Ohmthis
Well-known member
rdoty, great job! That looks like nice vinyl. I’m curiously waiting to see you sew something.
Imperial Journey - a Restoration Saga
- Thread starter rdoty
- Start date
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Rdoty, you might check to see if the leading fixed edge of your door opening requires “wind lace “. On my Chrysler the fixed sheetmetal edge is lapped and spot welded creating a sharpish edge. The factory covers this with a thick vinyl welting called windlace that is a foam roll, glued and wrapped with vinyl so it has about 3/4” flap on one side. That flap of vinyl is clamped in a series of sheetmetal claw type grippers that run the edge of the fixed fender/door edge. You can buy ready made windlace but it’s easy to make. Just buy 3/8” diameter foam roll weather proofing at the big box store. It is ment to stuff into cracks of various widths. I cut a strip long enough to edge your new trim panel x 2” wide. Then apply spray glue to the vinyl and foam weatherstripping. Try to keep it centered when gluing in the foam. You may need to shorten the flap if it sticks out too far.
If you have a factory manual it may show your particular attaching method.
I quickly went out into my 40 deg. Garage and snapped two photos with my iPad, showing the windlace on my car. It’s the wobbly roll tucked under the edge of the upholstered panel, very similar to what you just made.
If you have a factory manual it may show your particular attaching method.
I quickly went out into my 40 deg. Garage and snapped two photos with my iPad, showing the windlace on my car. It’s the wobbly roll tucked under the edge of the upholstered panel, very similar to what you just made.
Gahrajmahal, thanks for the suggestions! Looks great and is a creative solution to not being able to find replacement windlace.Rdoty, you might check to see if the leading fixed edge of your door opening requires “wind lace “. On my Chrysler the fixed sheetmetal edge is lapped and spot welded creating a sharpish edge. The factory covers this with a thick vinyl welting called windlace that is a foam roll, glued and wrapped with vinyl so it has about 3/4” flap on one side. That flap of vinyl is clamped in a series of sheetmetal claw type grippers that run the edge of the fixed fender/door edge. You can buy ready made windlace but it’s easy to make. Just buy 3/8” diameter foam roll weather proofing at the big box store. It is ment to stuff into cracks of various widths. I cut a strip long enough to edge your new trim panel x 2” wide. Then apply spray glue to the vinyl and foam weatherstripping. Try to keep it centered when gluing in the foam. You may need to shorten the flap if it sticks out too far.
If you have a factory manual it may show your particular attaching method.
I quickly went out into my 40 deg. Garage and snapped two photos with my iPad, showing the windlace on my car. It’s the wobbly roll tucked under the edge of the upholstered panel, very similar to what you just made.
I wish I had seen this idea a couple of years ago. I've got a whole saga around windlace. My doors are a different shape, but this idea is definitely getting filed away under tips 'n tricks.
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I’ve just acquired a new machine tool for the workshop – a Juki LU 563 walking foot sewing machine. Now the Imperial interior gets real!
Juki LU 563 Walking Foot sewing machine
Why do I call this a machine tool? It is a fabrication tool, just like my milling machine, lathe, bandsaw, drill press, table saw, or welder. Instead of wood or metal it works with fabric. It is an industrial machine, designed for heavy fabrics, upholstery, or leather.
It is (obviously!) a used machine. After doing a fair amount of research I discovered that regular sewing shops don’t handle industrial sewing machines. There is, however, one place fairly close by that deals with industrial sewing machines – Sloan Machinery in Salem NH. I gave them a call and they had two questions: “1. What are you trying to do? 2. Will you consider used?”
After describing what I was doing they said that the machine I was originally considering, a Juki 1541, was too light weight. Since I was willing to consider used, they said that they had a couple of Juki LU 563 machines they were getting ready to rebuild. Older machines, simple, but sew great. Juki is one of the top brands of industrial sewing machines - arguably the best. It is the machine I wanted, but they were totally out of my price range. After hearing the price I immediately told them “I need me one of them!” They said it would be 2-3 weeks before they were done. And it was just over 3 weeks before I picked this machine up.
They overhauled the machine, replaced high wear parts, tuned it up, and fitted it with a new servo motor and a new table. The servo motor is a major upgrade from the older clutch motor that the machine originally came with. It makes the machine much easier to use and to control, especially for beginners. Having a machine that works and is properly adjusted seems (seams?) like the way to go, especially for a rank beginner.
Well, I can't blame the machine for any problems!
