A Regional Upholstery question

M

mrraford

Senior Member
Since the folks in Hot Springs have retired, I do not know of anyone within driving distance to put my upholstery and interior together. I don't want to turn my Labaron Bonnie kits over to just anybody.

Anybody out there know of a worthy source of upholstery services within driving distance of NE Oklahoma that will do a good job of installing my LB kits?
 
We may have some barners around the Tulsa region that can help. I lived there back in the 70s to go to school. There is bound to be some good auto trim shops up that way. Check the most local places and club organizations first if you can. MARC & MAFCA have regionals in the area I'm sure.
 
Here in Western North Carolina there were a lot of furniture shops that folded when that business went overseas. The people who did the upholstery for the furniture shops are still around and good people to do business with. They know their stuff and can do anything from couches to cars. I don't know if that is the case in Tulsa but I just thought I would mention it.
 
nkaminar said:
Here in Western North Carolina there were a lot of furniture shops that folded when that business went overseas. The people who did the upholstery for the furniture shops are still around and good people to do business with. They know their stuff and can do anything from couches to cars. I don't know if that is the case in Tulsa but I just thought I would mention it.
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ModelA29 said:
This is a good tip - Model A upholstery is more closely related to your mom's sofa than it is to modern auto trim.
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This just my first-hand experiences but other than rethreading a walking-foot sewing machine, it appears there is very little talent that actually crosses over from the furniture trade to the early automobile trimming trade.

For example, I suck at sewing a straight line however I can layout patterns, nest & cut, and install seat covers with the best of them. Tradesmen from the furniture industry can generally stitch straight however they struggle with patterning or templating, with installing trim panels, and installing seat covers correctly. It is because the crafts are very different regarding techniques and mechanics. Kinda like comparing a driver of a Drag car vs. a F1 car. Both drivers are considered Racers, and both drivers must make split-second decisions at very fast speeds to be good at their profession however both drivers would likely struggle at being successful if they were drive the other type race car. One focuses on precise shifting points and driving as straight as possible whereas one focuses on hitting marks and smooth steering around turns.
 
Brent, your analogy does not hold water. What does driving race cars have to do with upholstery? It is my experience that the people who did upholstery for the furniture businesses here in Wilkesboro do a damn good job at installing upholstery in antique cars.

I have made and installed upholstery for boats, furniture, and antique cars. This is a valuable skill to learn and one can take pride in a job well done. I started out making pillows and canvas covers for the sailboats I have owned over the last 40 years. I carried my heavy-duty walking-foot sewing machine with us when we cruised on our sailboat. It came in real handy.
 
actually, totally agree with Brent on this subject.


from 100 upholsterers, only 3 would be capable of the detail on a deusey or fine points car.
If its a driver, then yes, 90% will look ok. 10% of every profession always sucs.
 
Sewing a seam when joining materials together isn't bad if the cutting is straight. Following the edge of the foot is fairly straight. Sewing channel pleats is where it gets precision. Tuck & roll at least has a guide edge. It all depends on the chosen design for me.

Installation of covers is pretty easy compared to fabrication. Some models are more difficult for installation than others. The soft top coupes are a job. The subcontracted Fordors, Cabriolet, Victoria, and A400 are a lot of work where a person has the do more than think about it. Some trimmers staple and some use the tacks but the end result is the important part. It has to look right. Nobody complains about a job well done. I just do my own so I'll have to live with it. I can't complain if it ain't perfect but it's usually good enough for me.
 
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My friend was a trimmer all his life.He started out doing cars,but kind of got away from that and did furniture.Assembly line upholstering and on-the-table reupholstering don't even fit in the same sentence.He did the patterning,cutting,and assembling.His wife did all the stitching.He could,but hated it.She hated assembling.She would help assembly on cushions,but not automotive.Stitching only on cars,both cushions and panels.She stitched for years for LB.I think she left there in 1976,when they went off on their own.I've spent many,many hours stripping furniture carefully,so I didn't ruin the panels to use for patterns.Then transfer it to new material,lining up stripes,patterns,color schemes.Then he'd trace and mark,and she would stitch.Then recheck that it actually matched up to the other pieces on the furniture.Not quite like grabbing pre-cut and marked pieces off a pile and stitching the lines together.Transitioning from assembly line work to custom work will take an education.I do think that the workers have a leg up on learning,they do know how to pull,nip,tuck,stretch,etc.already.
 
rotorwrench said:
Sewing a seam when joining materials together isn't bad if the cutting is straight. Following the edge of the foot is fairly straight. Sewing channel pleats is where it gets precision. Tuck & roll at least has a guide edge. It all depends on the chosen design for me.

Installation of covers is pretty easy compared to fabrication. Some models are more difficult for installation than others. The soft top coupes are a job. The subcontracted Fordors, Cabriolet, Victoria, and A400 are a lot of work where a person has the do more than think about it. Some trimmers staple and some use the tacks but the end result is the important part. It has to look right. Nobody complains about a job well done. I just do my own so I'll have to live with it. I can't complain if it ain't perfect but it's usually good enough for me.
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Ok, this is my perspective. The Trim Welt on most closed cars is cloth that has a pattern woven in. Sewing the seat Trim Welt while keeping the pattern in a symmetrical line may sound easy, but from my experiences (-and from viewing other's craftsmanship) is not so easy. The same applies for the Windlace.

