First time attempt a sewing vinyl seats

[silveraire]

Picked up this ol' girl this spring. She was rough. What started out as project I wanted to keep cheap got a bit out of hand. So after an unplaned new Merc CT115 4 stoke and a new galvanized trailer, I needed to stop spending money. Tried to clean the old seats but the vinyl just crumbled. We wanted to keep this an all cash deal so out of cash and not wanting to finance or put anything on the cc, no new seats were in our future for now. we decided to attempt to recover the seats. This is what we started with.

Started out with a 1950's Viking sewing machine, which did the job ok but struggled. Going through 5 layers of vinyl was going to kill it. I borrowed a family members sailrite portable walking foot sewing machine. What a joy to use. After some practice on some junk fabric, here is my first attempt.

My second cushion. Came out ok but I still need practice.

I will keep updating with pics if anyone is interested. I am proud of how they have come out so far. If I can do this, anyone can.

 

[pckeen]

Yes - keep updating - this looks great!

 

[Vintage Rider]

Yes indeed, keep posting. Looking good!

 

[Corjen1]

Silver, great job so far!! The best way to learn is get in and do it!! There are a few folks on here that there own upholstery work. I find it very enjoyable and satisfying. Not sure where your at in your knowledge or background, so if you know theses things already, disregard....

One of my favorite videos is the sailrite stadium seat, it covers almost all of the basic techniques needed on any project. They have a ton of good videos on their website as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFt26lYYAkE

This guy is a master also...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_8PUaXqvjSq3p1lYouXzQ

Good luck and keep is posted with lots of pix!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Uhhmmm, Yeah a Walking foot Makes a WORLD of difference!!! I'd say you have some innate talent for Upholstery work. Several guys here on the forum have done some exemplary work as well. Don't be bashful if you have questions. We've all learned a lot from our "Mistakes" and we'll be Happy to share from our experience.

 

[silveraire]

Corjen1, I've spent the last week watching a bunch of videos. Almost all the sailrite video's and a few others. I will have to check out cechaflo's channel. Haven't seen any of his videos yet.

Wood, thanks for the comment. I know I will have questions. I have the fortune to have a mother that is a retired seamstress. She has never done anything like I'm doing, but a lot of the skills translate. I'm sure she can teach me to sew a mean dress if I ask.

As to the walking foot sewing machine, I can't believe the difference. It's amazing what the right tool does to simplify a job. Now if I could just get used to the speed of the machine. A 6mm stitch makes it go fast even when I don't wan't it to. I need to learn the skill of having a fine touch instead of being a brute. lol.

 

[Sunken Ship]

If I had paid someone to do this I would be satisfied; nice work. Please post as much as you can on this. Might be doing some myself very soon.

 

[silveraire]

Had a little time after work this morning so I worked on one of the arm rests. Not 100% happy with how it came out, but it will have to do. I made the agreement with my wife that if it looks ok to her, I should be happy with it. I'm a little ocd when it comes to work I've done. Hopefull I get a little more time today to work on them.

before

after

 

[kcassells]

Silver.... The work looks great to me! Cool, nice work!

 

[silveraire]

got one more done today. Man am I slow.

Progress so far

tools that are making my life easier.

and the best acessory... The winner goes to basting tape.(double sided tape) Great help for a novice like me.

 

[Woodonglass]

FYI a Stapler is a Great tool too. Stapling your Plates together and then sewing them really ensures they don't Move on you. A good staple remover is a must too. Lots cheaper than seam tape. I only use the ST for flat felled seams. They also make a smaller stapler that uses S-66 size staples You can find em on ebay too. Staples are a LOT harder to remove. Put a wedge under the foot controller so it's slanted. I think you'll find it's easier to "Feather" the speed that way.. On corners, adjust the stitch length down to 4 spi it makes it a lot easier to get a tight corner. Don't forget to reset it once you turn the corner. Does the machine have a zipper foot and a welting foot?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty-H...YAAOSwz2lXDFvC

 

[silveraire]

thanks again for all the help wood. I will have to pick up one of those staplers and a good staple remover. I'm all about cheaper. I'll give the wedge a try tomorrow, I think that may do the trick to solve my foot petal woes. The sailrite has a welting foot built in to the walking foot. No zipper foot. My Viking has multiple zipper feet as well as welting feet. I am hoping I can use that machine in any situation that the sailrite can't do for now.

​ I have received a few requests to do a step by step as I make a cushion. I will try to do so when I work on the next cushion. Although I'm not sure I'm the one to be showing anyone how to sew having less than a week experience. I will do my best. On the bright side of things, If I'm doing something I can improve on maybe the pro's here can guide me in the right direction.

 

[Woodonglass]

They make a zipper foot for the machine, I was just wondering if your friend had purchased one. It's sometimes easier to make a tight corner on a panel with piping using a zipper style foot than it is with a welting foot. They're great for a 2-3" rounded corner or for Non Piping corners. Video would be GREAT!!!!

 

[silveraire]

He only has the foot on the machine. Now when I talk him into selling the sailrite to me, I will buy the different feet for it.

Nothing to report for today. Had to work on replacing some rotten wood in some of the seats before I move forward. Tomorrow I get to pick up the boat with the new Merc on it. Never had a brand new outboard, kinda exited.

 

[Woodonglass]

Don't get me wrong. That sailrite machine is pretty darn good but...If you decide you want to continue doing upholstery work and intend to do it a lot, I highly recommend you shop around for a good used Industrial walking foot machine Like a Juki, Consew or Pfaff. You can find them on Craigslist at times for the same price as that Sailrite machine or sometime less. One of our members just picked up a Consew 206rb-1 for $250. IMHO it's 3 times better than the Sailrite machine. You don't find that kind of a deal every day but they do come up now and then. But for $5-700 you can find em many times. Just some food for thought.

 

[silveraire]

Not getting much done seems to be a theme here lately. The admiral is keeping me busy now that she is done teaching for the year.

A little progress.

Banging my head against the helm chair. This will be a true test for me and my patience. The seat bottom was the easy part.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup. these style of seats are a challenge to get things to fit right I highly recommend you glue 1/4" scrim foam to the back of your vinyl if you want the covers to look right.

 

[silveraire]

Thanks for the tip wood. Do you think I need to allow a little extra vinyl to account for the scrim or should I be good?

 

[Woodonglass]

It doesn't take any more vinyl when using scrim foam. It just helps hide imperfections in the base foam so the bumps and lumps don't bleed thru and show thru the vinyl.

 

[silveraire]

NOTE TO SELF,

I KNOW YOU WANT TO, BUT DO NOT STRETCH FABRIC TO HARD, IT MAKES AN UGLY SEEM...
I KNOW YOU WANT TO, BUT DO NOT STRETCH FABRIC TO HARD, IT MAKES AN UGLY SEEM...
I KNOW YOU WANT TO, BUT DO NOT STRETCH FABRIC TO HARD, IT MAKES AN UGLY SEEM...
I KNOW YOU WANT TO, BUT DO NOT STRETCH FABRIC TO HARD, IT MAKES AN UGLY SEEM...
I KNOW YOU WANT TO, BUT DO NOT STRETCH FABRIC TO HARD, IT MAKES AN UGLY SEEM...

THAT IS ALL.