She Who Must Be Obeyed points out that sewing isn’t as easy as it looks on YouTube. I’m well aware of this! I’m looking at this as another skill to be learned – just the way I learned welding, auto body, machining, electrical, etc. Take it slow, plan on making mistakes, and keep trying until you get acceptable results. Use available resources including YouTube, automotive upholstery books, and Internet forums. Get feedback and suggestions from people who have done similar things. I believe I can do this. Of course, time will tell…
My plan of attack for gaining this new skill is:
Wish me luck!
Juki LU 563 Walking Foot sewing machine
Why do I call this a machine tool? It is a fabrication tool, just like my milling machine, lathe, bandsaw, drill press, table saw, or welder. Instead of wood or metal it works with fabric. It is an industrial machine, designed for heavy fabrics, upholstery, or leather.
It is (obviously!) a used machine. After doing a fair amount of research I discovered that regular sewing shops don’t handle industrial sewing machines. There is, however, one place fairly close by that deals with industrial sewing machines – Sloan Machinery in Salem NH. I gave them a call and they had two questions: “1. What are you trying to do? 2. Will you consider used?”
After describing what I was doing they said that the machine I was originally considering, a Juki 1541, was too light weight. Since I was willing to consider used, they said that they had a couple of Juki LU 563 machines they were getting ready to rebuild. Older machines, simple, but sew great. Juki is one of the top brands of industrial sewing machines - arguably the best. It is the machine I wanted, but they were totally out of my price range. After hearing the price I immediately told them “I need me one of them!” They said it would be 2-3 weeks before they were done. And it was just over 3 weeks before I picked this machine up.
They overhauled the machine, replaced high wear parts, tuned it up, and fitted it with a new servo motor and a new table. The servo motor is a major upgrade from the older clutch motor that the machine originally came with. It makes the machine much easier to use and to control, especially for beginners. Having a machine that works and is properly adjusted seems (seams?) like the way to go, especially for a rank beginner.
Well, I can't blame the machine for any problems!
She Who Must Be Obeyed points out that sewing isn’t as easy as it looks on YouTube. I’m well aware of this! I’m looking at this as another skill to be learned – just the way I learned welding, auto body, machining, electrical, etc. Take it slow, plan on making mistakes, and keep trying until you get acceptable results. Use available resources including YouTube, automotive upholstery books, and Internet forums. Get feedback and suggestions from people who have done similar things. I believe I can do this. Of course, time will tell…
My plan of attack for gaining this new skill is:
- Practice sewing on test pieces using the junk vinyl I got for learning. Practice until I can run the machine, sew straight lines that are actually straight, turn corners, and sew corners that are smoothly rounded. Keep going until I consistently get good seams. Then throw the test pieces away.
- Make more test pieces with more advanced techniques, including piping and pleats. Keep going until I consistently get good results. Then throw the test pieces away.
- Pick the first real piece to attempt – either a door card or a seat back. Make and fit a cover for it using the junk vinyl. Test fit and repeat until I get something acceptable.
- Make the cover using good vinyl. If it isn’t “perfect enough” repeat the process until it is.
- Move on to the next part.
Wish me luck!
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larry4406
Well-known member
There is another forum member here whose project thread once had the word "upholstery shop" in its title but he changed it and has since gone on to metal fab making industrial electrical bus bars, powder coated cabinets, metal bending/stamping, etc. Recently expanded into his 3rd building.
Having KRS and brain fade right now and I can't think of his stage name....
Having KRS and brain fade right now and I can't think of his stage name....
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Nice machine! I’m envious! Your plan of attack is sound. Make some tool bags, BBQ cover, throw pillows etc. It’s more fun when you have a project. A big part of upholstery work is pulling and stuffing the covers over your seats and backs. Auto upholstery has lots of unique techniques like fitting stiff metal rods inside sewn pockets and using hog rings to attach your sewn covers to the seat frames. Something I used that wasn’t invented when I was building seats and installing interiors as a youngster is plastic zip ties. When reupholstering my Chrysler with Legendary Auto Interiors seat covers, I used zip ties to assist with the assembly and then cut them out once I was able to connect with the regular hog rings. If you have all your old seat covers you can pick the seams apart and use the old pieces as patterns. It will fit pretty good using that technique. Keep posting photos and updating your thread.
The Mrs and I have been enjoying “The British sewing bee” on ROKU. A competition show based on the British baking show model with three challenges weekly and someone going home each week. They sewed a great variety of stuff and fabrics and it is entertaining as well as informative.
www.legendaryautointeriors.com
I just looked at the Legendary Auto Interior page I pasted here. They have a bunch of installation videos of seat bottoms, backs, bucket seat and bench seats. Should highlight the stuff I was trying to assist with in this post.
