The Upholstery Forum

Hi guys I’m looking to do the upholstery in my van and am looking for everything to complete the job, so far I’ve bought the following:
Marine grade black vinyl with 3mm foam
Marine grade blue vinyl with 3mm foam
Black with blue diamond stitch for the middles with 3mm foam
Blue threads 20 and black threads 30, the blue is for French stitch
I’ve bought a brother b755 industrial machine with 80-12 needles
I’m reusing the front on the front seats and bought high density foam for the bed

Would there be anything else I would need before I have ago at this?

Any help is appreciate

I'm not an expert at auto upholstery by any means, but you probably need an assortment of hand tools, if you don't already have them. If you are new to vinyl upholstery sewing, I would recommend getting some extra vinyl to practice making a few things.

Also, often upholstery folks use some clear plastic sheeting over the cushion foam to get the vinyl covering to 'slide' over the cushion foam when installing and fitting the new vinyl skin. . . Particularly if the vinyl is foam backed. Any low-cost thin plastic sheeting (drop cloth) will do.

Also, it looks like the Brother machine is not a walking foot (???) So, your technique may have to compensate, particularly on top-stitching and french seams.

I believe the machine is a walking foot but I could be wrong but I will double check.

I have zero experience with sewing or this type of material. Does my needle size and thread look out for what I want to do?

Hopefully someone can guide me in the right direct, I plan to start my project Saturday

Normally the needles and threads are much larger. I'm not clear on the thread size you have but an 80-12 size needle is for normal garment sewing of things like shirts. I'm no expert but I'd usually use a T90 thread for hidden seams and any where from T135 to T270 for topstitching. That requires needles from 20 to 25 where you have size 12. I've done some upholstery with a machine like yours which appears to be a drop feed. It's likely capable of going through the layers you'll have but top stitching anything more than a single layer will be frustrating as the stitch length on a drop feed is just not as consistent as a unison feed machine. I'd suggest doing some small practice seams to see if you're happy with the appearance and performance of your machine.

What made you pick that Brother machine? And did you buy it new or used? A far more appropriate machine for upholstery would have been something like a Consew RB206-5 which can be had used for maybe around $800. As others have pointed out, you really need a bigger needle and should be using thread like v92 or v138. A triple feel walking foot machine would certainly be more appropriate.

You're a brave man, for tackling such a project without any sewing experience. Good luck to you!

See John's free booklet on sewing machines appropriate for upholstery on the drop down menus on the website.

Just looked up the Brother, it's a garment machine, though "industrial" it's not for heavy glue laminated assemblies. I have broken lots of needles on my Singer 20U using a #18 needle and V69 thread trying to sew heavy material. I always have to go back to my Consew walking foot machine to do anything but light weight fabrics. Sewing machines are made for specific weight materials and thread, even though they are all "industrial" with power stands and big motors.