Upholstery is hard.

[TinkerTanker]

I'm ready to spit nails and thought I'd share some life advice. Get ready...here it is.

If you can afford to, have a professional do all of your upholstery. It's worth it. Yes, no matter what.

There, take that to the bank. You've been warned. The $500-$1000 you save will only be pulled from your soul and exacerbate your heart condition.

You might, just like me, think that "the kids are gone this weekend, I'm home alone. Why not upholster my boat seats/classic car seats/favorite lazy boy?" Don't. After two days of cutting, seam ripping, staple pulling, and learning what a sewing machine is, then how to use them you'll end up getting frustrated and angry, too close to needles to drink and too close to hammers to get really frustrated. Bacon does help, some. Steak too, if you've got any handy.

It takes so much attention to detail and flat out skill to go from here to here....


(internet photo)


...that you'll probably end up tearing up $150 in mistakes and your entire aorta before getting a finished product. Notice I didn't say good product. Just finished enough that you can accept your failure, mistakes, and bad decisions in life and move on. I'm procrastinating to write this because my headrest-to-seat back stitching looks like a fat cat under a truck tire. I'll be ripping it out again, hoping to save the vinyl. Now I'll get back to it. I hope I saved a few lives with these words. Save yourself, gentlemen.. There's no hope for me.

 

[SiGArmed]

I can barely put a seat cover on. Good advice.

 

[swampratt]

I came to Oklahoma in 2nd grade and stayed with my aunt and grandmother.
Grandmother taught me how to sew by hand then.

I took Home Economics in grade school because I already knew how to cook and clean and sew clothes. Easy A and full of cute girls.
My first car upholstery job I was 15 and a Morse sewing machine my mother had was used.
TG&Y was going out of business in Moore and I bought the last of the crushed velvet royal blue.

Used that and made diamond quilted seats for a 1966 Mustang I paid $75 bucks for the car.
Learned how to remove paint by hand no power tools and how to pull dents and make bondo look perfect.
6 months on that car at 15 years old.

Looked better than some car show cars I see today.

Yea it is tedious and you must pay attention to what you are doing but it's not all that bad.
Make templates and think ahead like a chess game as to what will happen next if I do this

Maybe I got lucky being around it for some time. Starting on small things like clothing and making stuffed animals.

 

[TinkerTanker]

Maybe I got lucky being around it for some time. Starting on small things like clothing and making stuffed animals.

That's definitely lucky. Good family can make a heck of a difference. I got the center seat finished and it's a solid 7 out of 10, but the main bucket seats are killing me. They've got a halo trim around the headrest and then if flows into a shoulder bolster, side bolsters, and seat back. Getting the seams right from 9 different pieces of vinyl....Like old Hunter said, "Man i just wanna do crack and forget about it".

 

[Roadking Larry]

I own 4 sewing machines. A couple of old Singers, one a heavy industrial shoe patch machine made in 1944, the other a 1956 "domestic" portable, model 99K.
My Modern machines are a heavy duty walking foot/zig zag portable and an industrial walking foot machine
I do marine canvas and sail work as well as a little bit of upholstery work.

 

[SlugSlinger]

I built and upholstered custom furniture for a few years while taking college courses. That paid for my college education. Upholstering furniture is definitely an acquired skill.

I upholstered a couple chairs recently.


Before:

After:

 

[Snattlerake]

I'm ready to spit nails and thought I'd share some life advice. Get ready...here it is.

If you can afford to, have a professional do all of your upholstery. It's worth it. Yes, no matter what.

There, take that to the bank. You've been warned. The $500-$1000 you save will only be pulled from your soul and exacerbate your heart condition.

You might, just like me, think that "the kids are gone this weekend, I'm home alone. Why not upholster my boat seats/classic car seats/favorite lazy boy?" Don't. After two days of cutting, seam ripping, staple pulling, and learning what a sewing machine is, then how to use them you'll end up getting frustrated and angry, too close to needles to drink and too close to hammers to get really frustrated. Bacon does help, some. Steak too, if you've got any handy.

It takes so much attention to detail and flat out skill to go from here to here....


(internet photo)


...that you'll probably end up tearing up $150 in mistakes and your entire aorta before getting a finished product. Notice I didn't say good product. Just finished enough that you can accept your failure, mistakes, and bad decisions in life and move on. I'm procrastinating to write this because my headrest-to-seat back stitching looks like a fat cat under a truck tire. I'll be ripping it out again, hoping to save the vinyl. Now I'll get back to it. I hope I saved a few lives with these words. Save yourself, gentlemen.. There's no hope for me.

Black seats in a boat? Never!

 

[trekrok]

I built and upholstered custom furniture for a few years while taking college courses. That paid for my college education. Upholstering furniture is definitely an squired skill.

I upholstered a couple chairs recently.


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After:
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Sounds like you might be able to get a beer or two over at @TinkerTanker place.

 

[Snattlerake]

Hey, after 37 years 2 chairs and a couch, we are still married so that's gotta say sumpthin.

 

[TinkerTanker]

Black seats in a boat? Never!

Agreed. My old ones were the same color red as in the "before" picture, the new ones are a brighter red, mushroom gray, and white. It looks great if you can overlook my poor fitment.

I built and upholstered custom furniture for a few years while taking college courses. That paid for my college education. Upholstering furniture is definitely an acquired skill.

I upholstered a couple chairs recently.


Before:View attachment 310418
View attachment 310419

After:
View attachment 310417
View attachment 310416

That's nice work! I'll be over in 15 minutes with what my seat foam considers "moo moos" because my measurements were off due to all the contours and my stitching looks like a blind 95 year old with wooden arm did it.

Hey, after 37 years 2 chairs and a couch, we are still married so that's gotta say sumpthin.

She likes the way you run the needle, is what you're saying....