TOPIC: Upholstery time!

I'm back home now... Time to get a bit more work done on the Glasspar!

The next big project is the seating & upholstery. I played with a couple of possible design options, and this is what I think I'm going to go with-



This is the front seat back. All the seats will be similar.



They'll look a bit better once the foam is inside of them. I'm pretty happy with the design, though. I think it'll look good. I borrowed the 'design' from the foredeck-



Using the red stripe down the middle, with the white on the sides.

I made the seats from Marine Vinyl- First I made the welting, then stitched all the panels together-



I'm doing all this on my trusty vintage machine, which is about the same age as the boat-



I've been taking a lot of photos as I go, and if anyone is interested, I'll put some detailed instructions together. It's not all that tough to do, It's actually kind of fun

-Andrew

Bet you're glad to be back home Andrew, we're glad you made it okay. Those seat covers look GREAT! I don't know that I could ever do something like that, don't even have a sewing machine. Would love to see the details though if you get time. (Might help others who can tackle that kind of project.)

andrew,please do put up more pics,im going to use a even more vintage machine,lol that is if i can keep my feet going along with my hands,lol(1917 singer treadle machine),im going to need all the help i can get,john p.s.this was a practise piece,with foam,i need to find out how to leanghten the stitch pattern

John the round knob beneath the bobbin winder should lengthen the stich travel

jesse thank you very much,john

Upholstery looks great. "In between careers" which translates into being out of work, I thought I would take up marine upholstery. First task was making a bimini and backdrop for then my 30' Searay weekender.
Took me all winter but came out good. I have a Juki 563 and bought a ton of supplies from Mannart Hirsh In Long Island. Also bought thru Sailrite.
If you taught yourself how to sew congradulation, I know how hard it is to teach yourself. This is a trade you need to work a bit for someone to learn the tricks otherwise it is a lot of time ripping out stitches.
happy new year 5satins

John, That machine will do an excellent job, for sure... There are times that I need to run mine using just the hand wheel, I WISH it had a foot pedal...

My machine is quite a beast, though, it goes through 6 layers of vinyl without the slightest hesitation, and will do more if I am careful. They DO make 'em like this still, BUT they cost big bucks. The old machines can't be beat...

5Satins- Those Jukis are nice machines- If I were going to be doing too much more of this type of work, I'd probably invest in one. I do buy some materials/supplies from sailrite- I did a fair amount of canvas work on my sailboats, and bought the 'stuff' from them. They are a great company- It seems that everyone that works there sews and is very knowledgable.

I TRIED to get another seat done today, but the belt on my machine broke. I've got another one ordered, hopefully it'll get here soon

-Andrew

thanks andrew,could you do a picture article of how your doing the seats,it sure would help me,thats for sure,lol,john

A: GOOD JOB. Need to come & see those machines. In New York Hotel tonight. . A few more days. Got some shirts , jackets to bring.
L. Seen any Glasspars lately.!

I'd ask what you were doing in NY hotel Split, but I don't want to hijack the thread.

Frank

Larry- I should be in town for 2-3 weeks... I need to get up to your place to see the new toy, too

I got a new toy today- UPS was SUPPOSED to delver it on Tues, But couldn't get here because of the snow... They Missed Wed, Too. Then they missed Thursday- It was REALLY starting to get old. So, Since they Planned to miss me today, too, I drove down and picked it up from them-



My old sewing machine worked pretty well, but it did have some major limitations. It could sew through 4-5 layers of vinyl with no problems, but got bogged down if you tried to do more. I COULD have changed the way I was putting the seats together, and made them a little simpler- But I really liked the look of them, so I decided to upgrade my machine.

This is a Sailrite LS-1- A powerful walking foot machine specifically made for boat canvas and upholstery work. It is a beast- It's got a HUGE motor, and massive, all metal innards that power through layer after layer of material. It handles 8+ layers of vinyl without hesitation.

I made one of the rear facing folding jump seats today to test it out. FIrst, I had to make the piping for the edges & seams-





It's nothing more than a strip of whatever vinyl material you're using on your seats wrapped around a form of some type, and sew. I'm using 1/8" nylon cord. Piping adds a really nice touch- But the extra layers in the seams were what was causing my machine to bog down a bit.

