Keyair

Thanks Peeps. I'm not an attention seeker, I was just seeking comment and constructive criticism. Over on the Garage Journal, someone comments that I should tighten up the stitch for the panel joins, as it will pull less and tighten the joint. Valid point that I will take onboard.

No comments? Ok, well I found some thread that matches the leather better for the joint stitch.. will press on.

For the record... This is the OEM, soggy, saggy, velour monster that was in the Airstream from new, and the Black RR seat as I got it from the Junkyard!

I am a happy boy! I learned a lot, and made some mistakes, but here is my first EVER attempt at a seat cover! Copied the shapes of individual pieces onto the leather, cut them out and glued to the foam. After doing the final cutting to size, which was kinda tricky as the original pieces were stretched and distorted somewhat, I joined the main panels. Then I added the side panels, and did a test fit on the foam. Added the rear panel, which was tricky due to the fact the leather and foam was much thicker than the original velour part, but its ok. I then decide to add a reinforcing stitch to the seam... Not perfect, but I am happy. Sewed on the listings, and J clips, then test fitted it. Here it is as it sits tonight, warts and all. Needs a little steam, and to have the loose ends stretched and clipped still. Plan to steam it a little tomorrow to ease some of the wrinkles out... Here is the mistakes I made and what I learned: 1/ I used 1/2" scrim for the face and bolster, and 1/4" for the sides and front. Original panels were 3/8 on leather and less on fabric and vinyl. Should have used 1/4" for it all, as the thicker foam was less manageable. 2/ Copied the original panels exactly, including the original selvage, which was 3/8" on the leather, 1/4" on the other materials. It was tough with the leather and foam I used to hold the lines. I should have, and will allow 1/2 next time. 3/ Should have used a dark brown thread to join panels together. The joint thread is visible in some areas. 4/ #1 and #2 contributed to a less than perfect seam, which made following the joint tricky and I wander a little on the contrast stitch. Man, its hard work... my hand and forearms are tired tonight, but I am pretty pleased. The Backrest is next!

Went to my local Upholstery place on Friday, A1 Foam and Fabric is Santa Ana. Got zips, scrim foam(1/4" and 1/2"), Hi Temp Glue. J clips, roll of listing and a roll of basting material. Feeling confident, I moved forward... I marked joints and seams, took notes and got out the unpicker! I guess there is no turning back now...

Quick update with my progress. Bought the tandy leather markers, but got silver instead of white by mistake, but they work! Not managed to get to the local upholstery store this week as I planned, but the list gets longer for when I do! So, I removed the backrest from the Range Rover seat, and stripped the seat base cover, and what I found was interesting. The front and sides are vinyl, and the very back of the base is a velour material. Both are backed with foam scrim, which is disintegrating to dust. The seat top is leather, but is pleated, and has a thicker foam scrim attached. There are listings, with a steel insert on the center cross seat, and around the pull down, and the listing was weak/rotted, and the seat cover came off without the metal. I. The cover was secured to the steel seat frame by plastic J strips, that were brittle and or broken and will need to be replaced. A/ looks like I have to have a seam across the seat to have the listing pull down.. B/ I was toying with the idea of doing diamond stitched seat panels, but am concerned about it looking "Too Busy", or wear/dirt on the stitching... Thoughts? So, I will need to buy some materials to move this forward. 1/ Some foam scrim to glue to the leather ... what type and thickness, and should I do thicker for the center panel? 2/ I need some "Listing material" and also something to bridge/reinforce the french seams... what should I get? 3/ New J strip to attach the new cover to the seat fame.

Thanks Tholek! My, you are up late! This has been my study course few the last few months...

Thanks for the advice, and I understand why you said this, but I am going to do it myself. To clarify, I am not your average Joe, have a solid background, and have been making stuff and prototyping for decades. This is the type of thing I did every day as an Automotive Industrial Sculptor, in multiple Companies, and Countries across the world, before I retired... http://www.carbodydesign.com/gallery/2016/04/interior-design-process-at-buick-the-role-of-clay-sculpting/2/ The clay interiors were often covered with simulated leather grain material which I/we applied and glued in place, with simulated stitching if needed. Like this one... Under the various surface finishes, is clay, just like the first link, and it was part of my job to achieve the deception... http://www.auto-types.com/news-gallery-3/the-clay-model-of-the-jaguar-cx-16-8714.html I can do woodwork, veneer work, plastic, fiberglass, sheet metal, fabrication, welding, paint, polish, and powdercoat. I have been around trimmers and seen and admired their work. So far I have done several roof liners(admittedly strip, copy, and recover), several sets of sunvisors, a steering wheel, shift, and gear gaiters... This retrim project is just a natural progression...

