excess seam. Make sure to leave at least a half inch of slack and tuck the knot into the seam.
8) Take a flat head screwdriver and push the knots and thread ends straight into the seam. Do it carefully and gently as you can accidentally cut the thread if the screwdriver is too sharp. The main reason you need to leave a bit of extra rope at the end after you tie the knots is so that the knots can be loosened a bit if needed. Leaving a bit of string will prevent them from coming apart completely.
You have now successfully learned all the steps on how to install a steering wheel cover. Don’t fret if your first attempt at installing a leather steering wheel wrap didn’t turn out as perfect as he planned, as he can always start over by going back to where he has a good seam. The most important factor here is to keep the seam straight as he continues to sew. If you come across a knot, don’t try to pull it out, but instead use the needle to undo the knot. Leather steering wheel covers are a great investment and will enhance the look of your steering wheel as well as provide better grip and handling.
