Mid-century chair

[DDandJ]

Ok gang,
Here's your chance to critic the beginner.  I'm working on a little mid-century armless chair and to say it's driving me crazy is an understatement. I've only worked on the seat bottom.  Haven't started on the back yet.  The fabric is awful.  It is a light grey velour with a nap.  It shows every flaw.  The only thing I changed was adding piping on top of the lower band.  Personally, I think the piping needs to go.  Sofadoc has given me some great tips so far.  Just thought I'd throw it out there for everyone's feedback.  Don't be shy.  You won't hurt my feelings ;)

Here is the chair in it's original condition:


Here's what I've done so far:

[JuneC]

What happened to the piping?  I'd agree it needs to go.  But you can take my opinion with a grain of salt since I don't do furniture   ::) 

How's that all assembled?  Is the seat cover stapled on, then the piping, then the skirt?  Or is the piping sewn to one of the pieces?  Or are they ALL sewn together before installation?  My gut says that if the piping were sewn to the lower piece it could be stretched to get rid of the ripples during installation.  On the very few pieces of furniture I've ever touched, the upholsterer used enough staples to double the weight of the piece.  If you put enough staples in there, it mimics having been sewn.

June

[DDandJ]

June,
The seat is stapled on, then the piping and finally the band.  I retained the old cotton and horsehair in the chair and just placed a new layer of Dacron on top.  I think I'm getting my staples caught in the old cotton which is causing ripples thus the wavy piping.

I agree the piping needs to go.  I really don't want to take the whole thing apart but I think I will have to. 

I made the bottom band so that it is 4" just like the original.  Aparently my cotton came down lower than it originally did.  Wondering if I need to take out the staples and pull out some of the cotton?  Then put on the band with no piping?

[sofadoc]

Yeah, you need to break off all the padding just above your band so the staple pulls won't show. Those chairs normally didn't have a corded band, but at the customer's request, I 've done some that way. I sew the cording to the band , and staple them both on at once. I staple the corded band on one end, and pull it tight around to the other end, and staple. Then staple in between. Tacking strip will help maintain a straight edge, and more importantly, help eliminate staple pulls.
If you notice on the original job, the band was in 3 pieces. The 2 side bands were installed first, then the front band was put on last. The 2 ends of the front band were folded under. It may, or may not have been hand-sewn on the 2 folded ends. Doing it in 3 pieces may make it easier for you to keep everything smooth.

[DDandJ]

Thanks, Doc.  I'll loosen the fabric and pull out the necessary cotton.  Also, the piping is gonna go.  I'll ask the lady I'm doing it for.  I'm sure she'll agree to it.  The band was originally done in 3 pieces but I would almost swear it was sewn together by machine.  However, doing it in three pieces as you described would eliminate puckering or ripples at the bottom.  You see I left the front corners undone.  I didn't know what in the hell to do with them.  Ha ha.

Ok, back to the drawing board.  Updates to follow...

Also, any other piece after this chair should be a breeze.  I had no idea this chair would turn out to be the PITA which it has turned out to be.

[kodydog]

Velour can be a real bugger to work with. Even a seasoned upholsterer will need to pull several staples and try again to get the puckers out.

This chair can be done with the cording on the border. Like Sofa said sew the welt to the border. I like to start in the center on the front of the seat and pull tightly as you work the fabric each way and around to the back. Definitely need to use cardboard tack strip to push the welt tight and give it a nice even look. Make sure your padding is even with no lumps. Sometimes on borders its better to use new padding rather than the original.

I start the bottom of the border the same way. Center front. Work the fabric left and right but not to much or you will end up with to much fabric when you get to the end. You cannot staple the front then start the sides until the corners are done.

Take the time to step back and look at your work as you go along.

[DDandJ]

Kodydog, thanks for the feedback.  I'm gonna take it apart tomorrow and start again.  I'm going to pull off the cotton around the edges like Sofadoc said.  I didn't mess with the original cotton at all.  It had a nice shape to it and I didn't want to mess that part up.  I didn't take into account that it might come down over the top lower than it originally did.  I think that is what is causing my "ripple" problem.  It didn't start to look bad until I began to put the band on. 

I'm still at odds over the cording.  I like the three piece border method which Sofadoc talked about.  But, if I decide to go with the cording I'll definitely sew it to the border as you stated.  Either way, the border will have to be pieced.  If I go with the cording and sew it to the border I just need to make sure my seams are at the corners, correct? And keep them straight?

Since I'm asking for free advice, any tips on the seat bottom?  Begin in the front and work my way back?  Corners before the sides same as the border? The back of this chair is rounded which poses a challenges.  I want to make sure it is smooth. 

One thing I can promise, I'll keep at it until I get it right.  Thanks again.