tack pulls and tension

[bjoyce]

How to prevent tack pulls?   Am I using too many staples?  The tension I use seems like it's too much.  I feel other furniture and there is more 'cush'
than I have.  My things feel like you are sitting on the chair and not in the chair?  Do all these things create the tack pulls I get?

[sofadoc]

Where on the chair are the "tack pulls"? Arms? Back? All over?
Often, it's just a matter of developing technique for stapling the fabric without leaving "pulls".
If you could upload a photo, maybe we can better advise you.
From your description, it does sound like you're pulling the fabric down too tight in an effort to get rid of the "pulls", and therefore compressing your padding too much (taking away the "cush").

[MinUph]

sofadoc is right don't pull the crap out of the fabric. Take the slack out. When you are covering something you need to take the excess to the end of the section. On an arm say. Tack the center then work the fabric to the ends taking out the slack. Then work the fabric from center out. This will leave less pulls. Your hand is the tool to lay the fabric on. If right handed use your left to work the fabric.

[kodydog]

Pull it tight and leave it loose. That's what they used to tell us when I worked in manufacturing. There is a thin line between too tight and too loose. Plus everyone has their own opinion. Sometimes you have to backup and make adjustments. Some fabrics are harder to work than others. A tightly woven, thin, shiny fabric with no pattern is more difficult to get all the puckers out than a nice tapestry with a busy print. If the tack pulls are in the seat it may be as simple as pulling out the staples that are causing the pulls and re-staple with a lighter hand. Different parts of the furniture require different techniques. Photos would be a big help.

[gene]

There are some fabrics that I cannot do without tack pulls. Silk with no backing for example. This is very rare, but sometimes the staples hit the threads and that pulls those two threads. There's a crappy fabric that looks like it has a plastic coating on it. Yuck!

I use one hand to smooth the fabric forward, for example, toward the edge. This is as tight as I want the fabric to be.

I staple to the left or right of the spot where the fabric is pulled down. This helps me to eliminate tack pulls sometimes.

gene