Show Off Your Upholstery

[kebopa3]

Steve,
You may want to take a look at this link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f24kj03oEmo it may give you some ideas as to how to build up your cushions, etc. This is pretty much the way automotive upholstery is done. While having a walking foot sewing machine is great the same thing can be done with an old garage sale Singer if you adjust the foam and fabric thickness.

kebo

[SkySteve]

Wow! Pretty fancy seat...and in only 3.25 minutes. . Probably a bit more advanced than I had in mind.

[Tom Waid]

Steve,
While having a walking foot sewing machine is great the same thing can be done with an old garage sale Singer if you adjust the foam and fabric thickness.

kebo

Quite true but, if I were looking for a sewing machine to do upholstery, I'd start by looking for a old commercial walking foot or compound feed machine. (I'd first check to see if a sewing machine shop would rent me one.) Years of making boat canvas has spoiled me.

[t j]

Lowell,
Southwest Airlines.

[MotReklaw]

The seat bottoms I bought from Kitfox are just over 1" in the rear and just over 2" in the front. This is to relieve pressure on the back of your legs. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Here's a picture:

[HighWing]

Quite true but, if I were looking for a sewing machine to do upholstery, I'd start by looking for a old commercial walking foot or compound feed machine. (I'd first check to see if a sewing machine shop would rent me one.) Years of making boat canvas has spoiled me.

This is just like deja-vu all over again. In the early 80s I restored a genuine antique automobile - 1923 Marmon 34 Four Passenger Coupe also known as a Dr's Coupe. I rented a walking foot sewing machine for the upholstery and after two rental periods it was love and I ended up buying it. It is a great machine and when I was talking to the guy at the shop, I asked how thick a piece of leather I could sew with it. The answer was, "what ever will fit under the foot". I sewed quarter inch thick leather for the handles of the steamer trunk that rode above the back bumper. I used it in my Kitfox upholstery.
Lowell

[HighWing]

Southwest Airlines.

Tom, You are on the right track, but going to wait a bit longer. So far, though the prize is yours.
Lowell

[Tom Waid]

This is just like deja-vu all over again. In the early 80s I restored a genuine antique automobile - 1923 Marmon 34 Four Passenger Coupe also known as a Dr's Coupe. I rented a walking foot sewing machine for the upholstery and after two rental periods it was love and I ended up buying it. It is a great machine and when I was talking to the guy at the shop, I asked how thick a piece of leather I could sew with it. The answer was, "what ever will fit under the foot". I sewed quarter inch thick leather for the handles of the steamer trunk that rode above the back bumper. I used it in my Kitfox upholstery.
Lowell

Absolutely first class!!

[HighWing]

No one guessed the source of my fabric, but tj was very close. It was the fabric used in the First Class cabin of United Airllines in the late 80s and early 90s. I worked there during that time as a SOR which translates into the guy who puts all the passenger, baggage/freight and fuel info together to provide the Manifest which incudes W/B info for trim - a real challenge on the wide bodies with the multiple arms designated for each container. My wife still is an international FA. We found the fabric while shopping once and had to buy it with no real purpose in mind than the family thing.

tj - PM me your address and I will send you something I make for a son's shop in St. Augustine. It will make a Christmas gift for a lady in your life.
Lowell

[jtpitkin06]

Thanks Lowell for the explanation. What I am thinking about is a wedge 2" or so thick in the rear and 1" thick in the front. The cut angle would be on the bottom of the foam so the top of the seat would be somewhat flat. That would provide more foam in the butt area where my weight is and less foam behind my knees. I'm also considering a hole along the rear foam edge in the center of where I sit to release pressure on my tail bone. I would glue a strap across the back of the hole to hold the left and right sides from spreading apart.

Sky,

You've actually got it backwards. A good seat design spreads the weight over the whole bottom. You want the support under your thighs. This will take weight off your tailbone. You can try it first with foam wedges and pads before you spend money on upholstery. Put padding in your seat pan so you only get support under your butt and it gets hard in a hurry. Turn the pads around so you get support under the thighs and it is much better. Depending on your physical size you may also want to increase the outer thigh support with the edges higher than the center.

The back should be formed to provide support, too. Lumbar support at the lower back will keep your spine straight and roll your hips forward. That also takes weight off the tail bone.

If you want to experience a horrible seat design try sitting in an AAL Super 80 coach seat. No thigh support, dished back for rounded spine with no lumbar and a protruding headrest that kinks your head forward. Anything more than a two hour flight is like sitting on a picket fence, sideways.

Airplanes are a poor place to look for comfortable seat examples. Go to the local auto dealer row and check out seats in some new cars. Find a seat that suits you and note the support areas, seat pattern, materials and size.
Because we have a size constraint in the Kitfox I would look at sports cars and high end luxury compacts. The auto seats are a good place to check out styles, colors and patterns, too. Take your digital camera to record the ones you like.

John