Different fabrics jointing

[ajlelectronics]

As you all may know, I am very much a beginner in auto upholstery. I am recovering the seats in my Reliant Scimitar 6a which are currently brown. I am doing the new covers in dark blue.

I decided to start with the headrests which are vinyl at the back and cloth at the front. I am using good quality black vinyl and Dralon for the cloth.

To make the covers, I need to stitch together an 8" square of each which I carefully cut out. I was quite surprised to find when it was taken off the machine that the vinyl was now half an inch wider than the dralon. I tried again, stretching the Dralon by hand as it was sewn, but then ended up with the two pieces sewn out of line.

My question is, how best to achieve this joint please?

I tried to upload an 11Kb picture but was not allowed for some reason!

[bobbin]

I don't know what kind of machine you're using to join your 2 fabrics (jointing is a woodworking term; in sewing you join pcs.).  But different fabrics feed very differently under the needle, and vinyls can stretch.  Have you tried reversing the way you put the fabrics under the needle?  eg:  if you had the vinyl on the top before have you tried putting it on the bottom? sometimes something that simple can make a world of difference.  Get out some scrap and start playing around. 

Also, when I was having trouble with a stretchy automotive velour it was suggested I shorten the stitch on the walking foot machine I was using.  It helped a lot. 

[ajlelectronics]

I am using a walking foot Seiko STW-88. Thanks for the comments, I will experiment further. I have a total of 6m of fabric to do the whole car so don't want to waste any!

Although this is not my car, this is what a Scimitar GTE looks like... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330527877412&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.co.uk%3A80%2F%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp3984.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D330527877412%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1

I need to reproduce the stitching lines in the headrest, so am going to put a sheet of foam on the back of the material and sew through it. The piping (welting to you) on the end cheeks will be interesting. In one of my books, it suggests sewing it to the main body, but another says always to sew to the end cheeks first.

[bobbin]

In marine work I've added welting to end cheeks and to the larger pc..  Personally, I prefer putting the welting to the "cheeks" first because doing so allows me to close the welting neatly  and placing that seam in a convenient location and I don't run the risk of stretching the larger pc. by apply the welting to it. 

But that's my own preference and others may have a totally different take on the same project. 

[fragged8]

try a stapler,like bobbin said try different ways round but if the fabrics slip against each other
staple them but make sure its inside the seam allowance.

most of us marine guys use lots of double sided sticky tape and staples
its not really a cheat.

Rich

[ajlelectronics]

Thankyou.

I did manage to get the two pieces joined. I made quite a good job of sewing the piping to the end cheeks and I got the whole thing sewn up, after taking a lump out of my finger with the scissors!  It fitted nicely on the headrest until I went to close it up....

I had not allowed anything for selvage! So the material will be just under an inch short of where it needs to be. Of course I had already cut out enough material for 4 headrests.

So what can I do with 3 off 8" squares of material? I only have 6m total so could have done without wasting it.

[bobbin]

Oh man, I don't know what to tell you.  Except, "welcome to the club".  Honestly, I don't think there's a one of us who hasn't flubbed a cut for want of adequate seam allowance.  It happens. 

Whenever I'm cutting a pc. that will be attached to a corded piece I always allow an extra 2" to the measurement that is the "required" circumference.  I've been "burned" before and it's really frustrating, so I've learned to factor in some "extra" on that cut. 

My boss hates it and always gives me a "lecture" on how the measurements ought to work... .  I hate that damned lecture! and my boss would hate it even more if I came up short and had to recut the piece... costs more to do a total recut of the pc. in question than it does to add an extra 2" and have the luxury of trimming it down, right?

[ajlelectronics]

Well I have made another cover. All seemed to be going well. The end cheeks seem OK with the piping sewn there first. Learned a few lessons along the way, like it doesn't need the main material to be clipped and if you do, it causes the material to pucker.

One mod I did to the design was to hem the material to stop it fraying. I also found that stuffing the foam into the cover without the metal frame and stem worked best. A little plastic bag over the frame helped that to go in. I was a bit surprised how tight a fit it seemed to be. Then I fitted it to the seat frame to see how it looked. It was then it struck me that something was not quite right.

IT WAS AN INCH TOO NARROW! I had corrected the length but didn't check the width.

Does anyone want to buy a sewing machine? I will swap it for a secondhand brain with any IQ in double figures or more? It seems that mine is totally unuseable now!