A couple of sewing questions on machines, supply etc.

[simcole]

Hey again everyone,

I've spent the past several days using the search feature of this forum and reading about DIY upholstry projects. I saw a couple examples of some machines that people started with and are using, and most of what I gathered is that consew was a great machine but out of my budget range currently. This fall/winter I plan on recovering my boat seats that are starting to pop seams. I believe most of my seams will be hidden, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Here is a picture of my boat:



On with the questions:

Can I purchase a 1950-1960's model singer and buy the addon "walking foot"? Will that be sufficient to get my boat done? Is it good enough to take on 1 other persons boat and use the profits from that to buy a good machine? Here is the examples of the singer addon walking foot.

Which of these machines will work?
Number 1
Number 2

Most of these seem to only hold a #18 needle. Is that ok? V92 thread too big for this or do I need V64?

I saw several people say wrapping the foam in plastic helps with moisture which is currently a pain when I sit down on a seam and get wet butt. Do you leave the bottom side of the foam not wrapped so air has a place to escape? Do people just use trash bags or what?

See the curves in my seat patterns? Do I need a ton of yardage to make the curves?

TLR:
Help me pick a machine to recover my seats this fall and I can probably figure out the rest.

 

[GB333]

Re: A couple of sewing questions on machines, supply etc.

My mother has had that exact Singer (Number 1) for my entire life and that thing is still zipping along! If it works like hers does, I'm sure it would do an excellent job. You might want to find a local sewing machine shop to clean and tune it up after you buy it. That tends to be pretty affordable (under $100) and they will make sure everything is running smoothly. Any older METAL solid machine will probably work for this purpose.

That particular walking foot, if compatible, would work if you are not doing piping. If you are, then you need a zipper foot or a cord foot. That will allow you to sew up close to the edge of the piping, which you cannot do very successfully with the walking foot you currently have pictured. The singer machine you listed allows you to move the needle to the left, right, or center - so a standard zipper foot would work. If you get a machine with a fixed needed, you will want an adjustable zipper foot. (I had to but an adjustable one for my vintage Morse machine bc the needle positioning on it doesn't work!)

To make things more confusing, you don't NEED a walking foot - but I sure wish I had had one. It would have made things a lot easier. So I think it's wise to get one if you can. I had issues with the vinyl sticking to the foot and not wanting to feed through the machine easily. I've read a lot of people on this forum complain about the tension and the thread underneath bunching up and getting jammed - that MAY be due to the feeding issues and not actually tension. If the vinyl isn't feeding through properly, that will happen. I had it happen a few times. A walking foot would have solved that problem.

I used leather needles and they worked like a champ. I've been sewing my whole life and honestly have no idea what a #18 needle is. I just always but the universal Schmetz ones and they work in all three of my machines.

I used "outdoor" thread that I picked up at JoAnn fabric. I noticed that they also sell "heavy" and "upholstry" thread, but they are nylon. You want Polyester thread bc it is UV resistant. Nylon is bad news. (I plan to use 303 protectant on my new seats so hopefully that will help with this issue, as well!) I also made sure to buy polyester string to make my piping - although that probably won't matter much at all. I figured better safe than sorry.

I wrapped my seats ALL in plastic and that doesn't seem to be working - the air can't escape at all so they take forever to regain their shape when you stand up. I'm going to put some air holes in the plastic on the bottom to hopefully fix that issue. I used 2 mil drop cloths I bought at Home Depot and attached them with 3M 90 adhesive spray from the same aisle at Home Depot.

Yes, you will need a ton of vinyl. More than you think. I recommend taking measurements and laying it out all on a piece of graphing paper or in excel or something before you buy. I bought all of my Marine Vinyl from JoAnn with 40% off coupons, so it was about $10 a yard.

 

[GB333]

Re: A couple of sewing questions on machines, supply etc.

Hey hey! Check this out: Non-stick presser foot

I wonder if you can find one of those as a zipper foot. I wish I'd seen this earlier!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: A couple of sewing questions on machines, supply etc.

The 1st Singer Shown should work well. These are the needles I use...

I got all my stuff from an eBay vendor "TrimJobber". Got my Marine Vinyl for $7.99 a yard (very heavy duty stuff) Got the SunGuard 4 oz Thread , zippers everything. Great Prices, Fast Shipping, Great Rates. The walking foot "Kinda" works but I seldom used mine. Really not meant for upholstery work. Personally I don't think it's worth the money. If you're gunna do piping, I'd spend my money on a 1/4" welting foot.
To keep the vinyl from sticking to the zipper foot or presser foot, lube the vinyl. Use some 3 in 1 oil on some Kleenex and wipe the vinyl with it. You'll be amazed at how it works. No more sticky vinyl. Also back off a bit on the presser foot pressure to keep if from sticking.

The plastic covered foam is more to protect the foam from abrasion by the vinyl than it moisture but it does give that added benefit as well. I just cover the top and sides, and let the bottom breathe.
Use stainless steel staples. Make sure to start and stop with backstitching.

Good luck!