[deuce_454]

Ok i have bought some very high quality alcantara that is intended for furniture use, ti is about 2-3 mm thick and has a wear rating of 100.000 so i fugured that it would be perfect for interior in my roadster. the reason i wnet and bought it is that i could buit dirrectly from the factory at 1/4 the retailprice which is about 120 dollars/meter. anyway, what else do i need, i have borrowed a sewing mashine from my uncle who sews sails for old ships so i have no doubt about the mashinery, but none of us have any experience with auto upholstery

the seat is constructed from fibreglassed plywood and covered with seat buns made from a 1/2 inch layer of closed cell foal and with varied thickness open cell foal on top, the shape and geometry of the buns is copied from a recaro seat i adjusted to fit me and since i am going to be the only one driveing the car, that is the shape it will get. thiese buns will be mounted on the 1/4 inch plywood/fibreglass pieces that constitute the seat and mounted on a frame in the car.

now, what should i sew on the alcantara as backing? do i need to put somthing in between the backing and alcantara? what kind of seam should i use to keep the seams from splitting (there is no way of sewing any edgeribbon with that sewingmashine i borrowed)should i sew some ribbon on the back to strengthen the seam...


help is much needed..

[pasadenahotrod]

Man, I think you've made a mistake on material choice. Automotive materials and furniture/indoor materials are 2 totally different worlds.

[Stinkin_V8]

I'm in the same boat as you. I bought a couple of books a couple of weeks ago - Automotive Upholstery Handbook and Custom Automotive Upholstery. Been pouring over them since. They look pretty good to me, you might want to try them out.

Links are <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931128014/103-1343348-8899869" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931128006/103-1343348-8899869" target="_blank">here</a> if you're interested.

[ February 14, 2003: Message edited by: Stinkin_V8 ]</p>

[horvath]

I've don´*some* interior work in the past and, being the lucky SOB that I am, all worked out well. But these books look great, I just bought 'em both -- thanks for posting the links, bro'!

Alan Horvath
<a href="http://AlanHorvath.com/" target="_blank">http://AlanHorvath.com/</a>
Acoustic Rock ... for real.

[kristkustoms]

They use Alcantara in BMWs, so you didnt make a mistake on the material. Use "sew foam" for backing. It is sold in various thicknesses. It is basically foam with a cheesecloth-type backing, i would go for 1/4" thick. Sew foam much thicker than that can get hard to manage at the sewing machine. A standard seam would work just fine, but if you want to add a bit of strength, a flat-fell seam might be the way to go. Ribbon isnt needed, unless you are wanting to sew a french seam, which i wouldnt recommend if you are a beginner on a single needle machine.

[LaztOneLeft]

[quote]Originally posted by kristkustoms:
<strong>They use Alcantara in BMWs, so you didnt make a mistake on the material. Use "sew foam" for backing. It is sold in various thicknesses. It is basically foam with a cheesecloth-type backing, i would go for 1/4" thick. Sew foam much thicker than that can get hard to manage at the sewing machine. A standard seam would work just fine, but if you want to add a bit of strength, a flat-fell seam might be the way to go. Ribbon isnt needed, unless you are wanting to sew a french seam, which i wouldnt recommend if you are a beginner on a single needle machine.</strong><hr></blockquote>

where can buy this sewing foam...im lookin for the thinest one...

[kristkustoms]

http://www.larrydennis.com/supplies/...lsteryfoam.asp

At the bottom of the page, its called Pleating/Sewing Foam. 1/4" thick is the thinnest I know of.

[ February 17, 2003: Message edited by: kristkustoms ]</p>