The Mrs and I have been enjoying “The British sewing bee” on ROKU. A competition show based on the British baking show model with three challenges weekly and someone going home each week. They sewed a great variety of stuff and fabrics and it is entertaining as well as informative.
Legendary Auto Interiors | OEM Interiors | MOPAR, AMC, GM Classic Cars
Legendary Auto Interiors is the preferred choice of collectors, restorers and concours judges worldwide. We offer thousands of OEM factory fit and custom auto interior parts for classic car restoration. Shop for seat upholstery, door panels, carpet, floor mats, headliners, vinyl tops and more.
www.legendaryautointeriors.com
I just looked at the Legendary Auto Interior page I pasted here. They have a bunch of installation videos of seat bottoms, backs, bucket seat and bench seats. Should highlight the stuff I was trying to assist with in this post.
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See if your shop will trade the table for a t-leg table with casters. You can fit casters to most k leg tables, but I have never found good double locking ones that would work with out a plate or something to make the holes work.I’ve just acquired a new machine tool for the workshop – a Juki LU 563 walking foot sewing machine. Now the Imperial interior gets real!
Juki LU 563 Walking Foot sewing machine
!
When I took home ec back in middle school, the teacher had us "sew" along patterns drawn on paper before actually starting the sewing project. Unthread the machine (top & bottom), and just use the needle to poke holes along the lines. It'll build your line-following skill and awareness of where the needle will hit in relation to your machine foot. The patterns that I recall included parallel lines and spirals though there may have been others.
Ohmthis
Well-known member
Ohmthis
Well-known member
Your sewing jokes have me in “Stitches”!
Ohmthis
Well-known member
I haven’t mounted my servo motor yet. I’m kinda behind on my projects with the snow/cold we’ve had the last two weeks. Hopefully soon.
I have never done anything with a sewing machine. I have to learn everything from scratch. Using a technique known as a cannonball dive into the deep end of the pool.To summarize the early results, I **** at sewing.
Exactly as expected. At least for this stage in the game.
There are some essential tricks to starting stitches on a sewing machine – basically you have to hold the two threads (spool and bobbin) when starting a seam. If you don’t know these tricks life gets ugly immediately. Fortunately She Who Must Be Obeyed was kind enough to show me these tricks and I quickly mastered sewing seams in scraps of the junk vinyl.
Next was sewing straight and curved seams. And starting and stopping at each end of the seam - if you don't do a lockstitch at each end of the seam it will just pull out. My straight seams were curved and my curved seams didn’t follow the line. Again, as expected.
I cut out some squares of vinyl and drew a checkerboard of horizontal and vertical lines at one inch spacing. I also drew rounded corners between the lines. I then proceeded to sew along the straight and curved lines. As if by magic, the more times I did this the better the results were!
Test pieces sewn to sewfoam backing
After a few days of practice I was doing reasonably well with the most basic of basics: operating the machine and following a line with a seam. I also had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours. Time to move to the next set of skills!
Exactly as expected. At least for this stage in the game.
There are some essential tricks to starting stitches on a sewing machine – basically you have to hold the two threads (spool and bobbin) when starting a seam. If you don’t know these tricks life gets ugly immediately. Fortunately She Who Must Be Obeyed was kind enough to show me these tricks and I quickly mastered sewing seams in scraps of the junk vinyl.
Next was sewing straight and curved seams. And starting and stopping at each end of the seam - if you don't do a lockstitch at each end of the seam it will just pull out. My straight seams were curved and my curved seams didn’t follow the line. Again, as expected.
I cut out some squares of vinyl and drew a checkerboard of horizontal and vertical lines at one inch spacing. I also drew rounded corners between the lines. I then proceeded to sew along the straight and curved lines. As if by magic, the more times I did this the better the results were!
Test pieces sewn to sewfoam backing
After a few days of practice I was doing reasonably well with the most basic of basics: operating the machine and following a line with a seam. I also had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours. Time to move to the next set of skills!
draco_1967
Well-known member
Nice machine! Does the servo motor have speed control and auto up/down on the needle?
I upgraded my machine with a servo setup, and it has a needle position sensor so I can set it to always stop with the needle down. This is awesome to prevent layers from shifting when rounding a corner or pausing to make an adjustment.
Upholstery work is challenging, but very rewarding to see the finished product. I have only done motorcycle seats so far, so a car project seems daunting!
I upgraded my machine with a servo setup, and it has a needle position sensor so I can set it to always stop with the needle down. This is awesome to prevent layers from shifting when rounding a corner or pausing to make an adjustment.
Upholstery work is challenging, but very rewarding to see the finished product. I have only done motorcycle seats so far, so a car project seems daunting!