Most closed car door panels have a pocket and a stitched box that frames in the pocket. Sewing in the center of a panel and making the line be perfectly straight can be very challenging. The same with sewing the listing to a Headliner. No edge to reference on other than a chalk line. As soon as the wool stretches ever so slightly under the foot, the chance of maintaining a straight line diminishes rapidly.

I think most feel that installing seat covers is easy to do however in reality, they are not so easy if they are to be done correctly. Again, most people do not properly tuft or pad the edges or corners with cotton during the install, and most do not compress the spring where the trim welt is in the proper location. They also tend to have the welt where it is wavy above the boxing around the perimeter. Additionally, doing the layout on the pipes so they align at the base of the backrest to the rearmost portion of the cushion is an area where many struggle. Stuffing cotton into piping where it is uniform is unique to the automotive trimmer and is very rarely used in household furniture making.

So whether my race driver analogy makes sense or not, I have found that most textile industry trained Seamstress'/Seamsters (-or at least the ones I have worked with) tend to struggle with these details simply because they are unique to the automotive trade and they have no experience with it. There is even quite a bit of difference between trimming 20s - 1940s vehicles vs. vehicles manufactured in the last 25 years that limits many automotive trimmers.

FWIW, a few months ago I had someone drive the 1980s Old's Cutless by the shop to see if I could fix the new Landau top that two different Trim shops had a go at (-and failed miserably). It honestly looked like a 3rd grader did it. Apparently no one (-including us) has experience at installing a vinyl top. Maybe I should have suggested that he take his car to have a Furniture Upholster install it!! :D ;) :rolleyes:
 
I agree on all accounts. The difference in experience is always reflected in the special hand made tooling that the individual uses to aid in both installation and fabrication. Good trimmers always find ways to make their work go faster without compromising in the quality of the end result.

Changes in the industry are everpresent. From wood base coil spring boxes to the wire reinforced ribbon or zig zag springs in the 50s are just two examples among many but wire framing is still used. Hog rings have given way to clips in some cases and velcro replaces some listings but the industry is still fluid in design.
 
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Brent, What makes sewing together stuff easier is basting tape. This is a double back sticky tape that can be used to put things together before sewing. If not correct the parts can be pulled apart and re positioned. You just sew through the tape. It stays there. You just have to be careful to put the tape where it will not be seen when finished.

See https://www.sailrite.com/search.php?query=double+sided+basting+tape

Ford used a machine for compressing the seats when adding the upholstery. Without that machine you really have to push down hard on the springs when installing the seat covers.

Sairite sells some good walking foot sewing machines. These are heavy duty machines that can sew through several layers of sail cloth. I have had mine for probably 40 years.
 
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My first time installing a Model A upholstery kit. I watched it being done a Brents seminar years ago, YouTube is a big help also. Not that bad a job.
 

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nkaminar said:
Brent, What makes sewing together stuff easier is basting tape. This is a double back sticky tape that can be used to put things together before sewing. If not correct the parts can be pulled apart and re positioned. You just sew through the tape. It stays there. You just have to be careful to put the tape where it will not be seen when finished.

See https://www.sailrite.com/search.php?query=double+sided+basting+tape

Ford used a machine for compressing the seats when adding the upholstery. Without that machine you really have to push down hard on the springs when installing the seat covers.

Sairite sells some good walking foot sewing machines. These are heavy duty machines that can sew through several layers of sail cloth. I have had mine for probably 40 years.
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Neil, thank you for taking the time to write that. Yes, we use basting tape from time to time as it does have some uses however, IMO its uses in the typical Model-A interior is somewhat limited. We tend to use straight pins or just a paper stapler to assemble sections for sewing just because it is fast and adjustable. Probably the thing we use basting tape for most is if we need to fabricate vinyl or leather edge-turned binding.

I am also familiar with Sailrite and their sewing machines. I actually own a Sailrite Fabricator along with a Consew 226R2. Both are walking foot machines that have servo motors. I also have a cushion press that we fabricated 20+ years ago after seeing a picture that Howard Minners showed me of what Ford used. Mine is made out of wood and uses threaded rod in 4 places to tension the spring.
 
Brent, I also use staples. They work really well but are sometimes hard to remove without disturbing the sewing when I sew over them. I never use the straight pins.
 
mrraford said:
Since the folks in Hot Springs have retired, I do not know of anyone within driving distance to put my upholstery and interior together. I don't want to turn my Labaron Bonnie kits over to just anybody.

Anybody out there know of a worthy source of upholstery services within driving distance of NE Oklahoma that will do a good job of installing my LB kits?
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I have a younger fellow here in the St Louis area who went to McPherson restoration college and his craft is upholstery. He’s a great detail guy and would do a nice job.
If you in Marc I’m the National technical director and my contact info is in rh front. If not drop me a pm , although I’m not on the Barb a bunch.
It’s a days drive but worth it.
All the best !
Larry Shepard
 
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