Car Sewing

Hmm, so today I worked on something that's not my ordinary sewing.  A guy my husband works with is restoring a somewhat-old car and wanted to know if I could sew a new vinyl boot for it.  He gave us a bunch of clothes his son had outgrown, so I told my husband I'd see if I could do it.  Here's what my husband brought home for me:

The "before" picture--I took one of the side pieces off to
create a pattern to make the new one from

In case you are confused, this isn't a boot.  I'm not sure what this is called, but my husband brought me three pieces to re-do.  One of them is actually the boot that covers the base of the gear shift.

The "after" picture--Topstitching holds the seam allowance
in place on the underside (and makes it look like the original)

I was concerned about whether my machine (a little Janome Jem) would be able to sew the vinyl, but she had no problem with it.  Topstitching was a bit tricky since the needle leaves big holes in the material.  It meant I only got one try to get it right.

Side by side comparison

 

I think it turned out nice, but I'm going to make sure my husband's co-worker likes it before doing the other 2 pieces.  I am by no means a professional automotive upholsterer!