How to Sew Your Own Golf Cart Seat Covers

After enjoying many sunny mornings or afternoons on the putting green, your golf cart seats will eventually look like they've seen better days. Golf cart seats--like many upholstered pieces of furniture--are covered with vinyl, leather or cloth. The way the original coverings were attached to the seat is the same way you can make your own golf cart seat covers.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips or flathead screwdriver
• Scissors
• Staple gun
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Remove the Old Covers

Locate the screws that hold the seat cushions to the golf cart's seat frame.

Lift off the seat and the backrest parts and remove the old fabric.

Use the old covers as a template for the new ones.

Replacing the Fabrics

• Measure the required yardage needed to cover your golf cart seats using the old seat covers as a guide.
• Select your favorite replacement fabric from your local fabric store. Choose durable outdoor fabrics that will stand up to the elements.
• Spread the new fabric onto a work surface and lay the old seat covers on top. Pin the old fabric to the new fabric if it's not too thick. Otherwise, trace the outline of each old piece onto the new fabric.
• Cut out the new pieces and lay them down with the right side facing down.

Assembling the Seat Cover

• Lay the seat cushion with its top facing downward onto its new fabric piece. Center the cushion width- and lengthwise.
• Use a staple gun and staple the fabric to the underside of the seat frame or use the same fastening method that was previously used. Start at the center of the top and bottom and then move the center of the two sides, pulling the fabric taut.
• Staple the fabric along each side, from the center out to the corners.
• Pull the fabric at the corners downward and stretch it downward to avoid any pleats. Sew the corners into a bowed corner or give each corner a tight, neat fabric fold before folding under and stapling.
• Cut away the excess fabric, position the seat cushion onto the golf cart and screw it back in place.

Assembling the Backrest Cushions

• Lay the backrest cushions onto the new fabric pieces and center them both by width and length. Fold over the fabric at the middle of each side, securing the opposite sides in order and pulling the fabric taut.
• Staple the fabric along the sides to the corners, and either sew squared or boxed corners or pull the fabric taut for a neat corner finish.
• Cut away the excess fabric and screw the backrest cushions back into the golf cart seat frame.

How to Pick the Right Material For Your Rug

Rugs come in many different fibers,such as nylon, wool, acrylic, cotton or polyester. Less common are silk, and leather, but they are definitely worth looking into if you want a rich look. With so many options available it can be confusing, but the fibers used in a rug do play an important role in how it looks, how long it will last and how stain resistant it proves to be.

Generally speaking natural fibers, especially wool, may be a better choice, as far as longevity and quality are concerned. However, synthetic fibers have the advantage of being easily affordable and now offer a wide range of choices.

Which material should you choose for a rug? There is no single answer as it depends on many factors.

Where Will You Place Your Rug?

Your selection may have a lot to do where you will be placing the rug. Will the rug be placed in an entry, or will it be placed in a corner of the living room? Will it be displayed on a wall? Where you place your rug will determine how much use in terms of foot traffic it is going to get.

Placing a very expensive wool or delicate silk rug in the entry might not be a good idea, however these will add a very luxurious look to a protected part of the living room or the bed room. Bamboo rugs, while they don't offer a very soft feel underfoot will last a long time in high traffic areas such as entries.

Have You Determined How the Rug Will be Used?

What kind of use will your rug be subjected to? Is it a heavy traffic area, or is the purpose mainly display in an area that does not get much use? Will pets and children also be using it? If it is going to be subjected to rough use, consider a synthetic fiber with durability like nylon or polypropylene. If your rug will be used in an area that gets subjected to moisture, you might want to look into a mildew resistant synthetic material such as acrylic. Wool, which absorbs moisture is not a good choice in this situation.

Have You Decided on the Look and Feel You Desire?

What kind of a look are you striving for? What kind of a texture do you need? This should determine how and where you want to use your rug. Although synthetic fibers, especially nylon, do offer a lot of variety in color and texture, the look and feel of a natural fiber rug will be different. Even within natural fibers, a sisal rug would offer a very different look from a silk rug. And chenille, which is a synthetic material offers you a silk-like look and texture, but may be more suitable for an area that gets a reasonable amount of traffic.

Select Rug Quality

And very importantly, what kind of quality are you looking for? Do you want the rug to retain its value over a period of time? If so, you might be better off with a wool or silk rug. If high quality and a long life is not a consideration, you could buy rugs in less costly natural fibers such as cotton or jute, or go for an endless variety of choices in synthetic fibers like nylon, acrylic or polypropylene.

Decide on a Budget

Consider your budget. Are you willing to invest in a quality rug? A natural fiber rug such as wool or silk, could cost you considerably more than a synthetic rug. If you just need an attractive floor covering and are not going after very high quality at the moment a synthetic fiber would be a better choice. Less costly options in natural fibers such as cotton, sisal or jute are also available depending on the look you desire.

