[DanTwoLakes]

The piping tin is nothing more than a "C" shaped curved section, and a flat section with turned up sides (shaped like ] ). The curved section slips over the flat section with the filling material in between. When the two pieces are put together, it would have a shape like a "D" laid on its side. Obviously you push the whole thing into the pleat and then pull out each half separately.

The padding may be bonded cotton in the original.

[joebob37]

Many thanks for the info, Dan. I discovered a couple minor errors in my patterns, I'll correct them & try again. I'm hoping I can pull the stitches & start again, I used 6 per inch.When I made the tins, it was basicly 2 flat pieces, & there was too much friction along the sides, so I had difficulty pushing them in. Some new ones like you're saying may be the answer.

[joebob37]

Dan; Do you think kapoc would be a good filler for pleats? Where to get?

[joebob37]

Beachbum;
I was reading back & looked at your post. Your seat is similar to mine, & less complicated. A very nice job indeed! I discovered on mine, the bolster on top doesnt have the curve on it like the original, so thats one of the reasons for the poor fit. I'm going to make a new bolster, shorten the cover & back a bit, pull the stitches, & try again. I have a few questions if you dont mind. Did you do the pleats the old fashioned way? If so, what did you stuff them with? How did you overcome the problem of sewing the welt cord across the stuffed pleats? Somewhere in the previous posts, I think it may have been Dan, it said to make the cover bigger, stuff it, draw the finished line on it, sew on the welt cord, then cut it to the line. That way you would have better support on either side of the welt rather than it wandering off the edge. What think?

[DanTwoLakes]

Originally Posted by joebob37

Dan; Do you think kapoc would be a good filler for pleats? Where to get?

If I were you, I'd check out the synthetic filling materials available, like DuPont Comforel, or Silk Fill. If it was me, I'd find a way to fill the pleats with foam so they were more consistent. Look at this thread:

Tuck and roll tutorial

[DanTwoLakes]

Originally Posted by joebob37

Beachbum;
I was reading back & looked at your post. Your seat is similar to mine, & less complicated. A very nice job indeed! I discovered on mine, the bolster on top doesnt have the curve on it like the original, so thats one of the reasons for the poor fit. I'm going to make a new bolster, shorten the cover & back a bit, pull the stitches, & try again. I have a few questions if you dont mind. Did you do the pleats the old fashioned way? If so, what did you stuff them with? How did you overcome the problem of sewing the welt cord across the stuffed pleats? Somewhere in the previous posts, I think it may have been Dan, it said to make the cover bigger, stuff it, draw the finished line on it, sew on the welt cord, then cut it to the line. That way you would have better support on either side of the welt rather than it wandering off the edge. What think?

No, that wasn't me. I said to sew the top end shut on your pleats as close to the outside edge as possible, and then sew another stitch line in 1/4" BEFORE you fill the pleats. That will keep the filling material away from the area you want to sew the welt onto.

[beachbum jim]

Joebob... I did that seat the new cheater way using sew foam. Dans tutorial on Tuck and Roll is excellent. In order to get the look your seat needs it will need to be done like Dan explains it. Recovering those seats is gonna be really tricky!!!

[joebob37]

Dan; I saw your excellent tutorial, I read it a number of times & always found something new. Using foam mite be worth looking into. Rite now I'm going to pull stitches, make a new bolster pattern, & make the front & back a little smaller, I'm thinking bout 1/2" off each side of cover & back, what think?
The bolster on the original had a curve on the top, which I missed, that was part of the prob it was so ill fitting. What about kapok, any good?

[DanTwoLakes]

When patterning the front of the seat back and the seat bottom, the backing for the stitching that holds the pleats has to fit the seat frame. Once that is the correct size, you can do anything you want to the seat covers. Is there foam on the seats, or is it just cotton? If it's cotton, I would replace it with foam. You will get a much better finished product that way.

[joebob37]

Dan; I fit my paper patern to the other seat, & it checks OK, however, I'm thinking about shortening the width by maybe 1" (1/2" off each dide), & making a new bolster w/ the proper curve on top. I discovered when I took the dtitches out, there was a small area that was cut because of 2 thread passes over each other. I put 1/4" foam on the back of the seat. The front is 2" of foam w/ a 40 oz. jute cover, & cotton stuffed around the perimiter to fill out the edge. I also put a narrow strip of 40oz. jute under the bolster in hopes of filling it out better. I'm undecided whether to shorten it yet. I also have a choice of stiffer molded welt, or some softer I made. What think?