Fabricating double cording

[baileyuph]

Over time, it seems my technique of making the double cord has had to change - from one pass
of seaming to two.  This has been done, my thinking - due to change in fabrics are not woven the
same of older quality materials. 

How do you do it now?  one seam or?

I suspect we all are using the same type of cording feet?

Kody Dog - how are you and the wife doing this work?  I noticed in one of your photos on file - nice work.

Let's hear your procedure/technique.

???
Doyle

[kodydog]

I do one pass I always thought one pass was faster until one day I had a race with another upholsterer who did two passes. His welt came out just as nice and he was just as fast.

I haven't  noticed difficulty with modern fabrics except some of the super thin stuff. We just finished this silk chair and the cording came out with puckers and the thread was highly visible. Rose found that if she used a slightly larger welt the problem went away.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WPA8kLJDHFz8HcfS7

As far as welt feet we use the big square clunky ones. I've used 2 other kinds at different shops with no problem. They all seem to get the job done.

The one thing I can't stress enough if you want a really good looking double cord is to sew the cording with the salvage side down. The foot is designed to split the cord and make a grove to push the thread down into while sewing. The plate underneath is flat as is the bottom of the cording. This makes the bottom thread visible with no way to hide it. I've seen upholsterers sew with the salvage side up and it looks awful when applied to the furniture. I also like to take my regulator and force the thread down into the groove while gluing the cording on. I'm not saying my work is flawless, some fabrics you can't help but let the thread show a little.

[sofadoc]

I think Rose has hit on one of the best tips for making good DW out of difficult fabrics.

If the fabric is real thin, move up to 6/32 welt. If it's real thick, you may want to go down to 4/32" welt.

I use the square clunky feet also.

I also use a folding attachment. But I'm hesitant to recommend it because several have ordered one, and not everyone has had the same success that I've had with it. It's supposed to be "universal" for all industrial machines, but apparently, it works better with some models than others. And there may be some inconsistency with it's manufacturing.

[gene]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW2Hc3mYBtA

This is the video that taught me how to make double welt cord. I think I added 648 of the 9,123 views to the count. Yes, it took me awhile to get good at it.

I have not noticed fabrics making a difference in my double welt cord sewing.

On occasion with really thick fabric I will use two different sizes of welt cord. This seems to make both finished cords more similar in size. This helps if the double welt cord in on the front of the furniture piece and is really in your face when you re looking at the furniture. I'm open to being way too picky with this but it's not that big of a deal to measure out the two pieces of cording.

Gene

[MinUph]

We use 2 different size cords also. It helps even out the size. 4/32 and 5/32

[baileyuph]

Thanks all, I actually solved the problem after my post by doing physically what was recommended.
You folks shared your success in this type of issue by selecting a larger size double cord filler.

Well, I decreased the double cord welt size by 1/32 inch.  You put more filler through the foot.  What I
did was selected a slightly smaller foot which gained the same effect. 

Job is done!  Your post were very analytical.  I was able to implement the same analytics by reducing
the footsize.  I didn't have a larger cord on hand.  The thin fabric was a suede cloth and it required
a tighter flow through the sewing process.  Job is done with tight welt but customers fabric selection
was not my taste.  The suede cloth selected had a cow's (brown & white hair). 

Oh well, no complaint, the money is our objective while pleasing the customer.

Rose's chair job is my taste and does it look nice!!  Very perfect!

Now, I am installing (a complete rebuild actually) replacement padding build-up and replacement
upholstery on a pair of AMC bucket seats (after the frames are cleared of surface rust with steel wool) - diversification huh?  Then, have marine seats to go at!  Making double welts is very relaxing comparatively.

Whatever floats their boat - as often said.

Take care guys, you are the greatest!

Doyle

[SteveA]

When you say - the salvage side down - I'm not understanding that.  Salvage is on the end of either the show side or back side -  hoe do you find the correct salvage side ? 
SA

[sofadoc]

When you say - the salvage side down - I'm not understanding that.  Salvage is on the end of either the show side or back side -  hoe do you find the correct salvage side ? 
SA

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I was wondering about that too. I took it to mean the back side.

