Handmade Soft '09 Hatch Cover!

[Knittin' Vibe]

Hey guys! I finally finished my hatch cover that I started a discussion about here: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=41225It doesn't totally reach to the sides of the "trunk" (which is fine - I'll just put any important stuff in the middle of the trunk instead of the sides!) and is a bit saggy, which I knew would happen, (also - it kind of dips down in the back) but overall I'm happy with it! I used quilting fabric and cotton duck to make the cover, using flat felled seams to increase the seam durability. I put in channels along the sides and put sections of 1/2" dowel in them. I think 3/8" dowel would've worked just as well and been less bulky, but it wasn't available at the time at the store I bought the dowel. I finished the outside with duck cloth bias tape I made and sewed it all up.Overall view of hatch cover:Angled view:Flat Felled seams (a bit dodgy looking...should've used a twin needle):Close up of edge binding:To attach it to the hooks in the car I used 1/4" grommets and 4 black elastic loops. Side-to-side the cover hangs down a bit, but that can be fixed by shortening the elastic loops (which I've been lazy about and haven't gotten to yet)Far shot of cover installed (sorry about the crap in my trunk...not a very pretty picture):Closer up...And a shot from the inside!:

[lovemyraffe]

Nice! I haven't seen a custom soft cover before.

[Wolfman213]

Neither have I. That's pretty awesome!! Congrats on your first mod, and a truly custom one at that!

[tpollauf]

Quote, originally posted by Knittin’ Vibe »Hey guys! I finally finished my hatch cover that I started a discussion about hereVery nice And the fact that is is "soft" means that it won't get blasted hot when sitting in the sun like the plastic or Vinyl ones. Good color choices and looks like good seam-man-ship (if that's a word) Now you have to move up to ... lets see .... Seat covers, arm rest pads, door panels ... etc...

[Knittin' Vibe]

Thanks everybody! I'm kind of surprised other people haven't posted something like this before. Maybe the Vibe owners here are more hardcore with their carpet covered hard hatch covers? Quote, originally posted by tpollauf »Very nice And the fact that is is "soft" means that it won't get blasted hot when sitting in the sun like the plastic or Vinyl ones. Good color choices and looks like good seam-man-ship (if that's a word) Now you have to move up to ... lets see .... Seat covers, arm rest pads, door panels ... etc...Thanks! Yeah, it'll be nice that it will just be warm instead of totally scorching hot. The only thing I'm really worried about is the colorfastness of the fabric...it might fade pretty quickly. Will just have to see how it fares this summer!But, oh man, don't know if seat covers, etc. are in my future. I'm a pretty simple gal and like the car the way it is for the most part. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

[engineertwin2]

Looks fantastic! Great job!

[vibolista]

Quote, originally posted by Knittin’ Vibe »Thanks everybody! I'm kind of surprised other people haven't posted something like this before. Maybe the Vibe owners here are more hardcore with their carpet covered hard hatch covers? Thanks! Yeah, it'll be nice that it will just be warm instead of totally scorching hot. The only thing I'm really worried about is the colorfastness of the fabric...it might fade pretty quickly. Will just have to see how it fares this summer! Super nice cover! To cut down on the fade factor you can always get a UV lowering tint on those rear windows. Also, the tint cuts down on the heat factor. Is there any kind of UV spray that can be applied to the fabric that lowers fading? Time to invent something?!

[anthonygobot]

Nice mod! I may have to try something like this.

[waveresponder]

looks great

[jackie879]

Awesome! I really want to do something like this for my '09, but I can't sew to save my life. My aunt is really good with sewing so I'm going to see if she can help me out...

[Kincaid]

Great looking cover. You got me thinkin'.