My first experience with upholstery

[sofadoc]

Some cloth fabrics do tend to stretch with age, thus causing the panel that you patterned from to be too big. But vinyl usualy contracts with age, so I'm not sure what caused your new cover to come out too large. But anyway, since you are new at this, you might have do a little "trial & error" by making a cover first out of scraps, until you get a good template for the finished product. After you've done a few, you'll be able make a good fitting cover without a pattern, which is sometimes necessary when the old cover is in bad shape.

[JuneC]

Too big even with the buttons reinstalled?  They'll pull out some of the excess if you still have them out.  They may also be responsible for you having patterned it too big in the first place.  When making new pieces and the old cover is not available nor good enough to use for a pattern, I pattern based on the foam size/shape without dacron - dacron just helps fill out the cushion for a plump look and feel.  Non-stretchy fabric I pattern to the size of the foam plus 1/2" all around for selvedge, while vinyl I pattern to the exact size since it stretches quite a bit.

June

[Darren Henry]

[quote The new back cushion is a nice fit, but how do we pattern the material for the new covering for it?][/quote]

I like to go a little tighter than June (depending on the fabric or course). I'll make my cushion 1" bigger than the opening and cut the fabric to the same size as the foam. The seam allowance will then make the cushion the correct size and the foam is holding it "full" not the dacron. I was taught that this would keep it from "bagging out" prematurely.

:-\ just what I was taught.

[sawdustar]

Well, the LOML and I finally finished that (insert your favorite wordy-durd here) chair. All went well UNTIL we got to the back cushion for the chair. We almost came to divorce grounds over that stupid thang.!!!! The back cushion has been done and redone several times. We've both fussed and fumed as well as thought about throwing the stupid chair on the burn pile out back.

BUT....we persevered.!!!!!! It's not perfect and we learned a LOT..!!!! We also figured out that working with a heavy weight Naugahyde is NOT what you really want your FIRST upholstery project to be made out of and learning how to wrestle with a material that has a mind of its own!!!!

Anyway, I'll post a couple pics once I get them downloaded from the camera.

Now to allow the LOML's nerves and my nerves to calm down and just be glad it's over and done with.  :-[

[sawdustar]

OK....here are a couple of pics to show that it's done....mistakes and all.  ;D



and

[kodydog]

Lookin good Sawdustar and the chairs not bad ether.

[sawdustar]

Thanks.!! The old chair had a lot of folds, wrinkles, and such made into the chair. We stuffed a bit more "stuffing" into the old chair to make it sit better. Perfect...it is not....but it is 100% better than the old chair.  8)