Seat upholstering question

[Joseph Boyce]

About to tackle recovering bottom cushions. Old ones were redone incorrectly at some point so no good as guide.

I have Roland's book and I get how to tie down the center pleats (across the H) to the loops on the pan, and the two additional cords at the back. Then he says to sew sides of the pleated panel (legs of the H) through the cushion to the springs, and also to sew and glue all the way around the perimeter (under the piping), except across the rear.

However, in the article he wrote for the Registry Guide Vol 2, he doesn't mention sewing the legs of the H to the cushion or sewing around the perimeter. Wondering if the this is because the Registry article assumes use of a foam cushion instead of jute?

I plan to sew the edges of the pleated panel. But I'm wondering if I really need to sew/glue all the way around the perimeter. Seems like a messy process and if I don't like the result, I can't take it apart and try again. The foam cushion I bought from Auto's Int has a pocket all the way around which traps the spring frame. Hard to imagine how it is going to move around or bunch up under the cover.

Any advice... to glue or not to glue, will be appreciated.

[Sean M Rooks]

Hi Joseph,

Congrats on tackling this yourself! I'm certainly no expert, but have gone through this process using Roland's guide when doing my own seats. I'm swapping these out for GT style buckets, so I never prioritized perfection.

I followed all of Roland's directions except for sewing along the perimeter because I had the same concern you did. With the "H" sewn properly and the cover fastened securely to the lip on the seat base, I don't see much reason to sew around the perimeter. Here's how mine looked after a good bit of use:



I have quite of bit of wrinkling on the backrest but the bases went on pretty easily. Note that I used the original coconut fiber pad (bolstered with some foam) and not a foam replacement. Make sure the cross pleat is tighter than you think it should be. My first pass at these was way overstuffed, so I removed the covers and pulled out half the foam. Couldn't have done that easily if I'd sewn them. This is certainly an art - I give major props to upholsterers who can do this properly.

If anyone knows how to deal with the puckering caused by the extra fabric on the backside of the piping, I'd love to know the answer. My wrinkly backrests still bug me.

-Sean

[Joseph Boyce]

Sean,

Thanks for the warning about the side wrinkles- forewarned is... I was able to eliminate the wrinkles by stuffing some fiberfill alongside the piping and hand sewing the slits shut. I think sewing was key. None of the guide books I consulted recommend this, but it really helped hold uniform tension on the leather until the recliners are in place. Thanks again for the input.

[George Hussey]

I have always sent my seats to Autos International for PERFECT work, nice to have someone who does it all of the time to ensure perfection