The servo motor has speed control - you can run it at anything from 1-2 stitches per second to wide open. The slowest settings are the ones I use; it basically never gets run wide open and seldom above 1/4 speed.
The needle position sensor I use is your right hand on the side wheel! To change directions manually run the needle down, use the knee lever to raise the foot, adjust the fabric, release the knee lever to lower the foot, then (usually slowly!) continue. I haven't looked into an automatic position sensor; sounds useful.
At the end of a seam use the hand lever to sew backwards, then sew forward, use the hand wheel to position the needle to up, knee lever to raise the foot, pull out the fabric, and cut the threads. "Almost" as easy as it sounds!
A car project is only daunting if you think about it! Yup, upholstery work is both challenging and rewarding.
My mom's old machine (nowhere near so nice as yours) had a reversing lever. I'd use that and feather the pedal to go back a few stitches when finishing off a seam.
I have a design in mind for the seat covers. I want an insert with vertical padded pleats in the middle of each seat, surrounded by a flat border. The pleated insert will be made of perforated vinyl and the border of solid vinyl. I also want the corners of the insert to be rounded, not square.
The padded pleats are made by sewing the vinyl to 1/2″ thick sew foam. This is a thicker version of the 1/4″ sew foam that I previously used on the door trim. The result is that the foam and vinyl are squished together along the seam and expand to the full 1/2″ thickness between the seams giving the padded effect.
Sewing something over 1/2″ thick requires practice. Which means cutting out practice squares of vinyl and sew foam, drawing pleat lines and curves on them, gluing them together with spray adhesive so the vinyl and foam don’t shift, and sewing them together.
Once again, I **** at sewing. Once again, practice leads to improvement. Once again, I had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours.
One of the challenges with padded pleats is that the distance between seams shrinks compared to flat material – the material has to go up and down as well as across. In this case the shrinkage is 1/16″ per seam. In other words, if you want the final insert to be made of 2″ pleats, each pleat on the pattern has to be 2-1/16″ wide. Doesn't sound like much, but over, for example, 8 pleats it comes out to a half inch. Not a big deal as long as you know about it and include the compensation when laying out the pattern.
Time to put all the pieces together and do a complete seat panel. This is a three step process: first, sketch out the design for the panel showing all of the pieces and dimensions. Second, lay out each piece to exact size on a sheet of posterboard and cut them out. Then take each of these pieces and add 1/2″ all around them for a seam allowance. For the padded insert, add the 1/16″ compensation for each pleat and then add the 1/2″ seam allowance around the edges. Make a set of posterboard patterns with the seam allowance.
Third, take the pattern pieces with seam allowance and place them on the vinyl material. Arrange them to minimize the amount of vinyl wasted when you cut them out. Trace around the pattern pieces. Place the actual size pattern pieces inside each piece and trace around it – this gives you the seam lines that you will sew along. Then cut out each piece and sew them together. Sounds simple enough…
Patterns layed out on vinyl, ready to cut out
The padded pleats are made by sewing the vinyl to 1/2″ thick sew foam. This is a thicker version of the 1/4″ sew foam that I previously used on the door trim. The result is that the foam and vinyl are squished together along the seam and expand to the full 1/2″ thickness between the seams giving the padded effect.
Sewing something over 1/2″ thick requires practice. Which means cutting out practice squares of vinyl and sew foam, drawing pleat lines and curves on them, gluing them together with spray adhesive so the vinyl and foam don’t shift, and sewing them together.
Once again, I **** at sewing. Once again, practice leads to improvement. Once again, I had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours.
One of the challenges with padded pleats is that the distance between seams shrinks compared to flat material – the material has to go up and down as well as across. In this case the shrinkage is 1/16″ per seam. In other words, if you want the final insert to be made of 2″ pleats, each pleat on the pattern has to be 2-1/16″ wide. Doesn't sound like much, but over, for example, 8 pleats it comes out to a half inch. Not a big deal as long as you know about it and include the compensation when laying out the pattern.
Time to put all the pieces together and do a complete seat panel. This is a three step process: first, sketch out the design for the panel showing all of the pieces and dimensions. Second, lay out each piece to exact size on a sheet of posterboard and cut them out. Then take each of these pieces and add 1/2″ all around them for a seam allowance. For the padded insert, add the 1/16″ compensation for each pleat and then add the 1/2″ seam allowance around the edges. Make a set of posterboard patterns with the seam allowance.
