Seat Upholstery for beginner

[wellcraft-classic210]

Hi
I have been pondering attempting recovering my vinyl seats on a 1988 wellcraft.

[U]--Known items [/U]
--I have a home machine Kenmore 15358 that seems to sew through multiple Layers of vinyl fabric OK but feeds marginally. Pulling lightlly helps.
--I found matching Capitano vinyl at http://www.garysupholstery.com/foamback.html
--The plywood on the jump seats has seen better days as well.
--I have some v69 thread and needles from sail rite that wseem to work OK as well
--I do like the way these look and hope to stay with that if feasable.
--A pic of the seat design is attached


Questions
--How can I improve or best manage the feed -- ( would an add on walking foot help? ) ( type or brand ? )
--The seats have welting and pleats in the center sections. ( Should I consider more user friendly seam or before I purchase the materails & spend time trying it on samples ?)
-- What foot is best used with welting
-- Is a hand stapler sufficient for attaching the underside ( even if I seal the plywood with Epoxy )?
-- What is agood tool for marking cuts etc
-- Any tips for aligning / sewing the areas with most layers ( not sure about the pleats & welting to side section
-- Any other advise is very welcome.
-- Am I crazy ( Please dont answer that! )



Thanks!

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I can answer a couple. A hand stapler will work, keep a hammer nearby to give an extra tap here and there. Try and get SS staples. Probably need new plywood. I have zipper feet and used them for welting. Worked pretty good. Walking foot is best but there is a lot of upholstery out there made by feeding and pulling. There are people on here that are very good at this. I'm sure you'll get some good help.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Deinitely try to get a walking foot attachment, name brand for your machine is best, do not pull while feeding, the machine should feed at its own pace to keep uniform stitches, plus pulling could misalign your needle causing it to strike the throat plate and break (or worse throw your machine out of timing).

While a hand stapler will work...so will you! you have to remember the amount of staples required is sick, and hand staplers require quite a bit of force per staple, swing by harbor freight and get an air stapler for 30 bucks and save yourself from some tendonitis!

when you are first learning it is best to sew your welting first...leave it loose, about 1/8" away from the core, so when you combine it and get it in tight you wont see the welting stitches if you get a little off track. use a standard zigzag foot to do your welting stitch, move needle far left and run the piping along outside of zigzag to get the 1/8" away...then use a zipper foot when combining the pieces and keep your stitch as close to the piping as possible.

You are crazy...nuf said about that! nah seriously if you have a knack for sewing it can be rewarding...I started by doing what you are on my own boat and liked it so much I started doing it for others.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Hi
I have been pondering attempting recovering my vinyl seats on a 1988 wellcraft.

[U]--Known items [/U]
--I have a home machine Kenmore 15358 that seems to sew through multiple Layers of vinyl fabric OK but feeds marginally. Pulling lightlly helps.
--I found matching Capitano vinyl at http://www.garysupholstery.com/foamback.html
--The plywood on the jump seats has seen better days as well.
--I have some v69 thread and needles from sail rite that wseem to work OK as well
--I do like the way these look and hope to stay with that if feasable.
--A pic of the seat design is attached


Questions
--How can I improve or best manage the feed -- ( would an add on walking foot help? ) ( type or brand ? )
--The seats have welting and pleats in the center sections. ( Should I consider more user friendly seam or before I purchase the materails & spend time trying it on samples ?)
-- What foot is best used with welting
-- Is a hand stapler sufficient for attaching the underside ( even if I seal the plywood with Epoxy )?
-- What is agood tool for marking cuts etc
-- Any tips for aligning / sewing the areas with most layers ( not sure about the pleats & welting to side section
-- Any other advise is very welcome.
-- Am I crazy ( Please dont answer that! )



Thanks!

Ayuh,.... Yer here aren't ya,..??

If ya buy yer upholstery supplies anywhere but Here,...

Ya,... yer Crazy,.... They folks have great stuff, at Great pricin'....

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I assume you're buying pre-made welting? Do so, it's way easier. Find a welting foot for your machine.

What size and type needles did you get?

Cut all your pieces and face-glue the seams and/or welting together with HH-66 vinyl cement before you stitch. Makes it so much easier to sew, plus you can test-fit and make adjustments before sewing.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Guys--Thanks for taking the time to respond! All great advice and very encouraging!!

I like the idea of vinyl cement gluing. Just curious --How does that compare to using seaming tape?

The needles and thread I have are from Sailrite. Going from memory I think the thread is V69 & the needles are marked as schmetz 130/705h 15 x 1 110/18.
That all worked OK for a cloth cover modification I did last summer. Not sure how it will behave on vinyl.

Also -- any advise on best method to determine tension and if going into more or less layers will require adjustments?

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

any time you change layers/thickness you will need to change tension...finding the perfect tension is a trick but once you do write it down so you can change quickly for each situation...you will know your tension is right when your top stitch and bottom stitch look the same...I have found it necessary often sew visible stitches with the bottom side visible so tensions are important.

