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Douglass Industries  www.dougind.com  .  I've had great luck with them over the years.  They primarily deal with fabrics for the hospitality and healthcare industries.  Crypton features prominently in their offerings.  They carry an extensive line of attractive vinyls, as well. 

I have used their fabrics several times in marine interior applications with great success.  They sell "to the trade".  They are helpful and generous with samples (I return the favor by not going overboard requesting samples).  They have fabrics that cover a variety of price points and I've found them invaluable for that reason. 

I was wondering how things went for you last night, Virginia!  I'm glad you had a good time.  And it's really amazing how much you learn about your dog in a busy classroom setting, isn't it?  Our dog was on full alert when we arrived at class, lol, while other dogs were really very timid.  The instructor told both the husband and I to deliver a very strong correction whenever he got a little too big for his britches and it worked.  We spent a lot of time on "leave it!" and "watch me" so we could break his focus on other dogs and bring him back to following commands.  The instructors were quick to point out that obedience classes were less about training the dog than they were about training the owners.  And within 3 classes you'll see who does their homework and who doesn't.   

20 minutes a day is really all it takes as long as you enforce the commands every time you give them.  I loved the classes and practicing was very easy.  I found our dog was much more receptive to more intensive work after he'd had a chance to blow off some energy.  10-15 minutes chasing a tennis ball seemed to put him "the right frame of mind" for homework.   It was the best thing we could've done to help our dog adapt his new home. 

It's the two thread overlock that can be removed in one go if you break the stitching in the proper location.  It's for that reason that swimwear and lingerie is rarely constructed with a 2 thread over lock.  You have to break a 3 thread overlock on the needle thread every 12-15 inches and pull it out to release the two looper threads; this is what makes the 3 thread overlock preferable to seaming memory yarn fabrics together. 

I would think a chain stitch would be a very useful machine when working with vinyls, as it would provide a nice amount of stretch and would allow the fabricator to produce a very closely fitted cover and could be pulled on and coaxed into perfect shape with the use of some heat. 

I'm presently doing a cockpit on a very nice picnic boat (18 cushions, seats have knee rolls, and the backs are graduated, large lumbar cushion, smaller shoulder support above).  I am working with a Spradling vinyl and I was thinking about this thread as I was topstitching the cushions; thinking that the "give" in a seam would be nice as the covers must be closely fitted to give a pleasing result.  I have the Stidd seat left to recover.  This has been the year of vinyl for me. 

Chain stitch machines are uniformly fast, the need for a bobbin is eliminated (a looper replaces the bobbin and is fed by a cone of thread).  The only single thread chainstitch machine I have seen is the blindstitch machine.  This is the machine that does the stitch that invisibly keeps hems in place in clothing work.  It's also used to invisibly attach interfacing on constructed men's clothing (sport coats).  I am not familiar  with "bag closers", but you'll know the stitch if you purchase grain for livestock or dry dog/cat food.  I've never seen one, but the stitch is basically the same as that of a blindstitch.  How much variation can you have with one thread, afterall?

Sure, a chainstitch can be "undone" with a site specific break in the process, but the same can be said for the lockstitch.  How much stress a seam sees will also affect the likelihood of seam failure.  A properly adjusted chainstitch is really very strong... much of its strength lies in its ability to "give" and "stretch" when tension is put on the seam.  A lockstitch is actually a lot less able to "give"; it's for that reason that you don't see it in fabrics that feature "memory yarns" (stretch fabrics).  A very resilient topstitch can be obtained with a coverstitch machine.  Chainstitch machines comprise the biggest portion of industrial sewing machinery for the reasons explained above. 

We enrolled in AKC Obedience Training.  We completed Basic and Advanced Basic.  AKC Obedience work includes (very specific) voice commands and equally specific hand commands.  The goal is that the dog must look to/AT you for direction! the hand commands, taught in conjunction with voice commands, ensure that a deaf handler/deaf dog can still be worked and controlled with reasonable certainty.  My "neighbor" across the street was astounded when I commanded our dog to "down/stay" while we were talking by the mailboxes across the street from my home.  I simply turned and faced our dog (in our yard, across the road from my location) and said, "Down" in conjunction with the hand command (a sweeping down motion) and said, "Stay" (an abrupt vertical cock of the right wrist).  The dog obeyed immediately and I praised him as soon as he was "down" and "staying". 

You do not "negotiate" captainship!  Your dog does what you tell him to do within 3 seconds or you enforce the command immediately.  Captainship is not about "negotiation".  You say it, he does it within 3 seconds or you correct him and put him in the desired position.  End of story.  You give the command ONE TIME, you allow 3-5 seconds, and then you enforce it!  This is where Mr. Leash and Mr. Training Collar become your best friends.  If you have them and use them you will be able to control a dog who does not yet know how to obey you or who doesn't "take you seriously".  You don't have to be "mean" or rough, but you do have to be "ruthless", and you must enforce every command or the dog will know you're basically an Obedience Pussy.  The key is to be relentlessly consistent.  Dogs understand that and they actually thrive on it.  Once he's done what's been asked you make him hold it for 30 seconds before praising him.  And praise IS NOT A RELEASE.  Make him continue to obey you for 1-2 minutes before releasing him.  Gradually increase the time he's require to comply and he will come to understand that doing what's been asked of him gains him warm praise and affection.  This fosters trust and that's the foundation of an affectionate, loyal, and obedient dog.

The thing that so many dog owners miss about obedience work is that it's about establishing an affectionate working relationship... , you're the Cap't! it's about doing it what you command and then waiting for further ORDERS.  This will keep your dog safe in a world utterly controlled by increasingly weird human beings!