[baileyuph]

I just assumed there was a typo, something like that.

Replace it with "Selvage" side and it puts what was said in perspective.  The selvage side while sewing
is the layer directly over the machine feed dogs.

Using a folder, like Sofadoc, is enticing -- why fight - doing it manually.  If double welt had to be made
regularly, especially like in a factory environment - use the folder on a machine dedicated to the
requirement.

I have the folder matter of fact - one that feeds the cord filler and folds the fabric simultaneously.

But for a small amount, now and then -- well, I just do it manually.

Back to the beginning --- the biggest problem I notice is with the super thin fabrics. 

Have any of you noticed the synthetic thin materials are harder to glue?  They don't absorb like
the older style fabrics?

Doyle

[kodydog]

Yes selvage. The backside or bottom. The fabric you cut off of the double cording before you glue it on. Or the tightly woven edge of a bolt of fabric. I'm not really sure this is the right term for what I'm trying to describe.

Selvage or salvage? guess I've been saying it wrong all these years. Must be my mid-west accent dontcha know. ;) 

[sofadoc]

Selvage or salvage? guess I've been saying it wrong all these years.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Until I joined forums in this modern age of the interweb, I had never seen that word in print.

If you had asked me to write it down back then, I would've wrote self edge, or selvedge. Something with the root word "edge". Because it's on the edge. Makes sense to me.

[baileyuph]

Talking about how words are used:  Wrecking Yards are also called Salvage Yards!

I guess a double cord maker could have a selvage depository. 


Oh well, wish I didn't have to mess with this thin material people bring me to work with.

Everything is all about "money", I have learned.

Doyle

[kodydog]

We got talked into doing a job for friends of ours. A poorly built Duncan Phyfe sofa. We tried to talk them out of it but they are moving forward. And of course we gave them a discount on the estimate which the husband thought was still way too high. Saturday they e-mailed rose from a fabric store. They are looking at a white silk. Rose wrote back and told them we do not work with white silk or anything white or anything silk! Haven't heard back.

[baileyuph]

No!  No!  As a craftsman, nothing would be so disgusting to work with.  These formal benches I just
finished, yes done with but the customer will not be back in town until later (hope soon), was an
experience that wasn't very good for me or the customer (in my opinion).  The customer bought the
material but has no formal understanding of decorating.  The material is thin, I guess a suede would
describe the texture look and the pattern represents a cow hide (brown and white, with the hair
still on it.  My frustration was with working with it, of course it is not tasteful, but as soon as it is gone, that problem goes away.

Customers come in and the common comment is "different but definitely not my taste".  Sometimes I
respond that in "marketing" I notice that the consumers age really varies - the younger think decorating
is being different and striking.  After that comment, the older (over 40 crowd) say they see that in
a lot of things people buy.

White silk, no way! 

To add, consumers get a fabric price that also encourages what they pick and what they end up doing.

Oh well, so far money with my customer is not a problem - maybe I will get to redo it in a short while.

I don't know which parameter is worse "silk or a white color"!  On a formal piece (show wood probably
on the dark side) - Rose, in my opinion said the right thing.


Putting all this in perspective, there is some satisfaction in doing plain old kitchen chairs or similar out
of black vinyl.

Get it done, get the money.

Doyle

[kodydog]

Putting all this in perspective, there is some satisfaction in doing plain old kitchen chairs or similar out
of black vinyl.
Doyle

Sometimes Doyle, sometimes. We are starting to understand giving discounts to family and friends often goes unappreciated. Last year we upholstered a family heirloom platform rocker for a dear old friend. We charged for materials only. Some how she got into a big snit about the price. She even said if she knew it would be that much she would have done it herself. I'm talking about a full restoration. Retied springs new padding, the works. When Rose reminded her about the discount she sent us a check for the whole amount and said she didn't want to hear anymore about it. We donated the money to our local animal shelter.