[benchracer1]

Actually my 2nd, but the first didnt count. It took me about three hours. I feel pretty good about it and will add the facing tomorrow. Please feel free to critique, Particularly the sequnce. I first measured and cut the pieces, second, sewed them together and marked the line. third I glued the sewfoam and stitched around the outside. fourth, added detail stitches and finally added welting. had the machine set for 9 stitches per inch, is that about right?

[benchracer1]

The pics are out of order, sorry. tried to rearrange

[lamx]

I would have glued the foam to each individual piece, sewed the channels, then sewed all the pieces together. That way, you are working with small pieces that are easier to move around under the sewing machine. However, I see nothing wrong with the way you did it, you avoided the excess fabric at the seams and the whole top looks very good.

Ed

[benchracer1]

I thought about doing that but I was not sure how to do a flat fell seam at the seams with the foam in the way. That being said it was difficult to sew around the outside with that large of a piece resulting in the sew lines being a little eratic. When i added the welting it covered it up.

[benchracer1]

also, I know this question got answered before, what kind of marker works good on vinyl? Chalk aint getin it.

[lamx]

Don't know what others use, I mark on the backside with felt tip marker.

Ed

[DanTwoLakes]

What you've done so far looks real nice. 9 stitches per inch is normal for sewing furniture fabric, but leather, ultraleather, and vinyl should be sewed with about 6 stitches per inch. If you sew vinyl with 9 stitches per inch, you risk actually cutting the vinyl. Decorative stitches can be slightly larger. Check out this thread, it takes you step by step through what you're trying to do. CLICK HERE

Marking the fabric upside down can be confusing, even for a pro. With leather, you need to see the surface so you can avoid bad spots, so as far as marking vinyl, leather and Ultraleather, I use Fisher #SR80SL silver ink pens. That way I can mark the top of the fabric, and if I make a mistake, I can spray a mild cleaner on it and remove the markings. Now you see it...........Now you don't. I can also make witness marks and even write notes on the fabric parts to identify them that I don't have to worry about. They're available online for about $3, and some art supply stores carry them in stock. One of my upholstery supply vendors carries them in boxes of a dozen.

[benchracer1]

I have found that for doing the welting that sewing the cover on the cord then sewing the assembly to the face is a whole lot easier than trying to sew three layers at once, the two layers of welt cover and the face. Is this developing a bad habit or just a little more time consuming?

[DanTwoLakes]

It's fine to do it that way. It is a little more time consuming than sewing the welt as you apply it to the rest of the fabric. The main reason to sew it as you go is to eliminate another layer of stitching.

[benchracer1]

I finished the rear seat, I am overall very happy with it. There are a few flaws but these fit as well or better than most of the order by mail covers.

[DanTwoLakes]

Looks like you did just fine, and now you have something to be proud of.

[benchracer1]

starting the front seats

[my oldcar]

I have a 1955 Chevy. I want to do the upholsetry myself however I don't have a machine. Do you have any suggestions. What I might do is buy one on Craig's list. That is a great challange. Looks good. I have plenty of how to do your own upholstery and it works great. What I might also do is pin it all together and take it to an upholstery shop and let them sew the pieces together. Nick

[DanTwoLakes]

First of all, read this thread: CLICK HERE This will give you all the basics of doing a bench seat. If you decide to cut it and take it to an upholstery shop, go to the shop first and ask them how they want the parts made. Do not pin the parts together, you would just be wasting your time. Ask the shop how they want the parts collated for sewing. We all have our own ways of doing things, and a lot of shops wouldn't consider sewing someone else's work. You would be better off making chipboard patterns of the parts and letting the shop cut the parts themselves.

[benchracer1]

when fitting the face pieces to the frame do you generally fit the peice the the cushion top, sew the face to the cushion top then put the assembly over the frame and cushions to mark the lower perimeter of the face? Or is it better to mark the face peice top and bottom before sewing to the cushion top?