The Upholstery Forum

LLeeT wrote: ↑Sun Apr 17, 2022 12:49 am Remember the 3 p's,,,,,,practice, practice, practice. I wish my first bucket seat job had been in cloth and not vinyl. I think your doing fine for the first time. I just started late last year, and my wife would not coach me. She would later tell me my errors and how it should have been done. I guess you learn more from mistakes.

LLeet could you please ask your wife we’re I’m going wrong 😂 if could possibly be my machine as I was told a number of time the machine isn’t for this type of jobs, my machine in using it a brother db2-755 mk3, it’s a non walking foot machine

Looks like you may need a bit more thread tension. How much sew allowance are you giving? It would be better if you did have a walking foot machine. Just keep at it and asking questions. I am new to this also, but have done 4 complete auto interiors so far. There lots more folks on here that have better suggestions than I do.

If I was to have more thread tension would that stop me seeing the thread once the piece is made?
I aim to give myself 10mm but sometimes it drops to 8mm and sometimes up to 12mm
I made the base for my seat yesterday and this is how it turned out

Very good for first go-round. Some steam will soften the curves and corners a bit and allow them to take shape quicker. (usually the vinyl takes shape after it is in use a while)

Also, vinyl benefits from top-stitching, particularly on the curves. Are their some alignment marks showing on the bucket seat?

TedP wrote: ↑Mon Apr 18, 2022 3:37 pm Very good for first go-round. Some steam will soften the curves and corners a bit and allow them to take shape quicker. (usually the vinyl takes shape after it is in use a while)

Also, vinyl benefits from top-stitching, particularly on the curves. Are their some alignment marks showing on the bucket seat?

Hi ted I usually a black marker which some cleaner will take off, would you suggest anything better? I’ve seen people cut V into the material

So looking at the seat how long should something like this take to make?

I usually make my alignment marks on the back side of the vinyl and also put a matching small mark on the edge of the vinyl so I can see the alignment marks as I sew. That way no alignment marks are visible on the finished piece.

At one point I was making 'V' notches as the alignment marks, but that takes more time.

@Adam For your first project this is really good! I believe that the machine you are using is fight against you. You really need a walking foot for this type of work.
Also do you have a steamer? Steaming your covers while installing them will help relax everything and get rid of a the wrinkles your experiencing in places.

I’ve being looking for a walking foot machine but budgets are tight but I’m really enjoying this type of work
I need to invest in a steamer as I’ve been told that will also help a lot
I appreciate the kind feedback
Thank you

If your patient and keep you eye out on craigslist and market place you will find a good deal. Last year I picked up a really nice consew 226 for $250.

Also think of it as a good investment. One customer project and it will have already paid for its self. Based of the work you are already doing it wont be very long before people are beating down asking you to do their projects.

So guys had a busy day today, I changed my nylon thread to somabond 40 which has helped a lot with the stitching, it’s also slightly smaller than what I was using
So here’s what I’ve been doing today. The last picture I struggled with and there’s also a plastic strip the clips it to the seat

@Adam I'm really impressed with the results you are able to get with the machine you are using. I think with a walking foot and a steamer you work will be immaculate

Well guys I think I’m getting better but more eyes may say different
So it’s taken me 10 hours to remove the backrest from the seat then destitch to make templates then sew it altogether to create the seat
Here’s a few pictures I’ll upload a few more once there back in the vehicle

10 hours may be about right, but as you gain experience you will find methods to reduce the amount of time.

Additionally, more experience will get you making smoother corners and the overall appearance will be enhanced.
. .
This corner for example . . .

It looks like you may not have cut enough relief notches in the seam allowance after stitching and therefore the seam allowance underneath the exposed vinyl is bunching up and distorting the curve. Also there are times when you may want to cut off most of the seam allowance to avoid excess material altogether.

Also, the smoother the curve's stitching, the smoother the appearance of the finished piece. All of these subtleties come with experience and knowing how to maneuver the curved pieces through the machine to get very smooth curves.

I totally understand what your saying, I have started putting in relief notches and I can see a difference and I now what you mean about sewing a good corner, if I do a corner and it’s not the best I’ll go back around
Not to bad tho considering the machine isn’t supposed to do this material

On corners like that relief notches are important to allow you to sew a smooth curve. But once your done sewing the cover I go back and trim the seam allowance now to about a little over an 1/8 of an inch. I only trim the seam allowance in the corners. You want the seam allowance on the straights so they will stay folded in the direction you want. Then I steam it and install the cover and it will be perfectly smooth.

That’s handy to know, I will keep that in mind. Can I ask what steamer you are using?

I use a Jiffy J4000.
https://amzn.to/2GKa8X0