Once the piping is made, It's sewn between the two layers of vinyl. In this case, I'm joining a piece of white to a piece of red, with the piping in between... This will give me a red stripe down the center of the cushion, once I've repeated the process on both sides...



Once that's done, you sew the piping on to the cushion top, then sew the sides of the cushion on-



So now it looks like this-



Flip it inside out, and Voila!



I've got the foam inside this to hold it up, but didn't staple it to the plywood base yet since I've still got to install some hardware in it first.


I've been taking plenty of pictures as I go along, for John and those others that are interested in more detailed instructions... I'll get them compiled in the near future for the forum, as well as on my website... Probably not 'till next month when I'm back up in Chicago shipkeeping again!


-Andrew

Andrew,
The seats look outstanding! You do great work. Makes me want to call the ole step mom and see if the vintage treddle Singer is still in the basement or if she sold it. I need new cushions for the '60 Clipper and was going to just have them done but might be more satisfying to do myself. That would mean another trip mack to Michigan to get the machine if it's still there.

Hmmm you've inspired me Andrew.

Again, Outstanding work.

Bob

Bob-

It's tough to beat those old treadle machines, if your foot can keep up! They are tough, and will sew a LOT of material.

Originally, I was going to have mine done, too- But then I started looking at costs... For one boat, it wouldn't break the bank, but I've got 3 more awaiting similar treatment. Besides, in the end, It'll be nice to know that I did EVERYTHING on the boat.

I'll also be able to make things like Biminis, mooring/trailering covers, motor covers, etc with no problem on this machine. I did some canvas work on my sailboat a while back, but only had a heavy duty household machine. It worked, but not without a hassle... And, I doubt that the stuff will last as long.

-Andrew

I remember my dad doing some sewing with that treadle machine, I think it was some canvas repair but I don't remember what it was for. May have been the boat but I think it was an old tent. Your right in the long run it will fell more rewarding knowing I did everything on the boat. I'll have to give her a call this weekend.

Thanks for sharing, great stuff.

Bob

andrew,beautiful work,as always.
are you going to sell your old machine?with this degerative joint desease in my knees it makes it very hard to use the treadle machine,.
if you are nterested let me know,it sure would be easier,john

Thanks, John...

I'll be passing the machine along, if you are interested in it I'll let you have it for postage costs... I think it cost $30-$40 or something to send it to me... If you can use it, You are welcome to it. You'll have the chance to return the favor somehow someday I'm sure. Just pass it on to the next 'glassics guy that needs it when you're done!

Like I said before, its a perfectly capable machine, and I could really do everything I NEED to with it, but I wanted a little more complicated upholstery- which meant more layers, and this machine just wasn't up to that. The new beast goes through 8+ layers without hesitation.

Of course, it cost about twice what my boat did ... But, there is no substitute for good tools....

-Andrew

You're a good man Andrew, That machine should make John's life a lot easier when working on upholstery!

Of course, it cost about twice what my boat did

We'll have to talk NEXT winter, you can recoup some of your expense by recovering the cushions in my Glastron. (I'll gladly pay you for your work, I like your style. )

Lots more done today- I've got almost everything patterned and cut out, and the front bench & back rests as well as the folding jump seats done-



I'm waiting on the 2" foam for the back rests, which UPS seems to have misplaced in the Chattanooga warehouse. I also ran out of white vinyl today, so I'll have to go get a bit more tomorrow.

The snow is melting, so hopefully I'll be able to pull the tarp off the boat tomorrow, and get back to work! I've got another week or so before I have to return to my ship- I hope to get the windshield on, and the seats installed, as a minimum.

-Andrew

wow andrew im overcome,you are a class act,i appreciate this very very much.
and you know i will pay it forward,anyhow i can,just let me know how much to send,i already have your address,i might have to wait till febuary though,im already low on heating fuel,i get it 150 gallons at a time,the last time was 408 bucks,lol.
boy im excited!but you still have to show more of how you do that fantastic of a job on your upholstery work.
and i will never sell it,when im ready to let it go it will go to a fg member for sure,just like you did for me,john

Very impressive. I like the sewn lines in my 61 Kind of Corvette looking. The white stays very cool.

