Welcome to another edition of Pink Ribbon Projects, a series devoted to Breast Cancer Awareness. Did you realize that a seat belt cover would be a perfect gift for someone facing an upcoming mastectomy? That’s right! It’s an item I gave my mother before her double mastectomy and today I’m sharing how to make your own in this easy seat belt cover tutorial.
The ride home from the hospital can be an uncomfortable one for a mastectomy patient. Unfortunately, the seat belt strap lays directly across the chest which can irritate and cause pain to the incision site. An easy way to prevent any discomfort and pain is with a padded seat belt cover. It may be difficult to find one in your local stores, but today I’m showing you how to make one yourself with a few materials and sewing machine. This would make a great gift for someone with an upcoming mastectomy surgery (or any chest area surgery) and is very affordable to make.
Here is what you will need to make a seat belt cover:
- Small piece of soft fabric, fleece or something fuzzy works best
- Quilting batting
- Sew on Velcro tape
- Coordinating thread
- Sewing needle
- Sewing machine
- Scissors and rotary cutter and cutting mat
Let’s start out by cutting the fabric and batting. You will need two pieces of each cut material into 7 X 9 in. rectangles.
Stack the fabric so that it is right sides facing in the middle with a piece of batting on each side like in the picture above. Secure with pins.
Sew the fabric together along all 4 sides, leaving an inch opening. Turn the fabric right side out, then sew up the opening with a needle and thread.
Now it’s time to add the Velcro strips to the fabric. Measure and cut the Velcro tape to fit along the longest side of your fabric, cutting it 1/2 in. shorter than the length of your fabric. Position one of the Velcro strips along the left side of the fabric and sew it into place.
Tip: Since my fabric was pink but Velcro strips white, I used a white thread spool in the top of my sewing machine with a pink thread bobbin to avoid unsightly seams.
Sew the matching Velcro strip alongside the opposite side and end of the fabric. Make sure you sew it correctly so that the Velcro meets when the fabric is folded over the seat belt!
Now the seat belt cover is ready for use. Just fold over the seat belt and secure it into place with the Velcro strips. Easy! This lightly padded, soft and cuddly seat belt cover is so much more comfortable than a bare seat belt, especially to a mastectomy patient.
My mom loved her seat belt cover so much after her double mastectomy that she’s still using it, two years later. Yes, this month is my mom’s 2nd anniversary as a breast cancer survivor. That is why I’m committed to bringing the Pink Ribbon Projects series to you! You can find out more by reading my previous posts, and don’t forget to come back next week for another fun project with the breast cancer patient in mind.
- Mastectomy Comfort Pillow
- Essential Items to Include in a Chemo Care Kit
- Bring On the Pink! It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
- 10 Essential Items to Include in a Mastectomy Care Kit
- Mammogram, anyone?
- 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Genetic Testing for Breast Cancer
These are just for mastectomy patients. I was in a car accident two weeks ago. The seat belt left me with a nasty bruise. It looks quite shocking. The seat belt also presses on the bruise and it hurts. So I needed some padding. This tut fit the bill. I made it out of red toile because I don’t like fleece. I made one in less than an hour. And congrats on your mother’s two year survivor anniversary.
I’m so glad you found this tutorial useful and it helps with your bruise. So glad to know it came in handy for others and not just mastectomy patients. Thanks so much for letting me know it worked for you!
This will be a perfect gift for my sister in law. She had cancer also (Non-Hodgins Lymphoma) she told me today that five years on, her seatbelt rubs on the still sensitive scar from the biopsy site.
I am making one of these for her today. I know she will love it.
Thank you for posting this tutorial.
I am so thankful you found this tutorial helpful. It’s comments like yours that make my day! 🙂
Thanks so much for your porta-cath pillow tutorial. I made 2 today & plan to make 8 more & then donate them to a chemo center. Will happily make more if patients want them.
My niece is a 6 yr breast cancer survivor & she said she definitely would used one of the pillows during chemo had she known about them.
Congratulations to your Mom surviving Cancer is a major achievement.
I modified one of these for my car because the belt rubs against my skin & is painful.
I used Minky fleece on the back
& hand embroidered & beaded sun flowers on the “front”.
Thank you for the great tips on putting it together !
I just found out my mom is going to have to have a mastectomy in a few weeks and I was feeling down. Then I stumbled on your site and you brightened me up. I’m going to make the pillow and seatbelt cover and get together a little kit. Thank you for spreading a little sunshine on a dreary day!
I’m so glad I found this. I’m not a mastectomy patient but even so I find the seatbelts scratchy n irritating. I am gonna make some of these for Christmas presents. Thanks