Third, take the pattern pieces with seam allowance and place them on the vinyl material. Arrange them to minimize the amount of vinyl wasted when you cut them out. Trace around the pattern pieces. Place the actual size pattern pieces inside each piece and trace around it – this gives you the seam lines that you will sew along. Then cut out each piece and sew them together. Sounds simple enough…
Patterns layed out on vinyl, ready to cut out
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Seams like you got it! (Seams, ha,ha) I typically use polyester fiberfill sheets over my foam to make it more “puffy looking”. This past year the Mrs. And I had new foam and new fabric covers made for our kitchen and living room chairs. The shop that made the foam used 1” thick polyester Matt on the foam. I was surprised at how big the cushions were and how small the material covers were when we received them, but the women that sewed them up assured me that is how it’s done, and stuffed one into the cover to prove it.
I use a dry cleaning bag over my seat backs to ease the cover over the foam. It also helps with pulling/pushing the seat cover into position. Others have mentioned silicone spray, and that can help too.
I use a dry cleaning bag over my seat backs to ease the cover over the foam. It also helps with pulling/pushing the seat cover into position. Others have mentioned silicone spray, and that can help too.
Can you raise or lower the table on your stand? Most stands are made of channel that can telescope inside each other, and have slots on one of the pieces that provides a bunch of adjustablity. My stand has a second set of holes on the outside, which increases the range, but that's not universal. I want my machine set up so the table is at elbow height when I have the chair adjusted so my knee is at a 90 degree angle. I still have to look down at the work, but it's mostly within the range of eye movement, not head and shoulders. Also, if you're a certain age, and use near vision glasses, slightly lower power might give you a longer working distance.
Also, you want to sit more or less directly in front of the needle, I see lots of machines set up with the treadle way over to the right, which encourages an offset operating postion. Being in the middle makes it easier to use both hands to manipulate the work.
Seams like you got it! (Seams, ha,ha) I typically use polyester fiberfill sheets over my foam to make it more “puffy looking”. This past year the Mrs. And I had new foam and new fabric covers made for our kitchen and living room chairs. The shop that made the foam used 1” thick polyester Matt on the foam. I was surprised at how big the cushions were and how small the material covers were when we received them, but the women that sewed them up assured me that is how it’s done, and stuffed one into the cover to prove it.
I use a dry cleaning bag over my seat backs to ease the cover over the foam. It also helps with pulling/pushing the seat cover into position. Others have mentioned silicone spray, and that can help too.
I'll keep the polyester batting suggestion in mind. Need to try it and see how it works with vinyl.
Good suggestion on the plastic bag for a bit of slipperiness. I discovered that Chrysler used cheesecloth over the foam in some areas; this made cover installation much easier.
There are all sorts of tips and tricks in the strange new world of upholstery!
dscheidt, good point on adjusting the table height. The stand is adjustable but I never even thought about changing it. I'm pretty well centered on the needle left to right so that should be OK. Great suggestions, thanks!
And, yeah, I'm of a certain age... But this old dog is actually learning new tricks!
The pain was actually short term. In the earliest stages I was really focused and concentrating. Leaning in closely, tense muscles as I tried to guide the fabric with microscopic corrections. And extended time on the machine, sewing one seam after another.
Once I started figuring things out and got in enough repetition to start building up some muscle memory things got a lot better. Getting better task lighting on the machine helped. And, of course, working on actual parts is hours of prep mingled with minutes of actually running the sewing machine. Much like body work...
Now to exercise everything at once: Start by sewing the pleats to the insert. If the border is multi-piece, sew these pieces together. Then sew the border to the insert.
Once again, I **** at sewing. Once again, practice leads to improvement. Once again, I had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours.
The result was several panels that steadily improved:
Practice pieces
Ending up with a test panel that incorporates everything I plan to include in the actual panels. While there is still room for improvement in my technique, this one isn’t completely bad. I’m beginning to think that I might actually be able to pull this off!
Test panel with all elements for the final design, using junk vinyl
Since the test panel in junk vinyl turned out OK it made sense to create another test panel using the good vinyl.
Test panel using final materials
Not too bad. This is basically the image I had in mind when I started. The colors are fine. It wouldn’t hurt if the insert were a slightly darker shade of brown, but these colors work well. It is interesting experiencing the differences working with the thin, stiff junk vinyl vs. the heavy and supple production vinyl.
I think I’ve learned enough to start working on the actual seat cover. Of course starting with the junk vinyl and going through the learning curve of working with a complete 3D cover, not just a “simple” flat panel.
Once again, I **** at sewing. Once again, practice leads to improvement. Once again, I had a sore back and a stiff neck from crouching over, concentrating intensely, and exercising fine motor control of both me and the machine for several hours.
The result was several panels that steadily improved:
Practice pieces
Ending up with a test panel that incorporates everything I plan to include in the actual panels. While there is still room for improvement in my technique, this one isn’t completely bad. I’m beginning to think that I might actually be able to pull this off!
