Glidder backrest cushions - A few questions....

[baileyuph]

Done them before, but ...........some can be a struggle.  Care to share your technique on sewing the horse shoe shaped seam that is sewn through the backrest cover after foam is inserted?  This is the backrest cushion hung on the frame of the glider chair.

My objective is to get the horse shoe shaped seam symmetrical accomplished on both sides of the cover and perfectly super imposed.  Again, this has to be done with the cover made and foam inserted, therefore the seam is through the top layer of fabric, also through the foam core, and through the bottom layer of fabric - perfectly super imposed.

Like stated, I can almost do it but drawing the seam path in chalk on both sides with perfect accomplishment, still is hard to achieve because the sewing through the foam core makes it almost impossible with my equipment.  The pressure feet vectors on the top layer exactly through the chalk line, through the foam, then through the chalk line is very tough to achieve, for me.  

Anyone near perfect on this requirement -- would find your technique interesting including machine used.

Confused?  If so, I understand.......

[sofadoc]

I've done a bunch of them. They haven't always come out as good as I would've liked. Most customers can be easily convinced to accept a button-tufted back instead of the horse shoe seam. Most of those glider-rockers are cheap, and you really can't afford to beat yourself up on them. As it is now, they can usually buy a whole new rocker complete with new cushions cheaper than I can just recover the cushions on their old one.

I don't know why customers want them redone. But they do. I guess they must have some sentimental attachment to the rocker because it's the one they rocked their last baby in, and they want to use it on their next one.

[baileyuph]

I understand what you say about new cheaper than redo, in this case these are made very well and after time are still good.  The customer commented that replacement was around $400 a piece.

So much new, coming out of Asia, is hard to compete with, guess that explains where we have been and are going?

Doyle

[kodydog]

We generally do like Sofa, with the buttons. We point this out when we pick the piece up and explain how it done in manufacturing and our machine cannot sew through the thickness. The customer is always quick to agree.

I did one of the horse shoe shaped ones last year. The channel was big enough that I could sew it first then stuff the loose fill and hand sew it closed. Having small hands helps.

[baileyuph]

Project Done!

Glidder chairs (two cushions per) are done. 

I probably am not reporting any new technique of how they were done but will provide an overview of procedure used:

    Conditions for the work requirement is emulate factory materials and technique -  Therefore core foam was used (not loose).  As stated above the primary constraint was to sew two faces together, through the foam core  with the sew line centered the same on the the fabric as well as the foam core.

It was done by marking the sew line on the three pieces and then the foam core was inserted and held in alignment with a baste stitch (by hand) while machine stitching on the long arm machine.  This worked wonders, near perfect as they say.

The long arm was a big plus while the obvious benefit of basting played out, like I said, pretty well.

Without the long arm, it would have been much tougher on the stand arm machine,.

Final comment, it would have be great if there was a hand stapler that could be used temporarily while sewing .  That would be the cat's meow! 

Does such exiss?

Doyle