Nothing Is Ever Easy

[jojo]

Ever go through a period where it seems like every job you get is a major challenge?
This one is a captains chair - lots of stretchers. Here is the original:


So I sewed up a new one. The puckers aren't really that noticeable until the stretchers are stapled down. Here's what it looks like in the worst area:



Now once I get the foam up under it, you can pull some of the wrinkles out, but not all. What's going wrong...the sewing or the stapling??

[brmax]

Uh! ya, for the last couple years.  I am keeping sane? by checking back in here for everybody's support. 
I cannot answer your question, but rather bother you asking if while sewing that piece was the bottom section on the needle side or I mean was the long side of the curve needle side.
Just might help me get a grip understanding it better in my greenhorn kinda way.

its Monday, still Have a Good day!

[MinUph]

Could it be a bad pattern?

[kodydog]

I don't know about automotive work but i can tell you in furniture the easy pieces are rare any more. Cheaper for the customer to just throw it out and buy new. Lately we've been doing a lot of antiques and unusual pieces you can't find in the furniture stores. The easy pieces are making repairs  to the cheap stuff coming out of China. Things have changed over the years. I use to hate antiques. Always more work than estimated. Now days if I didn't do antiques I'd be out of business. So I price accordingly and changed my attitude.

[bobbin]

Have you clipped/notched the seams that seem to be the problem, Kody?  You clip seams that will have to spread, and you notch seams that will have to curve inward (notching removes the excess fabric that will buckle up and create a bumpy seam).  Vinyl is not my favorite medium, but I've made the effort to do more work with it and I'm beginning to appreciate the stretch and how to work with it.  I know that using heat can conform vinyls and help eliminate wrinkles... I think it was Min. who mentioned its use in a reply to JoJo.  Maybe he'll weigh in on the subject (something I'd like to know more about since I don't own a heat gun). 

[MinUph]

Yes heat does wonders with vinyl. I used a hair drier for many years and found it very helpful. But then I tried a real heat gun and what a difference. You have to be very carefull and keep it moving. I use my hands to feel how hot the vinyl is getting. It does take a little getting use to and probably a couple melts to know when hot is hot enough. But when it is ready it can be put on like butter on bread.
  I have never had much luck getting wrinkles out though. It helps some but I don't see it working on these wrinkles. Looks more like a patterning mistake.
  Heat is to vinyl like water is to leather.

[Darren Henry]

another factor would be the foam. If it is compressed it might not have the strength to fill out the vinyl. I'd  take a minute and steam out the foam and see if it doesn't solve the problem.

[lizzieb]

I'm so glad other people have this problem! I have had 2 captains chairs that I fought with for way too long.  Had a zipper that attached the front to the back at the bottom and once it was pulled on I never could get the wrinkles out. I have no idea why it happens. I have tried sewing the scrim on with no adhesives just using adhesives, and a combination of both. Once I went f from the bottom up and clipped and notched around the curve of the shoulders - it worked nicely - but will that technique work again?  I have started cutting my
Patterns out with no seam allowance then sewing with a 1/2" seam this works the best for me. I also highly recommend a heat gun practice on scraps to get an idea of how close and long to use it -  I was over zealous a few times and was back to square one. Good luck.

[baileyuph]

Jojo,
You are right  - nothing is easy.

I snapped on the image provided of the work to get the enlarged look.  I think it was detectable that there were some sewing challenges because the seam looked like it had been sewn, then picked (thread removed) and sewing was redone in the lower area of the U-shaped seam.  Is there anything to my observation?

There are questions that would help such as:

    When you patterned the two pieces that form the U shaped seam, what was the stretch direction of each of those patterned pieces?  Same or different directions?

    Regarding that same seam, how were the two pieces sewn (registered)?  Meaning how were the two pieces aligned during the seam making?

One thing that would encourage knowing if the problem is seaming or patterning would be to pin, staple, or even sew those two pieces back together again to determine if they fit about like what you patterned and sewed, or fit better or worse.  If the two pieces sew back together with much better fit, then what does that tell you?

Pull the staples, unsew and do this type of analysis with the pattern componets and the patterned components.  That will indicate how accurate the patterning and sewing was.

When you patterned, describe how you applied registration marks that were used to stitch the two new pieces together.  Where did you start seweing the U-shaped seam --
at one of the ends?  When you are having trouble like this sometimes it helps to start seaming at the center and work towards the ends.   Check all this out but before you start recutting and resewing new material, you have to verify that your patterning is correct (meaning accurate).

By stretcher, you mean the material sewn in the seam that is stapled to the seat during installation?  If so, how did you reference the process (meaning position the new sewn pieces) to the foam on the seat?

Another question:  Is the vinyl fairly soft and easy to stretch by hand in one direction.  What I am after is what is the "feel" of the vinyl?  Real soft and stretch, or not at all, or somewhere between?

Lots of questions and answering them is not easy, I know.  Just trying to help.

Maybe more information will help understand what is going on.

Hang in there,

Doyle

[jojo]

Thanks guys. Doyle, you are correct. Although I did staple everything, I still ended up sewing a pucker when going around the curve (it's almost a circle), and with the vinyl and sew foam, it got hard to manage the layers, know what I mean?
I did use registration marks, and always start at the center notch. That's why this was so frustrating. I've taken the thing apart like 4 times already (no small feat, as there are soo many stretchers!).
It's seaquest marine vinyl, so more of a firm, not stretchy feel.
And yes, by stretcher, I mean the fabric that is stapled to the frame between the foam pieces.
I really suck at this.

[Mike]

looks to me an alignment seam problem

[baileyuph]

JoJo,
I understand JoJO, hang in it isn't over.

Sewfoam, how thick is yours and the original.  Thinking yours is too thick, plus both materials being seamed have the same sew foam thickness?  That could be getting close to your basic problem with the seam. 

If you have verified that your pattern does and did fit, then let us know about this sew foam issue (the thickness).  That stuff can bring a lot of bulk to the seam.

If you can (have extra material), sew the two together without sew foam to see if you can gain a smooth seam.  Your vinyl being stiff, the sew foam will make that issue worse.

Then, after the thinner/no sew foam test, if it doesn't get you where you need to be, you are going to have to get a softer vinyl.

Verify that your seam allowance is small as possible, I am trying to reduce bulk in the area.  Plus Bobbin's tips on clipping and making v-cuts to reduce fullness are to be considered.

Cheer up, when you nail this, you will be smarter than a "fifth grader"!  Watch that on tv?

Stay cool,

Doyle