Take something and make a pattern of the top of your cooler. Light
weight cardboard would be good. Now lay it over the vinyl with the
stretchier part of the material going the long direction of the cooler
lid. Trace the pattern out and cut it 3/8 of an inch larger all the
way around. Now cut another piece for the bottom. Now fold the piece
in half and make little notches half way down every side. These are to
keep the two pieces lined up when you sew the sides on. Put the piece
you marked over the other piece and match the marks.

Now cut your material for your sides allowing 3/8 of an inch on both
the ends to be sewn. You might want to find you foam for the center to
get the right size. I'd go medium density because you don't want a 3
inch cushion and will need the stiffer foam to cushion your patootie.

Now cut some strips one inch wide as long as you can get out of your
material. These get wrapped around some 1/8 plastic piping or twine
between your cushion piece and foam to form a decorative edge. When
you wrap them around the piping and line the edge up with the other
pieces it will work out to using the 3/8's allowance you made earlier.

Oh, and put a zipper in along the back side. Also make about four thin
straps to put snaps in and sew them into the cushion the same time as
the sides. You can buy a snap squeezer the fits over you vice grips at
a hobby shop. When you put the cushion over the foam wrap the foam in
dry cleaner plastic. This will make it slide in easy. You can rip it
out if you want or leave it. It will make a slight crinkly sound when
you sit on it.

The upholstry shops were lying, anybody in the uphostrey business can
make a simple cushion. My bet is when you started describing what you
wanted and how much you wanted to pay they realized you weren't worth
the trouble, because a cushion like that would cost you over 4 bucks
to have done.

On Mon, 2 May 2005 15:26:48 -0700, "frosty" wrote:

Would like to upholster the top of a cooler to put on
my boat. Have seen coolers with matching top cushion
on new boats, but mine is five years old.

Have a matching piece of vinyl from a replaced sundeck
cushion that is plenty big enough. Local upholstery
shops have no experience covering the top of a cooler,
and the marine retailers don't know from upholstery.

Anybody ever done this?

Any suggestions on a cooler to purchase? Plastic?
Metal?

Techniques for covering the top, while still allowing it
to close and seal properly?