No problem, John- You probably won't be to the 'interior phase' for a while, anyway. I'll returning to my ship in a little over a week, and should be up there in Chicago land for about 5 weeks or so anyway, so we can take care of things after that.

That '61 looks pretty sharp- I like the pleated look, too. I was going to use that as well, in fact, they have a 'pre pleated' vinyl that looks nice-
www.garysupholstery.com/foamback.html

But I decided that for the first project I'd keep things a little simpler.

The 'donor boat' that I bought for seat parts had very similar seats to those, although they were kind of a teal color. I had them for patterning, but after sketching out some options, I liked the red strip down the middle of the seats.

Now I'm off to get more vinyl. Hopefully we can get the sewing wrapped up today.

-Andrew

The sewing part is all done now-





I'm happy with how it all turned out. If UPS has found my package yet, I'll be able to cut the last of the foam, and install the plywood bases, which the vinyl will be stapled to. Then, I've got to install a bit of hardware on the boat and seats, and hopefully install the seats.

I'm going to make the seats relatively easy to remove, for later maintenance. I also don't want them in the way for the final reassembly of the boat, especially doing the mechanical and electrical work. They are too pretty to get dirty

-Andrew

They look fantastic Andrew, can't wait to see them "stuffed and mounted", so to speak. Very nice work indeed.

which the vinyl will be stapled to.

Do they make stainless staples, brass, or something that would be more "marine friendly"? I've seen some upholstery work where regular staples were used, and they rust away pretty quickly, comparatively speaking. (Guess that's why Grandpa used brass tacks!?)

That 61 looks great too, Alloriginal. I like the pleats, looks very similar to what Glastron used in the Starflite. I see Gary's has the heat-pleated material, but boy it sure kicks the price up! Plenty of time for me to decide, but we really appreciate you guys sharing this stuff with us.

I found some stainless steel staples at Lowe's or Home Depot I can't remember which store.
For a T-50 stapler

Lowes stocks both stainless and monel t-50 staples... Stainless should be more than adequate for non-saltwater applications, or you can step up to Monel for a bit more corrosion resistance. Regular steel would rust REALLY fast!

The old ones that I pulled out were copper... 1000's of them. Or at least that's what it seemed like

-Andrew

Andrew, those look great. Can't wait to see them ready to go!

Bob

Almost all the seats are done now, and stapled to their bases. I installed 1/4 20 stainless t nuts in the plywood bases prior to stapling the vinyl to them to facilitate installation. I won't put them in permanently yet, until I get the mechanical and electrical work done. I don't want to mess them up!



I put one of the stern seats in the boat just to see how it would look-



I like how they look.

On a side note, I got an incredible deal on a closeout roll of Upholstery vinyl today... It's Zodiac, which is a cool, retro red glitter material. I was 'playing' with a slightly more intricate design that I might use on a later project-



It doesn't show up quite as well on a photo as it does in person- It's nice and flashy! I made the piping from it, too... Glitter all over.

-Andrew

You are the Guinchiest. (Edward Burns)

Sweet, those are going to look great!

Bob

wow andrew they look great,ut your still going to have to post or send me an artical (lesson) on how you do that im not used to sewing yet,the sunray dosent have a stich of sewing in it except for the bought seats,john.p.s, thanks again for the mahine ill send out 40 bucks as soon as i can unless it costs more then that for postage,thanks andrew,john

When using cording in a seat cover, do you sew the cording to one side of the cover and then sew the second side to that? Or do you sew all three pieces (right side, cording, left side) at the same time, while trying to keep all pieces straight? Thanks again

3hulls wrote:

When using cording in a seat cover, do you sew the cording to one side of the cover and then sew the second side to that? Or do you sew all three pieces (right side, cording, left side) at the same time, while trying to keep all pieces straight? Thanks again

Both- depending on how complex the joint is, and how brave I'm feeling

You CAN do it in one pass. Or, I should say, it can be done in one pass... Wether or not you or I can do it depends on experience. I'm not that experienced, so I am prone to make two passes. I have done it a few times in a single pass, and it turned out fine for the most part. After I've got more practice, I'm sure I'll do it all at once.

Next month I'm going to get some instructions and photos up on my web page... It's not that tough, but there isn't a lot of info on it out there, and you kind of have to 'feel' your way through it.

-Andrew