9 Quick and Easy Fixes for Wood Surfaces

It is easy for wood surfaces to get marred by scratches and stains. It is just as easy to recover the beauty of wood through quick fixes, at least in most cases. Deeper gouges will require more thorough methods, but if the damage is only skin deep you have recourse to several quick ways to make it less apparent and maybe even fix it.

 Fix Surface Scratches

It is usually the tops that suffer the most from heavy usage. Dragging objects across the surface or throwing things down on it often contributes to the wear and tear. It is not possible to prevent these from happening in a normal household. But you can take care of these unsightly scratches.

• It is easy to find wood polishes that blend in surface scratches and damaged stain. These polishes are available in different shades to match most commonly found wood finishes. Select a shade that closely matches your piece’s finish and apply the wood polish to blend in any surface damage. The polish will come with instructions. Some polishes that do the job well:

• A light coat of wax can also fix superficial scratches. If you need to apply wax more thoroughly,find the instructions here.

Some homemade recipes can work in a pinch. These materials are easy to find, and can also be used to treat light scratches and discolorations with some success:

• Crayons are one of the easiest ways to fill in scratches. Find the color that matches your finish most closely. You may have to mix two colors to get the desired effect. Rub into the scratch, then smooth with a soft cloth. Crayons are also great on painted finishes.
• Brazil nuts are not only delicious and nutritious,  but can be used to fill in scratches in light wood. Be sure to cut them first to release the oil. Rub into the scratch and smooth.
• Iodine from your medicine cabinet can hide surface scratches on darker wood, though you may have to apply more than one coat to get the right shade. Use Q-tips to gently rub into the scratch and then let it dry. I have tried this method with success.

Erase Water Ring Stains

Another problem that besets table tops, especially those with varnished finishes is water ring stains. They can look very unsightly and using coasters is an easy way to prevent them from happening in the first place. Here are some ways to get rid of them if they do happen:

• This method works best if the stains are fresh and haven't had time to sink into the surface deeply. Place a thick piece of cloth over the water ring and press it with a warm iron. Make sure to drain all water from the iron before you do this. You don't want more moisture. Rub the warm iron over the cloth-covered water ring until it disappears. Take care not to go beyond the cloth or you’ll end up with a singed surface.
• Use lemon oil or orange oil for stubborn water rings. Let the oil set on the water ring overnight, or at least a few hours. Wipe off excess oil. Even if it doesn’t disappear completely the stain will be less apparent.
• An equal mixture of white toothpaste (not gel, but good old fashioned white toothpaste) and mayonnaise is also effective. Apply, then wipe off with a soft cloth. You may have to rub it for a little while for the ring to lighten considerably. Afterwards, rub the area with orange oil or lemon oil to make it go away completely.
• If you don't want to try out home remedies, look for water ring stain removers in the market.

You may have to try out several remedies, and possibly try one out several times before it goes away completely.

Where to Find Bargain Upholstery Fabrics, Curtain Fabrics, and More

Those gorgeous fabrics you see in decorating magazines and design showrooms can cost hundreds of dollars per yard. Fortunately, you can find some of those same fabrics (and some that are even more fun) cheap or free when you know where to look. Here’s where to find bargain upholstery fabrics, pillow fabrics, and more:

Fabric Samples

Custom upholstery manufacturers discontinue fabrics several times per year. Their samples range from just big enough for a pillow front to enough to reupholster a small wood-framed armchair.

Furniture stores have to pull discontinued samples from their displays -- and they usually end up in the dumpster. Stop by a local store or design gallery and ask if you can look through the discards.

Fabric Remnants

A remnant is the fabric remaining on a nearly empty bolt. Nearly empty might mean one yard or 12. Dye lots (fabric dyed together in the same vat) are hard to match, so most shops won’t use the end of one bolt with yardage from a new one.

Pricing is often just pennies on the dollar.

Look for remnants at:

• Upholstery shops
• Retail fabric stores that carry upholstery and drapery fabrics
• Upholstery manufacturers in your area
• Craigslist and eBay

Used Clothing

Even if you don’t want to wear it, scan the secondhand clothing at flea markets, yard sales, estate sales, and thrift stores. You won’t be able to reupholster a sofa with yardage from a gathered skirt or vintage caftan, but you might make a set of throw pillows or reupholster your dining chair seats.

Vintage Home Textiles

While you’re bargain hunting, remember that you don’t have to use anything for its original purpose. Sometimes it’s far more interesting when you don’t. Here are a few ideas for repurposing vintage textiles:

• Use a bedspread or quilt as a tablecloth
• Use a tablecloth as a bedspread or shower curtain
• Cover chair seats with the good sections of damaged rugs
• Make café curtains out of old embroidered pillow cases
• Make pillows out of nearly anything