Sizes: I could unpick the original cushions, of coarse, but as they are loose, ie, not fixed to the base structure, I don't think the actual finished size is critical if I am 1/2" or 10mm oversize! I think I will just take the measurements off these cushions and leave them intact. Not sure if what I wrote was clear... The sliding about I am talking about is the cushion on its structure... remember this is a motorhome, and people maybe sitting on these as its going down the road, or sleeping on them when they are in bed position. I don't want the base cushion slipping out of position, or the backrests falling over. The original cushions had hook Velcro on the base and backrest, so I am wondering if I add some "Tongues" or flap tabs with Velcro to keep them in place... Pic of original setup below. As far as the foam goes, I am not sure what "Upholstery Foam" is over here in the USA... maybe someone can chime in with advice of weight or firmness... remember the base is wood and these cushions are either seating or a bed... Having looked at the original cushions today, I note there are no zips or openings in them. I assume I should plan a zip into one of the depth panels? What type of zip is suitable?? So much to learn!!!!

I think I will remake these cushions completely.... the foam feels too soft. It is about 4 or 5" thick. So, here are my newbie questions... 1/ What foam would you all advise to use or a 2 layer combo of foams? 2/ As I plan to remake these with new foam, and leather, should I use leather for the underside, or something else... If I use leather I am worried they will slide around!

I spent some time photographing the Sofa and Dinette in the Motorhome, to get some feedback on construction. This is the sofa... The backrest flips to make a bed like this... The underside of the sofa looks like this... Looks to have springing, foam and a steel frame. The backside of the backrest is just folded together and tack-stripped onto the wooden backrest. I am unsure how to do this so, I think I will tackle the Dinette cushions first! The dinette is simple... two facing couches with a a pair of simple cushions each side. The base cushion has a curved face. For some reason the pic I took of it assembled didnt make it! Here are the cushions..

Any comment on my question above? Also, what do you all use to mark the faces of leather that will come off?

Good info, so at least I know it not just me, or a my machine! I did get it to sew the 210 reasonably consistently, but getting the tension right is tricky! If I reverse to lock the stitch, its a mess.

Question: Is the any reason why I can't use 207/210 thickness thread on this machine? I like the way the thicker thread looks, and it seems to work ok sometimes, as long as I dont reverse!

Thanks Lois! Also, is there advice for leather direction? I know and feel leather has different stretch, and dont know if that is a factor for this type of work...

Good info guys!

Oh, forgot to ask... In every video I see, guys glue a layer of foam to the back of the leather... Yet our AZ Leather sofa's have nothing behind them. Can someone advise/explain why and if I need to do it, what type/thickness?

Ok, good advice so far. Let me break this down, and see if I have it right... 1/ Sofa base cushion materials, assuming I do a simple box shape (I am going to assume the non visible frame side is open, or cloth closed, so will calculate that separately) : A/ Base seating surface is 74" long by 26" wide... split into 3 cushions, so each upper surface is approx 26" x 24" . adding 1" selvage to each edge, would be 28 x 26. I assume it would be good practice to cut these panels to from one section of hide, so... 84" x 26"... which is 7' x 2.16' = 15.12 sqft? B/ Each of the cushions needs 4 sides, and foam depth is approx 4". So, including selvage I need 2 off 6" x 28", and 2 off 6" x 26", which is 6" x 108" per cushion, X 3, so 18" x 108" or 1.5' x 9' =13.5 sqft? Total leather needed for base cushion, is 15.2 sqft + 13.5 sqft = 28.7 sqft. 2/ Backrest of Sofa. A/ Seating surface is 74" long x 16" tall. Again, split into 3 cushions is 24" x 16" each, or inc selvage, 3 off 26" x 18", or 1 off 78" x 18" or 6.5' x 1.5' or 9.75 sqft. B/ Cushion sides: 2 off 24 x 4, and 2 off 16 x 4 each. So, inc selvage 80" x 18" for all 3, or 6.6' x 1.5' = 10 sqft. Total leather needed for backrest is 9.75 + 10 = 19.75 sqft Total leather needed for Sofa retrim is 28.7 sqft + 19.75 sqft = 48.2 sqft? Now, assuming I make the whole sofa from the the Dark Brown leather hides, and each hide is a minimum 53 sqft, and I have 5x to hand. I understand that I will NOT get the sofa from one hide, but if it was 1 1/2 , for the largest piece of furniture, am I in good shape?