Test panel with all elements for the final design, using junk vinyl
Since the test panel in junk vinyl turned out OK it made sense to create another test panel using the good vinyl.
Test panel using final materials
Not too bad. This is basically the image I had in mind when I started. The colors are fine. It wouldn’t hurt if the insert were a slightly darker shade of brown, but these colors work well. It is interesting experiencing the differences working with the thin, stiff junk vinyl vs. the heavy and supple production vinyl.
I think I’ve learned enough to start working on the actual seat cover. Of course starting with the junk vinyl and going through the learning curve of working with a complete 3D cover, not just a “simple” flat panel.
Ohmthis
Well-known member
rdoty, your practice is paying off! Those look really nice! I’m excited to see it come together. Did you have to rebuild any of the seat foam or springs? Keep up the great work.
The Imperial had been re-upholstered at some point. While the upholstery fit fairly well it was made with non-Imperial quality materials. To be frank, it was ugly! Not to mention worn, dirty, and tearing in several places. There are springs poking through the rear seat and the drivers seat is sagging and uncomfortable.
Starting point for upholstery
The first step in re-doing the back seat was to take off these seat covers. Where I found that the covers were installed over the original seats. Good news, as I should be able to use the original factory covers to make templates and do a better job of fitting the new covers.
The factory material was in amazingly good shape. (Foreshadowing - this is the last time you will hear me say that...). If all of the seats were like this all that would be needed is a good cleaning!
Original seat material
Of course not all of the seats will be like this. But it gives me a good starting point.
Interestingly, the seats have a significantly deeper yellow tinge than the side trim. They are a richer gold color than shows in this picture, while the leather side trim is close to the door cards. I still think that the new color choice is good – we will find out for sure when the new seats are installed
The next step is to remove the factory seat covers and separate them into their component parts. These are in good enough shape that I will use them to make templates for the new seat covers.
Seat back separated into component parts
Starting point for upholstery
The first step in re-doing the back seat was to take off these seat covers. Where I found that the covers were installed over the original seats. Good news, as I should be able to use the original factory covers to make templates and do a better job of fitting the new covers.
The factory material was in amazingly good shape. (Foreshadowing - this is the last time you will hear me say that...). If all of the seats were like this all that would be needed is a good cleaning!
Original seat material
Of course not all of the seats will be like this. But it gives me a good starting point.
Interestingly, the seats have a significantly deeper yellow tinge than the side trim. They are a richer gold color than shows in this picture, while the leather side trim is close to the door cards. I still think that the new color choice is good – we will find out for sure when the new seats are installed
The next step is to remove the factory seat covers and separate them into their component parts. These are in good enough shape that I will use them to make templates for the new seat covers.
Seat back separated into component parts
With the main seat insert largely under control it was time to deal with the next challenge – corners!
“But”, I hear you say, “haven’t you already handled corners in multiple places?” Yes – flat corners. These are three dimensional corners where the top, front, and side of the seat meet. Further, they are curved. The corners of the seat are rounded. Rounded side to side and front to back.
This complexity is the main reason I’m trying to use the original seat covering as a template for the new seat covers.
But before that it made sense to start with s simple corner.
Test corners
After achieving reasonable success with this simple corner I ratcheted my courage up a couple of levels and cut out corner pieces for one of the seat corners using the seat templates. These were partial pieces – I just used eight inches or so from each piece rather than the full two foot long piece. This is the piece on the right in the picture above.
I then fit the corner together with staples. This fitting process was an exercise in frustration. I re-did it several times until it seemed close. With trepidation I took it to the sewing machine and stitched it up. Sewing seams that curve in three dimension out of heavy vinyl seems to be an acquired skill. The piece is fighting you all the way – it really wants to go off track, bunch up (creating wrinkles), and in general just be difficult. But I finally reached the end of each seam.
The final result was, indeed, a corner. And it did fit over the corner of the seat. But it still needs work. I need to take the lessons learned and do at least one more test piece.
Test fitting of test corner
“But”, I hear you say, “haven’t you already handled corners in multiple places?” Yes – flat corners. These are three dimensional corners where the top, front, and side of the seat meet. Further, they are curved. The corners of the seat are rounded. Rounded side to side and front to back.
This complexity is the main reason I’m trying to use the original seat covering as a template for the new seat covers.
But before that it made sense to start with s simple corner.
Test corners
After achieving reasonable success with this simple corner I ratcheted my courage up a couple of levels and cut out corner pieces for one of the seat corners using the seat templates. These were partial pieces – I just used eight inches or so from each piece rather than the full two foot long piece. This is the piece on the right in the picture above.
