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[Brad M]

I am in the process of upholstering an antique, Arts and Crafts/Mission style rocking chair. It's gone pretty good so far with only minor cursing. I'm at the point where I need to make the trim that covers the staples that attach the upholstery material to the frame of the chair. On to what you nail the brass tacks. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about(pic from Buckminster Upholstery on Youtube):


The material I'm working with is called "Breathable Faux Leather". Here's pics of the material, front and back:


The materiel is quite soft with a felt like backing. What I wanted to do was fold it over and run two stiches to create the trim. That isn't working too well as the material is kind of "rubbery". If you try to iron it flat, it melts... Is there any tricks of the trade to make this trim I attempted to search for ready made trim like this, but not knowing the "official" name of the trim, I couldn't find anything. Plus I'd need the ready made stuff to match.

Anyway, thanks for any help that can be provided, glad there's a site like this to get help! I greatly appreciate it!

Brad

[Cody]

If you already have the material for the main cushion area. I feel it would be easiest to just cut a strip of that and do exactly what you’re describing. It’ll match perfect and be easy to sew.

[Brad M]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, that's most likely what I'll do. The only problem I'm having is that the material doesn't want to fold over and lay flat to sew. I've tried using an iron, with a wet cloth(to keep from melting the vinyl fabric) to iron it flat, but it's not ironing flat.
I was just wondering if there was some trick to getting it to lay flat to make it easier to sew. I think it's just going to take some practice on the sewing machine.

[Revv Up]

Could you glue it or use double sided tape to hold it folded for sewing?

[Cody]

Yes a glue would work to tack it down till you sew it. One thing I’ve also done for stubborn material is ( we’ll say you want a 1” final sewn piece) is cut a 2” strip of material. On the back side mark the center line at 1”. Now fold over the piece till the edge is lined up with the center mark, and now use binder clips to hold it in place. Work this along the whole length. Binder clips are easy to pull off as you get close with the sewing feet.

Another option I’ve done in a pinch that I learned from my mom who sewed denim. For a crisp edge and for it to somewhat stay. Fold it over and with a soft faced hammer smack the fold lol. Doesn’t work for long lengths unless you sew a few inches, fold and smack, sew some more and repeat.

[Brad M]

Some good ideas there. I'll give em a try. I appreciate the help!

[Brad M]

Well, I tried the hammer trick and it worked to put a nice crease/fold in the material. I was then able to tack it down with some glue. So now it'll be a lot easier to manage when sewing the two seams in the trim. Thanks so much for the advice!
Now, any tricks to sewing in a perfectly straight line?

I'll come back with some pics. I always like to see how things come out with threads like this, so I'll do a follow up later.

Thanks again for the help!

Brad

[Cody]

I have seen someone on here and on Instagram show how they have made or boughten sewing fences they can run the edge of the material off of to get super straight lines

[Revv Up]

For sewing straight lines just use a fence, like a table saw. Mine is home made out of a piece of aluminum with some rare earth magnets sunk into it.

[Brad M]

Thanks for the tips! Will have to fabricate a fence.

Here's a pic of the rocker I've been working on. It was a total mess when I got it. The rockers were rotted off and it needed a total wood refinishing. I do have repro rocker runners, just haven't attached them yet. It's my first time doing upholstery. Had a few frustrating moments, but overall it hasn't gone too bad.

[Cody]

Looks great. Hopefully you’re found something new you enjoy!

[John]

Looks great @Brad M! Glad you found a solution.

[Brad M]

Thanks John. I've decided I don't need to run two seems down the trim. The glued together trim will be just fine. I have a sample of the trim that originally came off the rocker and it didn't have stitched seams, so I'm good to go to start tacking them on. Thanks again for all the help!

[John]

Cant wait to see it finished!!

[BigRig]

@BradM,

Keep at it buddy! It is surprising how many projects like these you wcan be approached with.

[Brad M]

When I started this chair it was in much worse shape than you see here.(Ignore the dungeon work environment ) The finish was dark and filthy and you couldn't see the grain of the wood. This is after stripping. I wish I had gotten pics of it when I got it years ago.


Well, here's the finished product. A few puckers here and there. It ain't perfect, but for my first try at upholstery I'm happy with it. Had some frustrating moments, but in the end it's quite rewarding to do it yourself. Now I just have to make some room in my living room!


Thanks again for the tips and encouragement!

[Cody]

You did much more than just some upholstery yourself. You made a work of art. I wish I was this handy with wood. But once you cut to much off, it’s realmhard to weld it back on.

[Brad M]

Thanks for the kind words Cody. I think woodworking is a lot like upholstering, because the term "Measure twice, cut once" applies to both !

[Cody]

I knew I was doing something wrong. Lol.