Yes, Huge fan and avid watcher of his videos! Very Inspirational!

Zulu, FYI, I am a Brit... Oxford born, and British Leyland bred, but now live in Southern California! Sah! The seats are from a 1998/99 P38 Range Rover 4.6 HSE... and I chose them specifically because we own and drive one every day, so I knew they are great seats for long drives and I have enough lumber and leg support for my 6' 4" frame. Ours is Oxford blue, with a Creme interior. I would have no problem leaving them as is, if the color were not black... there are also some deep cracks and a few parting/weak seems to... the California sun is not kind to leather. I don't think I have much choice but to recover them.

Thanks for the input Zulu. Yes, I have read and watched a lot to grasp the concepts involved. The RR seats might be the first step. The leather is in OK shape, and I did think about recoloring them as an option. A retrim sounds ok too, as it seems to be just a matter of removing, and cutting apart the original covers along the seams, and using them as patterns. I dont disagree with you on the Pecan combo... I want classy, not garish! Thought about a diamond quilted stitch for the center panels too, as I may well have some quilted aluminum in the kitchen area, but worry about it being too much...

So, I am currently playing with designs.... but I need to know if I have enough material... I have 2 cockpit seats, 1 sofa, and one double sided dinette to trim. I may add another dinette/sofa later. How do I calculate my needs? Lets start with the sofa.. The Sofa seat base is approximately: 74"w x 26"d x 4", and split visually into 3 seat surfaces, so I may keep that cue. The Sofa backrest is approximately: 74w x 16" x 4" and as above, visually split into 3 surfaces. The 4" is the foam thickness. The backrest is unusual, and pulls forward, rotating 180deg and comes to rest next to the seat base to convert into a bed, so any design might need to visually follow through. I think the cushions are fixed to the frame, but have not investigated yet... In my minds eye, I am thinking about these options... Double contrasting stitch... Oak/Pecan combo... Anyone?

I am a novice, and have a big project ahead, so asking for help with planning, estimating, design, and execution! Here is my project... It is a 1984 Airstream Motorhome, that I am restoring. My master plan is to remodel the interior and retrim the seating. This is how it currently looks inside: I am replacing the squishy Pilot and Co-pilot seats with these from a Range Rover, and plan to strip off the covers and retrim.. So, I need help and advice! Have a Consew 206RB machine, and most of the stuff I think I will need, like pneumatic stapler, hog ring pliers, etc. I picked up some "furniture grade" leather... 5 full hides of "Black Oak" color(total approx 280sqft), and one Pecan color(59sqft) which I think contrasts nicely.

I recently bought some close-out full leather hides, sight unseen. Eight of them total. They were cheap, @ $50 each, and they vary between 52, and 61 sqft. They were advertised as Furniture grade. I figured that the worse case scenario was they would be fun for individual projects, or practice! Here is what arrived... All of them are good, and I am happy with what I got, for what I paid.... See that 5 of them on the right are matching, probably from the same manufacture and batch, in a nice dark brown, which is described as "Black Oak" on one label, and the only other Identifying mark is a QC stamp on them. Here are 3 of them spread out. One is a really nice contrasting Pecan, and 59 sqft, but this one has an ID label on the back, saying it was made by Townsend Leather. My questions are: 1/ Is there a way to ID the type of leather on the 6 skins above, and if it has a UV or waterproof coating? We have a Aniline leather couch at home, so I know how that reacts to water... I just want to know if they will work for a sofa and seating? 2/ One of the skins(mustard color 2nd from left), is different to the others... it is stiffer, heavier, and oily/waxy in texture... feels almost burnished, and has a more distresed look.. It has a tag on the back too... Says "Schweizer Nappa, PCP free" Any thoughts, comment or info would be very much appreciated!

Thanks Eric! Been busy, so now getting back to sewing again! Just bought 5 full hides in Dark Brown, and one in Pecan from a closeout sale to retrim the seating on my Motorhome. Been messing with ideas for the styles, seams, and contrasts with the leathers and some uphostery materials I have... Not decided yet, but here is what I tried so far...