I then fit the corner together with staples. This fitting process was an exercise in frustration. I re-did it several times until it seemed close. With trepidation I took it to the sewing machine and stitched it up. Sewing seams that curve in three dimension out of heavy vinyl seems to be an acquired skill. The piece is fighting you all the way – it really wants to go off track, bunch up (creating wrinkles), and in general just be difficult. But I finally reached the end of each seam.
The final result was, indeed, a corner. And it did fit over the corner of the seat. But it still needs work. I need to take the lessons learned and do at least one more test piece.
Test fitting of test corner
Swanny1953
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Wow - you are taking "learning experience" to a whole new level!! Thanks for sharing your journey, although I doubt I have the stones to undertake a project like this!
That looks pretty good for someone who hasn't done this before!
One of the key things to keep in mind when sewing three dimensional things is that the seam line of the two pieces needs to be the same length - but the rest of it doesn't. If the seam lengths are not the same, one of the pieces has to stretch and the other shrink (which generally means it'll gather, pucker, or wrinkle.
This is a little out of order, but I'll confess my mistakes in the hopes it might help someone else.
Having achieved an almost acceptable test panel with the junk vinyl, I decided to make one last test panel. This last test panel would use the actual vinyl I will be using for the seats. I also needed to change thread from the cheap Amazon thread I’ve been working with to the good thread for the actual seats. And this is probably a good time to change the needle.
The first step was to fill up several bobbins with the good thread and swap in the new bobbin. Then thread the good thread through the machine, using the old thread to pull it through to make sure that the machine was threaded properly. Next, change out the needle. Finally, make a quick test seam to verify everything, and start working on the final test panel.
The result was immediate disaster. Seams completely open on the back. Seams with the stitches very loose on the back. Not Good! Time to start troubleshooting.
Hmm, it looks like I installed the needle backward. OK, rotate the needle to the correct position and try again. This time I’m getting stitches, but they are very loose. That looks like the tension setting needs to be adjusted. Spend the next hour or so changing the tension adjustment to both tighter and looser with very little change.
With frustration rising it was time to walk away. Well, it was lunchtime. Grab a sandwich, fire up the Internet, and start researching the problem.
With a list of things to check, head back to the machine and return to pounding my head against a brick wall. After chasing several more dead ends, I started studying the threading of the machine. I knew this was good, since I hadn’t changed anything and had used the old (working) thread to pull the new thread through the machine.
Just a minute – something doesn’t look right here… In fact, if you look at it closely… It looks like the thread has jumped off of both of the tensioner disks. KRUD.
Pull out the user manual, study the section on threading the machine a dozen times, and thread it according to the instructions.
Grab another scrap of vinyl and run a test seam. MUCH better, but not perfect. OK, start adjusting the tensioner. This time it makes a noticeable difference. After a half dozen seams the machine is dialed in nicely.
Take a scrap of the seat vinyl, which is much heavier than the test vinyl, and run a test seam. Good, but not quite perfect. A few small adjustments of the thread tensioner and it is sewing perfectly with the seat vinyl.
Yup, as usual, the one thing that you know can’t be the problem is what bites you. Yes, further confirmation that I’m an idiot.
Now, I can finally cut out the pieces for the test panel using the actual seat vinyl and sew them together.This heavier material has a different feel, but I was able to achieve a successful result.
Final test panel
This panel is actually better than it looks in the picture – as soon as it is stretched all of the wrinkles disappear. After a roller coaster day I think I’m ready to start working on an actual seat.
Having achieved an almost acceptable test panel with the junk vinyl, I decided to make one last test panel. This last test panel would use the actual vinyl I will be using for the seats. I also needed to change thread from the cheap Amazon thread I’ve been working with to the good thread for the actual seats. And this is probably a good time to change the needle.
The first step was to fill up several bobbins with the good thread and swap in the new bobbin. Then thread the good thread through the machine, using the old thread to pull it through to make sure that the machine was threaded properly. Next, change out the needle. Finally, make a quick test seam to verify everything, and start working on the final test panel.
The result was immediate disaster. Seams completely open on the back. Seams with the stitches very loose on the back. Not Good! Time to start troubleshooting.
Hmm, it looks like I installed the needle backward. OK, rotate the needle to the correct position and try again. This time I’m getting stitches, but they are very loose. That looks like the tension setting needs to be adjusted. Spend the next hour or so changing the tension adjustment to both tighter and looser with very little change.
With frustration rising it was time to walk away. Well, it was lunchtime. Grab a sandwich, fire up the Internet, and start researching the problem.