Introduce Joe to his new best friends.  Mr. Leash and Mr. Training Collar (I don't use the term "choke" collar; they only choke if they're put on incorrectly).  Joe goes nowhere without them.  He will wear them in the house, too, but only when you're home to monitor the situation.  Joe must be under your control (or easily within your control) from now on.  He clearly needs to learn that you are the captain of the dog ship! and it's clear from your posts that your captainship is still very much a bone of contention.  IMO the most important commands are "sit", "down", and "stay".  And learn the hand commands, too! (invaluable).  You can train your wayward mutt in 20 minutes a day if you require him to learn those commands.  3 Ps= patience, practice, praise.  I don't like using food treats, only used praise and lavish pats to train our dog;  100lbs., 1 1/2 yrs., out of control, and with a serious "working dog" mentality; "large and in charge".  The trainers who taught the obedience classes we took said "working dogs" can be tough to train, but once you "crack the nut", they make fabulous companions.  They were right!

Everything in his life must be controlled by you or your husband.  And you two need to have to use the same commands and require the same level of compliance.  He must sit and wait until you release him before he: 
1.)  ascends or descends a staircase.
2.)  enters or exits a home/room. 
3.)  receives a "treat" or is fed.
4.)  gets into or out of a car.
5.)  he must "down/stay" and hang out quietly while he awaits your next command.
Every simple aspect of his life must be controlled by you.  End of story. 

You're using a size 18 needle.  What weight thread are you using?  Unless I'm topstitching I use the same weight thread for the bobbin and the needle.  It's easier to properly adjust tension when using the same weight thread top and bottom.  As I said, I prefer to check tension settings while working on the bias of the goods.  It's really important to do that because all seams must have the ability to "stretch" a bit or the threads will snap.  If you start the adjustment on the bias and achieve a flat seam you automatically know that there will be adequate "give" on the straight grains of the fabric. 

When I have to topstitch I always check the tension before I begin the work.  Most of my topstitching involves vinyls and I favor 138 thread, using the smallest needle I can, thereby minimizing the hole size and subsequent leakage (important in marine work). 

Loosen the tension on the threads!

Step1.)  begin with a single layer of the fabric you most use.  Start with a 24" square block. 
Step 2.)  do a test run with the present settings on your machine. 
Step 3.)  back way off on the needle tension and do a test run.  (it will suck totally!) Gradually tighten the needle tension until you have a decent result on the needle thread.  Next:  address the bobbin tension.
Step 4.)  gradually (!) tweak the bobbin tension until you get a stitch that is balanced top to bottom and delivers minimal puckering on the bias. 

I've been sewing for close to 40 yrs. now and I'm amazed at how  freaked out people are when it comes to screwing around with needle and bobbin tension adjustments.  The world is not going to come to an end if you screw around with them; and  you might just learn something!  Go for it.

But don't "go for it" when you're under the gun, freaked out, and already convinced that you can't do it.  Eliminate the "pressure" and you'll be more easily able to "figure it out", and it will make sense. 

Trapunto is the technique of using "stuffing" to add dimension to a pattern.  You do this by understuffing a topstitched pattern or by understuffing a particular motif on a printed pattern and tracing the pattern with stitching to add relief.  A lot of work!

If you have any connections with a designer they may be able to direct you to a companies that offer trapunto fabrics. 

Kody:  I turned down slipcovers for years because I was freaked out by the whole "fit thing".  Then it dawned on me... if I can fit clothes for people I can sure as hell fit covers for furniture!  Nicely fitted slipcovers are right in line with reupholstery costs.  They're NOT cheaper! remember that!

I pin fit in my customer's home.  I'm a "custom service".  I show up at the appointed time, do my thing, toddle on home and do the work.  I go back to the customer's home, install the slipcover, get paid, and go home.  I charge accordingly.  I do my estimates via pictures with some basic measurements.  I know how to fit things... I can do it in one shot.  That's important. 

They look like they fit great, Kody. 

But I wouldn't call those slipcovers.  Slipcovers are covers that mimic upholstery.  When a slipcover is put on people will sit on it! and it will need to fit nicely!  What you were tasked with making were covers that were put on "to keep crap off" the cushions. 

What you delivered was above and beyond what I'd have thought was necessary.  A "cover" needs to be nowhere as snugly fitted as a real slipcover.  True slipcovers mimic upholstery.  Covers are loosely fitted covers that can be easily put on and taken off when the furniture in questions is not in use.  BIG difference!

How about Paul Downs?

His company made  a breathtaking sideboard for me.  It's gorgeous and exactly what I wanted!  I spent months sourcing "used" sideboards at auctions and resale shops.  The retail market offered nothing remotely close to what I needed/wanted...  What's the "real" cost of pre-ordering pieces in faraway (cheap labor) markets??  who "makes out best" when the offerings are so static?

I put my money where my mouth was, you guys.  I believe in our domestic furniture market and I hired it out reasonably locally; I couldn't be happier.  It's gorgeous, everything I wanted.  The  cabinets and drawers are perfectly arranged and they function perfectly, too!  And when we get right down to "brass tacks" the delivered price was absolutely competitive with the "high end" crap from "known" brands.  Crap made in faraway lands by largely exploited workers, with marginal materials. 

Give me a break.
























































 

That was helpful, Gene.  (cough)

"Key" here is knowing how to END a time-consuming conversation!  I hate the 'phone, gimme e-mail any day of the week!  You want an estimate? send me pictures with basic measurements (I tell them how to measure).  You want me to come to your home? I charge for that!

The last thing I cut is welting.  I do my best to get the longest runs of welt possible, but usually people have no clue about how much fabric is required to make welting (esp. if they want long, uninterrupted runs).  I have a custom shop and I'm "picky" about where I place welt seams on a slipcover, but every customer understands that there will be seams on the welting!