Recycle.Reuse.Repurpose.

Miss Trilly’s original cushions were backed with heavy cloth-backed vinyl, which was like new. I have been brought up to never waste anything, so I made a spare tire cover for her out of this Naugahyde material. This time, Mom’s old Singer had trouble with the stitching, refusing to catch the bobbin thread. I hoisted my cast iron 1970s Kenmore machine up to the work table and wound the heavy duty thread on its bobbin. With just a little tweaking of the two tensions, I was sewing again. A roller foot prevented the heavy fabric from sticking and binding. From then on, the sewing was easy.

The mount for the tire was an impediment to simplicity and I had to cut out a section to allow for the metal frame. The hardest part was the attachment system. After trying out a couple of methods, I settled on reusing a nylon strap inserted into a casing. Feeding the 3/4″ nylon strap through this hem was very difficult. I ruined two aluminum knitting needles in the process! Gathering and securing the strap while the tire was mounted was not easy either. It is a good thing that this cover will not be taken off and put back on frequently! We are very happy with the result. It fits like a glove.

Here is what the back looks like…

Today, we moved Miss Trilly to a covered area where we can remove her from the trailer––the first step in replacing her axle. The canopy is just the right size. The trailer fits perfectly.

Happy travels!
Clark & 9ah