With a list of things to check, head back to the machine and return to pounding my head against a brick wall. After chasing several more dead ends, I started studying the threading of the machine. I knew this was good, since I hadn’t changed anything and had used the old (working) thread to pull the new thread through the machine.
Just a minute – something doesn’t look right here… In fact, if you look at it closely… It looks like the thread has jumped off of both of the tensioner disks. KRUD.
Pull out the user manual, study the section on threading the machine a dozen times, and thread it according to the instructions.
Grab another scrap of vinyl and run a test seam. MUCH better, but not perfect. OK, start adjusting the tensioner. This time it makes a noticeable difference. After a half dozen seams the machine is dialed in nicely.
Take a scrap of the seat vinyl, which is much heavier than the test vinyl, and run a test seam. Good, but not quite perfect. A few small adjustments of the thread tensioner and it is sewing perfectly with the seat vinyl.
Yup, as usual, the one thing that you know can’t be the problem is what bites you. Yes, further confirmation that I’m an idiot.
Now, I can finally cut out the pieces for the test panel using the actual seat vinyl and sew them together.This heavier material has a different feel, but I was able to achieve a successful result.
Final test panel
This panel is actually better than it looks in the picture – as soon as it is stretched all of the wrinkles disappear. After a roller coaster day I think I’m ready to start working on an actual seat.
Swanny, one of the reasons for sharing this Journey is to show that you can learn new things. Skills are something you end up with, not something you start with. I tend to be a bit methodical and deliberate. For something completely new I try to learn and practice the basics before jumping into the actual project.
There are people here on the Journal who have been building their skills for decades and are on a whole different level than us mere mortals. I'm not one of them! I'm a novice. Probably more an incomplete novice than a complete novice.
Rather than looking at something new and saying I can't do that, I try to look at it and say what would it take to do that? Followed by is this something worth doing and do I want to do it? Someone here on Garage Journal has posted don't get good at something you don't want to do...
It isn't for everyone, but I enjoy challenges and problem solving. Even when I create the problems!
When threading, the presser foot needs to be raised, as the tension disks are loose in that position. If they are not, the thread doesn’t get in them properly. On some machines, you can get away with out doing that with thinner threads, but thicker ones will not work.
The old seat covers in the Imperial wrap around the back of the seat frame and are secured to the frame with hog rings. The factory sewed cloth extension onto the sides of the seat for this attachment, which made sense when the seats were made of leather. See the gray cloth in the pictures below.
For me, however, this means multiple extra pieces that must be layed out, cut, and sewn together. Since I’m doing everything from scratch, it makes sense to just extend the existing side panels to directly incorporate the attachment points. “All” that this requires is combining two existing pieces into a single new piece. Easy, right???
Side pieces with cloth attachment (gray)
Seat back with cloth attachment (gray)
Fortunately the layout was fairly straightforward. It required considerable thought on how to deal with the seam allowance when the two pieces were combined. Further, all of the edges that attach to the frame were reinforced with piping to improve resistance to the hog rings tearing out, so a piping allowance had to be included.
And, of course, based on my experience I had to double and triple check that I wasn’t combining the pieces upside down, backwards, or on the wrong side of the part, including the wrong seam allowance, or measuring from the wrong datum.
After considerable tracing, cogitation, measuring, drawing, and cutting I had three cardboard patterns for each piece:
For me, however, this means multiple extra pieces that must be layed out, cut, and sewn together. Since I’m doing everything from scratch, it makes sense to just extend the existing side panels to directly incorporate the attachment points. “All” that this requires is combining two existing pieces into a single new piece. Easy, right???
Side pieces with cloth attachment (gray)
Seat back with cloth attachment (gray)
Fortunately the layout was fairly straightforward. It required considerable thought on how to deal with the seam allowance when the two pieces were combined. Further, all of the edges that attach to the frame were reinforced with piping to improve resistance to the hog rings tearing out, so a piping allowance had to be included.
And, of course, based on my experience I had to double and triple check that I wasn’t combining the pieces upside down, backwards, or on the wrong side of the part, including the wrong seam allowance, or measuring from the wrong datum.
After considerable tracing, cogitation, measuring, drawing, and cutting I had three cardboard patterns for each piece:
- The pattern of actual final net shape of the piece. This is used for fitting, checking, and for tracing the seam allowance lines onto the vinyl.
- The pattern for the new piece with seam and attachment allowances added. These were clearly labeled with which other piece attached to each edge and where piping was to be sewn in.
- The old pattern with seam allowances which did not include the attachment points. I don’t think I will need these again, but I will keep them just in case. These patterns had OLD written on them in several places. You learn to protect yourself from yourself...