Making Boat cushions?

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Cathi

Don't reuse the zippers. Usually they come apart when you try to take them out.

What kind of fabric?? If it's vinyl, take the cushions and the vinyl to professional upholsterer. Vinyl is not a beginner project. With it, you only get one shot at sewing. You can take the seams apart, but you the needle holes will always be there.

Also keep in mind that upholstery fabric is really quite heavy, and usually too heavy for a home sewing machine. I don't do any upholstery sewing with any of my home machines. I use my industrial straight stitch. If you don't have the right equipment (which could be part of why they weren't sewn well in the first place) take it to a professional upholster.

Yes, a pro will cost you a good bit of money to hire. You can expect to pay $30 or more per hour for labor. But! You will get well made cushions that will stand up to the wear and tear they will get on a boat.

Sharon

I believe Allan owns a Singer 107, which is more than up to sewing boat cushions. I also suspect Allan has Sunbrella or some ultrasueda like fabric to use. Even if he doesn't, velour blankets from K-Mart make decent boat cushion covers.

Making boat cushion covers for a Cal 25 is not all that difficult. Use the old covers as patterns, or use the foam as a pattern allowing about an an inch extra all around. Cut the top and bottom. Cut a long strip about two inches wide. Seam as below to make strip at least a few inches longer than completely around the edge of cushion. Buy a length of 1/16" or so cording (can be larger). Then cut the side piece, long enough for both ends and the front, about an inch up and down extra. Cut the back side piece, plus two inches for the zipper, plus an inch up and down.

Double the back side piece over, outside edges together. Stitch a loose row down the folded edge, in about an inch. slice the fold open and press down. Lay the zipper teeth on top the stitching, and sew each side of the zipped to the back piece. Rip out the stitches and you have the zipper installed.

Sew the back piece to the end of the side piece, laying the pieces together at a right angle, sewing across at a 45 degree angle. When you open the new side piece the seam will end up on the diagonal.

Wrap long, thin strip around cording and stitch the length. This is the piping.

Staple (using a desk stapler, or better yet a one-hand stapler) the back piece along one entire edge around the bottom piece, outside faces together. Work at it until you get it smooth. Then stitch the side to the bottom.

Then carefully staple the piping between the side and top, all around. Work until you get it smooth. Then stitch the side and top together. Stitch the ends of the side piece to each other.

Pull out staples (they rust).

Turn cover right side out. Wrap ends of cushion foam in dry cleaner's plastic wrap (to make the foam slide easily against the fabric) and insert.

Put on boat and go sailing.

Hi,

I own a Singer 107W-3, and a tiffsew walking foot with zig-zag and A PFAFF 130.

Allan

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote:

Yes,

How can I be of assistance?

Don Dando

Well he's in good shape then. :)

I just have to say that stapling something then sewing it with a sewing machine is a very, very Bad idea. If you hit a staple while sewing, most likely both the staple and the needle are going to break. Chances are very good that one or both of them will fly out towards your face where you are leaning over the machine. Chances are equally good that pieces of one or both will fall into the sewing machine where they could do a lot of damage also.

If you have sewn this way for years and years with no problem, good for you. But I promise you, your luck must be wearing thin.

Yes, office supplies are great for upholstery fabrics in place of pins. Although, t-pins are great for upholstery fabrics, they are strong and long enough to do a good job. For fabrics that should not be pinned because of needle holes, use paper clips or the bigger "binder" clips. Both of those can be removed as you sew; just pulled off like pins.

Rule of thumb though is Never Ever sew over anything metal. That means pins, staples, etc. If you don't believe me, go ask a sewing machine repair person.

Sharon

"I just have to say that stapling something then sewing it with a sewing machine is a very, very Bad idea. If you hit a staple while sewing, most likely both the staple and the needle are going to break. Chances are very good that one or both of them will fly out towards your face where you are leaning over the machine. Chances are equally good that pieces of one or both will fall into the sewing machine where they could do a lot of damage also.

If you have sewn this way for years and years with no problem, good for you. But I promise you, your luck must be wearing thin. " ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Staples are commonly used for boat sails and canvas, materials way too heavy to be effectively pinned together. They are easy to place, easy to see and easy to remove. One takes care to sew along the edge of a staple to make it easy to remove, and when one really has to stitch over a staple, one pulls the machine over one stitch at a time, moving the fabric a tad should the needle want to come down on top a staple. I have tried pins and have used staples. Staples are much easier.

Note: sailcloth is resin impregnated and is damned tough to poke a pin through, and even tougher to pinch together to make a pin come out the same side it went in. Boat canvass makes blue jean denim seem pliable, and sometimes is six or eight layers deep.

Sharon, on this we'll have to agree to disagree. I have pin-basted everything I've ever sewn for over 60 years, and I almost always sew over the pins. I've broken a few needles, and bent many pins over the years but never done any serious damage either to me or my precious machines. It's my opinion that the articulated presser foot was designed to ride over pins. Now obviously if a machine has a rigid presser foot that would be entirely a horse of a different color....

Beverly

I'm much the same as you, Beverly. In fact, the instruction book that came with my Lily tells you how to sew over pins! Mind you, I'd been doing it for over 30 years by the time I came to that book... I even sew over pins with a rigid foot. You just need to go slower.

Occasionally one will have spectacular pin crashes, like the ones on my What The Dickens project on my web site, but they are few and far between, and I've never damaged a machine doing it. The only time I ever knocked the timing off on a machine was trying to sew a button on! Now those I do by hand...