How to make a toilet lid cover

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one cover, standard size)

• Outer fabric (cotton, linen or quilted cotton) — about 50 cm × 60 cm
• Lining fabric (terry or a pile fabric grips better) — the same amount
• Flat elastic, 8 mm wide — about 120 cm
• A bodkin (or a safety pin)

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Home” → “Toilet lid cover” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the lid width, the lid length and the ease. Presets cover standard, long narrow and large lids.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Measure the lid
   Measure the width at the widest point and the length front to back, including the curve of the rim. Sizes vary a lot between makers, so measure your own.
2. Trace the pattern
   Trace the body. It is an egg shape, slightly narrower at the hinge end. Mark which end is which so you do not get it the wrong way round.
3. Cut the pieces
   Cut 1 outer and 1 lining.
4. Finish the edges
   Not needed — it is turned right side out.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew outer and lining together

1. Place outer and lining right sides together and sew all the way round, leaving a 12 cm opening.
2. Clip the seam allowance every 1 cm around the curve. The curve is tight, so skipping this makes it pull when turned.
3. Turn right side out through the opening and press.

4-2. Make the elastic channel

1. Topstitch 1.5 cm in from the edge, all the way round. The space between that line and the edge is the channel.
2. Leave the section at the opening unstitched — that is where the elastic goes in.
3. Make the channel at least 5 mm wider than your elastic. Any narrower and it will not feed through.

4-3. Thread and gather the elastic

1. Feed the flat elastic all the way round with the bodkin, starting at the opening.
2. Cut the elastic to about 85% of the actual circumference. Too long and it will not grip; too short and the lid will not close.
3. Overlap the ends by 2 cm and stitch them together.

4-4. Fit it and check

1. Close the opening with ladder stitch.
2. Fit it over the lid and check that the elastic has pulled right around the underside of the rim.
3. Close the lid and make sure nothing is trapped between lid and seat. If it lifts there, it will shift every time it is used.

✏️ Cut the elastic to about 85% of the circumference. Going shorter to make it "nice and tight" stops the lid closing fully; going longer means it slides off every time the lid is raised. Thread it, try it on the lid, adjust, and only then stitch the ends. Before they are stitched you can change your mind as often as you like.

5. Tips & variations

• Terry for the lining: a smooth lining slides around on the lid. Terry or pile grips.
• Make two: with nothing to put on while one is in the wash, you stop using it. Make the spare from the start.
• Match the mat: a bathroom mat in the same fabric pulls a small room together.