Seat covers for a classic car

[zarina]

Hello everybody! Im new in this forum and looking for some advice as I have seen there seem to be a lot of people around here with a lot of experience and knowledge. I have started a project sewing leather seat  covers for a classic Daimler Dart SP 250. I have not a lot of experience sewing leather and facing a problem at the moment. Advice and suggestions would be very much appreciated. I have made the back of a single front seat which consist of a center lined with scrimfoam and a bit in shape of a horseshoe (  I took the pattern from the original seat cover which had been made of vinyl ) which goes around the center. I have sewed it together with some piping made from the same leather and now all the leather at the top bulks up and has a lot of wrinkles. I would be very grateful for some advice about what mistake I made and how I can solve the problem. I shall add some pictures as well. Thank you for reading this!

Edited August 7, 2016 by zarina
adding pictures

[johnv474]

You'll want to look at some automotive upholstery books. There are probably some leatherworkers who do upholstery work, but it is a bit of a trade in itself.

 

To answer your question with my limited knowledge, you need to make sure the leather on the inside of that curve remains flat. Since "the inside of a doughnut is shorter than the outside of a doughnut", if you sew the outer rim and use the same amount of material on the inside, it will necessarily bunch up. If, instead, you keep the inner curve relaxed (not taut) but flat, then you pull and stretch the leather for the outer curve. You don't want the iner curve taut to leave as much stretch-ability as possible.

 

Hope this helps some. That's about the extent of what I know.

 

 

[Art]

With this kind of construction, you need to make patterns and on the contour you need.  I know it can waste material, and sometimes you see the outer piece in two and stitched.  Once you have the pattern pieces, and make sure you have a sewing selvage, put V notches in the selvage (and even on the welt).  These notches will give and take a bit and help avoid the wrinkles.  If using a cording/welting foot (you should be), make sure to have one with left back cut out feet, inexpensive for most machines from Cutex.   These feet allow you to turn the corner when exiting the needle.

Art

[MADMAX22]

You can go on some upholstery forums but pre warning, these guys think everything is a trade secret and generally abstain DIY  or people who dont own there own upholstery shop or work for one. 

[graywolf]

I am a long way from an expert, but it looks like you used a strait piece of leather for the surround.

I think it needs to be cut out as a horseshoe shape. And most I have seen would have used 3 pieces as well, top and two sides. Then you need to fit the curves together, most sewing books will tell you how to do that.

As to trade secrets, there are a couple of Hot Rod sites out their where you will find friendly helpful people. There is also an introductory book out there on auto upholstery, the name and author escape me at the moment, but you can find it at most public libraries.  Found it on Amazon:  Auto Upholstery Handbook