The needle size is right, and gluing/taping can be handy but unnecessary once you get used to it....after a while one hand will be constantly lining up the material without even thinking about it, but as you get used to it, doing something to make it easier never hurts!

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I tried 4 layers of vinyl in some scraps (1 had layer seaming tape) and had a lot of thread piling up on the underside.

Am I correct in assuming this is upper tension? ( If not any ideas??? )

The upper tension knob is all the way up but perhaps I can modify something if it is.

Can't help but wonder If I need a better machine to pull this off or if maybe i should look into alternate seams.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

if your loops are on the bottom then you tighten the top tension, if they are on the top loosen the top, if you cannot get it balanced using just the top tension then it gets a little trickier by adjusting the tension screw on the bobbin. If you can get by with only 4 layers and after tension is fixed you can probably get by with the machine you have...I know some of my seams when combining different parts I have had to go through as many as 10 layers at once....there are a few good youtube videos that show tension adjusting

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Ayuh,.... Yer here aren't ya,..??

If ya buy yer upholstery supplies anywhere but Here,...

Ya,... yer Crazy,.... They folks have great stuff, at Great pricin'....

I dunno Bond-o these guys are pretty good too!!!

http://stores.ebay.com/Trimjobber-Canvas-Vinyl-and-Fabric

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

OP, you might try a 125/20 needle. It has a bigger groove for the thread to recess into and the thread may slip through the layers better. I bought a bazillion-pack of them on EBAY, PM me a mailing address and I'll send you a pack of 10 gratis in a stamped envelope.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I tried 4 layers of vinyl in some scraps and had a lot of thread piling up on the underside.

Am I correct in assuming this is upper tension? ( If not any ideas??? )

The upper tension knob is all the way up but perhaps I can modify something if it is.

Can't help but wonder If I need a better machine to pull this off or if maybe i should look into alternate seams.

Yep, your tension is seriously out of whack. You gotta practice with it. On the bobbin, what I found was to set the screw on the bobbin just tight enuf that if you drop the bobbing while holding the thread, it would only drop about 1 1/2". Make sure the thread on the top tension is set all the way into the shank and that the tension plates are perfectly smooth and glitch free. Your symptoms indicate top tension problems but they both have to work in unison.

 

[kmarine]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

If you cant adjust out the loops on test=pieces check your machine timing. I am not familure with the machine you are using, but if it has plastic gears it probably will not hold up. If it is a heavy duty older straight stich machine you should be ok. More than likely It seems to me you need more bobin tension. double check and clean the upper tension adjuster with less layers before adding layers. I recomend rochford supply in minneapolis for a suplier. the have incredible close out deals. I buy tons of polyester cover materials from them allong with persolal watercraft and gripper marine vynil.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I modifying the tension wheel to add more pressure by removing the hard stop and was able to temporaily add some tension externally. It worked for a few while but you can tell the machine is struggling. Starting to think a heavier machine is going to make a lot more sense if I want to avoid problems and do high quality work.

I see a singer 404 machine on craigs list for $75.00 --- Anyone used one of these? Reading on the internet they will apparently sew heavier materials. Straigh stitch only.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I'd look for a Morse. They're all metal construction, will sew through 10 layers of vinyl like Hot Butter.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I am using a slightly newer version of the 404, I use a Singer 500A and it works pretty good, its all metal gear driven and has held up to my abuse fairly well, not sure if the 404 is built as well..straight stitch is pretty much all I have found the need for, so no problem there, less unused options = less moving parts

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Going to look at a singer 15 clone today. Local sewing repair shop says this should do the job & not much to break on them. I may need to a gnd wire for safety & replace some of the wiresif they are frayed but that seems easy enough.


Also had better luck doing some samples on the existing machine we have but its struggling to the point I do not want to burn it out. That gave me the confidence to order some materials to redo the back panel over the engine & the 2 rear jump seats.

I appreciiate the webs sites -- great prices.


Aslo starting to think about cabin cusions. Its hard to keep the kids out when they are wet. Maybe Surlast at $7.50 per yard.

Any thoughts on the machine or materials appreciated.

I did a lot of welding on the trailer last fall & refined my skills in a manley sort of way way / Now its sewing / Go figure

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

upholstery sewing is manly! lol, hope ya find one that will do the trick, I havent tried a machine like that so can't comment

 

[Bondo]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

I dunno Bond-o these guys are pretty good too!!!

http://stores.ebay.com/Trimjobber-Canvas-Vinyl-and-Fabric

Ayuh,.. Thanks,... I'll check 'em out....

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Seat Upholstery for beginner

Ayuh,.. Thanks,... I'll check 'em out....

I have used him for 3 jobs now, and they were decent...I did have one issue with getting more of a particular material, so have changed to a larger supplier who also sells wholesale, but for the DIY, he is a great guy and pleasure to work with