This That and What Have Ya

[Mojo]

Sometimes I wonder about my customers.

I got an order for polyvinyl toppers ( I do very little of these most are acrylic ). The guy stated he wanted a real tough fabric that will withstand high heat and cold along with high winds. He asked what type of material I used and I told him Soluna.

I explained that it is the heaviest pvc fabric on the market ( 19 ozs ) and can withstand tearing strengths of 450 lbs. So he asked if I could send him a couple cuts of two colors he was interested in. I mailed them out and a few days later I get an e-mail saying " you were right. I slit part of the fabric and had my two grandsons who are football players grab each side with vice grips and try ripping it. It wouldn't. "

I have a cut in my vendor booth and have slit it half way through and then hand it to prospective customers and ask them to try and rip it in half. They can never get the rip to even grow a 32nd of an inch. Obviously this guy thought I was maybe not telling the truth. Geeesshhh..... :)

I talked with Catalina Rick ( I forgot his handle on here ) today and we are having dinner on Monday. Rick has a shop about 5 miles from me. He was telling me about strange jobs he gets into his shop and said he just got a new one in the other day that was to replace all the fabric on a vintage baby stroller. This stroller is a fancy type from yesteryear. I seen some of these strollers go for $ 2,000 or more. I told him about Stitcher Guy ( Russ ) whose moto was:

" If I can get it under the foot of my machine I will sew it." Russ actually has t-shirts that say " Sew What ? ". :)

I did get a job this week to make something I never even new existed. It is called a " Long Snapper " training canvas. Long Snappers are football centers who snap long balls such as punts, field goals and shotgun snaps. It appears to be pretty easy to make and the great thing about it is that it isn't a damn topper. I plan on making two 1. For my customer 2.) one for my old football team I used to coach. I will donate the second one as a gift to the school.

So anyone else get anything unusual in the last couple weeks ?

Chris

[SteveA]

This sewing / stool was unusual for me. I had not seen this technique with pleats before on a lid.
I have to repair one leg, get a new needlepoint piece off e-bay and red velvet to copy the original fabric - the lid is wrapped underneath with the same red velvet.  There is storage under the lid.  The fill was straw -

[gene]

Sometimes I wonder about me!

Have you ever seen a barrel back chair?

Have you noticed that the curve is in the back and the front of the chair is usually straight across?

Have you noticed that the loose seat cushion also has this same shape, with the curve in the back of the seat cushion and the front is usually straight across?

Then why did I put the zipper across the straight front part of the seat cushion cover? Why? Why? Oh why?

It's not every day that you see a seat cushion cover with the zipper running across the front of it.  :o (It did look kind of different.)

If the homeowner was blind, had no tactile sensations, and never had company visit her/him, then I could have left it the way it was. But I thought that was a long shot, soooooooo, I got out my best friend: my seam ripper.

gene

[RiCat]

Hello.. Chris and myself finally found each other (being neighbors with business) about three weeks ago. Chris did a cold call to me on a canopy repair job with one of his customers. In the course of the conversation, we realized what a small world it is and in the course of that and other conversations we have had, we are becoming friends. It is a shame, we should have hooked up much earlier, but "better late than never".

One the subject of "odd" jobs being taken in, yea, I got's me a "baby carriage" to cover. One of them "Mary Poppins" deals that the carrier has handles on it to lift it out of the frame, the little collapsible hood and so forth and so on. I was sharing with Chris, when the (return) customer called, he starting explaining that his daughter was pregnant, due date at the end of April, and he had a 30yr old baby carriage in his attic that he wanted to give her. He asked, "Rick, it is covered, and needs to be recovered, do you think you can cover it?" On the phone mind you, I am presented with this. Me: "Well??? - ummmmm.... Let's see.... Ummmmm.... To tell the truth..... never really done one.... Ummmm.... I don't rightly know.... Ummmm.. ok.... Let me take a look (while thinking - Oh my). I told the customer later on what I should have said to him on the phone was, "Sure I can, just did one last week, not even a thang" As Chris was sharing with motto's one has, the motto that usually gets me in trouble is: "if they sewed it, I can sew it" I met the customer, looked and studied the thing for about 10 minutes or so, dissected the different phases with the modifications needed,  formulated a plan of attack on the project, presented a price (that is the hard part), and took it back to the shop. I am going to be using Sunbrella for the hood and outside with a contract vinyl for the inside that will have anti-microbial, anti bacterial properties (like I promote for the medical industry) in case the baby pees, spits up, just plain spits, and all them other things them little people do. The one thing I had to figure out was what to do to the bottom of it. It presently has a rubber like bottom vulcanized to the outside canvas. I am going to bind some "Snap Bac" marine carpet backing and glue and symmetrically staple that to the bottom to hide the staples that will be holding the outside Sunbrella (it has a wood floor). I will also add some small plastic round deals to the bottom as little legs. As far as the hood, well I am just going to have to rip it apart and let that story tell itself (one of them winging it things). Yea, this is going to be interesting. Was telling Chris, this is going to be a good one for the website in the "Unique" section with before and after photo's.

Having been doing this stuff over 35yrs, there is always surprises, having to pull from the years of experience to apply the theory of upholstery to do different projects. Let's see. At this time, over here there is a 69 Mustang convertible. Doing a complete upholstery restore including having to dye many parts inside in the original Ford Olive Green color. This includes the big dash pad and the console. The customer will have the better part of $800 just in the console alone with parts. Then on the other side of the shop is a Jon Boat - doing cushions, snap in carpet sections and putting in a wood floor (something else never done before). Then the original seats for a complete interior for 39 Ford custom from an old customer in Tampa. Along with his dash to be recovered in his 66 Ford Fairlane complete build up (already having done the headliner and installing original seat covers and pads - which was not easy on these seats). Then a major build up on a set of seats from another old customer in Tampa. These will be very customized with Alcantara inserts, leather facings and sides with vinyl backs. All black, with the leather heavy thread in yellow to outline the facing, side band seams in a French seam. And then there is the "baby carriage. LOL.... Sheez, I got's to get to work!

I am looking forward to meeting Chris. We have been sharing about principals in business. The one main thing we have been talking about is the principal of crunching numbers, all the other things that take time when doing a job, developing spread sheets, and the main principal of if one is honest with oneself with numbers, how numbers can really tell a story.

Rick

[Mike]

that pretty stronh chris I used to have customers try that with herculite 80 couldn't rip it ,

nothing abnormal here at all ...just to ,much normal

[SteveA]

This was a good learning experience.  Yes - little crooked, little uneven, and some stitches on top of the welt but if you step back  some it looks OK !  Couldn't get needle point but the Mrs. Found a piece of fabric for $ 3.00 for the center panel and another piece that cost  $ 2.00 for the pleats -

[gene]

I'd say "A job well done."

I mentioned before, probably more times than I can remember, when I got started an old time upholsterer told me that boxed cushions were the most difficult part of this job.

Unique footstools are in high demand today. Now sure why, but I have had many a folk and IDs ask me to keep an eye out for them.

gene