Truck Bench seat issues

[eggster55]

Greetings,

Having issues with a truck seat from a 60's ford P/U. Since my experience is limited, I have a few questions.  I'm glad I found this forum to help me.  The seat came to me with no cover.  I added a 1/2 inch of high-density foam to the existing foam as it seemed to be low especially in the driver's seat. I made the cover, but my first attempt was obviously too tight and was too short where I could not pull it far enough down to attach with hog rings.  So now comes my second attempt.  My first question is if am measuring correctly. This makes it tough since I have no real pattern to follow. 2. I'm adding no inserts so its just a basic seat cover. 3. The piping I used was the flexible plastic.  Should I be making my own from my vinyl as it seems more workable.  4.  What material makes the best for my fabric pulls.  I've watched several videos but I couldn't find one where they weren't using the old pattern removed from the seat. Sorry this is such a long post but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Darren Henry]

Welcome Eggy. Sorry no one has answered you yet. The board has slowed down considerably over the years. Short version: mark your seams AND reference  MARKS on the foam with a sharpie--cut an over sized piece or pattern material for each panel,pin it on and add 3/8 seam allowance and reference marks. [usually faster and more accurate than using old skins as patterns]. Gluing and or sewing 1/4 or 1/2 foam to the backs of the top panels HIDES A LOT OF UGLY. Make your own welt!. Till you get more experience pattern making--don't diddle with pules. Cut your borders oversized  enough to wrap around a piece of wire or plastic welt cord as you hog ring it on. Trim excess.Welcome and good luck.

[eggster55]

Thank You Darren. Your right. I was wondering if anyone was using this site in the past few months.  However, I appreciate your reply.  Well, I had to junk my first cover as mostly, I failed to do a few things right, but I guess that's how you learn.  As you stated though, I did use the seat foam and a marker to outline. I also used the side panels as patterns though, since I wasn't sure how to work around the frame and seat hinge. I also made a pattern from construction paper and taped it together to get a general feeling as to how it would fit. Like you said, I didn't worry about the pulls as it seemed you do need experience to make sure they are the proper length to ensure they give you the tension need to attach to the springs. With that being said, the sewing was a bit tedious. I'm sure you're aware Darren that there's nothing like leaving needle holes in vinyl that you can't get rid of once it's done.  So, I took my time and it turned out ok. I did make my welting for the seat but decided to use a double stitch instead which was much slower, and I not sold on whether it is stronger than just using the welting. Overall, doing seats for customer's are a little nerve racking. Not sure if I'm ready for this yet, but there aren't many businesses around that want to show you what to do. So, with this forum and you tube videos I'm sure I'll learn. Sorry this reply is long, but I wanted to share the conclusion of this project.  Thanks again Darren for your help. Have a great day!

[bigzfabric]

This is a perfect post for us to follow along with. We're trying to get a better idea of upholstery needs and issues. How did it all end up for you? Any useful takeaways?