The Upholstery Forum

It's not that I need everyone to blow smoke up my @$$ but what's with people who just take what you made and look at it for what seems like seconds and says 'Thanks'. I don't know if they really like it or or if they don't. This is what happened with this shifter boot. Has something like this happened to you?

Thank god I am not alone!!!!!

Happens to me all the time! Great work on that shifter boot!

Yup happens all the time. I dont get it either. Nice job on the shift boot.

Yes, happens all of the time.

However, yours looks better than the one that I did last week. I tried my first attempt with vinyl and it looked like $#!+. Since I was going to have to do it again to get the process down I did one with scrap leather. It turned out better but it was 8 different colors.

Since we are on the subject of shift boots, how do you make your last stitch? I am not the brightest sometimes and I had a hard time of understanding how to do a "true" french seam when I tie it all together. I ended up just running a decorative stitch up each side of the last 2 panels going together and then sewing them together.

@Cale
What you can do is sew a top stitch on each of your last two pieces to put together and put them together with a blind stitch then it will look like you did a French seam on all seams.

@Bondo497

That is exactly what I did. I couldn't see any other way to do it. Unless I did it by hand.

@Cale
I read right past where you did what I said to do lol. Yeah that's the only way to do it since the shifter boot is cylinder shape. I had the same issue when I was trying to figure out to make one for the Peterbilt then I decided to to put a zipper up one seam.

I was looking at @kl4bidn 's boot and she did the same thing we were talking about.

@Bondo497

A zipper?
Now that is an interesting idea. Could be a neat design element. Form and function.

@cale, I pull my thread so both are on the inside and knot them on the backside. I sewed all five sections together (four seams) did my french seams then put them together with a straight seam. I made pattern so the the back piece was split in half and the seam wouldn't show.

Well you guys all went a step further than I. I just put it together without the french seams. Thanks for the education gusy

What i'm wondering is how did you consider the shape the patterns? Did you use an original that came off your shifter and deconstructed it? Did you free hand a new design? I'm working with a shifter that didn't have a boot to begin with and i'm struggling to find a proper size and design. Any suggestions??

When I did mine, I made the bottom dimensions to match the boot retainer ring and the upper to match the diameter of the shift handle. The middle dimensions can be anything you want that will provide the shape you like. Some junk material and a staple gun can be used to to play around.

The biggest concern you have is making sure there is enough slack in the boot that the shifter travel will not tear it or pull it out from the retainer ring.

John

Yep I second John Long's recomendation