Heavy weight material

[crammage]

Ok, I'm working on these two chairs for a designer.  I've been waiting on the fabric for the back cushions (there are three different fabrics in the finished chairs) and she brought it over yesterday.  I started working with it and it is the thickest and heaviest material I've ever worked with.  Four layers of the fabric barely fit under my presser foot (cording plus top and back of cushion) and it have to work it really carefully to keep all the layers together. 

It is also very difficult to cut, need to have very sharp scissors and strong hands!

Now to my issue, I think because the weight of the fabric is so much that the back cushions just don't sit well.  They are bunching up in the curves where the cushion comes over the arm.  I also think it's because the stuffing is the soft fiber fill stuff so it doesn't have much body.  I started to fill in the corners and edges with some dacron that has some good body to it and that seems to help.

[crammage]

Oops, somehow I posted before I was finished typing....fat fingers or something.

Anyway, my question is has anyone else worked with really heavy weight fabric and did you have any issues? 

I think if it was for the seat cushion is would be fine as it is working with gravity then but as a back cushion it wants to pull everything downward and gives a little more casual look than I think she wants. 

Anyway, we'll find out tomorrow when she comes to pay me.   :D

Clay

[sofadoc]

Yeah, I've had a few that were so thick and stiff that the fabric didn't want to lay right in some curved areas. Not much you can do about it.
Ideally, you should've warned the customer beforehand. But I understand how that stuff can slip up on you. Many times I've got deep into a project before thinking "I should've told them about this before starting the job".

The only time that it definately occurs to me to warn them in advance, is when they bring in "hair-on" cowhide.

[kodydog]

Designers are a lot of fun to work with aren't they. May be you'll need to replace the back cushions with super soft foam and a couple layers Dacron. Some designers will be cool with this and others will have a fit when you tell them it'll be an extra expense.

I assume you have assessed the problem and adjusting the cushions to make them tighter will not work. I know it will be a lot of work with PITA fabric. Sure would be nice to fix it before she comes.

Some designers will come up with a bunch of nifty ideas to fix the problem so they won't have to spend any more money.

[crammage]

I ended up putting dacron around all the edges and stuffing wads of it in the corners and it is much better.  My wife was happy with it so that means it works. 

Since the fabric is so think you can't tell the difference between the dacron and the fiber fill stuff.

The other issue was the fabric was fraying really bad in the seam where it curves around the arm.  Used a lot of fray check to try and stabalize it since I don't have a serger and the fabric is too thick for my zig zag machine.   

I"ll try and post pictures this weekend.  I got a new computer and still trying to figure out how to do some stuff.

Clay

[gene]

I've used fray check for seams on occasion. I get a lot of various types of fabrics from designers. I've also used fabric glue when I have time to let it sit and dry. I just rub it on just like the fray check.

On industrial machines it's usually the height of the lift foot that limits the number of thicknesses of fabric that you can sew through. Next time you have thick stuff to sew through you can check the height of the lift foot to see if you can move it up.

gene