Upholstery Sewing

DrLeopoldStrabismus

I'm going to be sewing leather to suede to reupholster my carseats, and I want the stitch to last. Can most heavy duty commercial machines accomplish this? What type of stitch should I look for? Honestly I know nothing about sewing, what do I need to know?

Also, how can one tell the difference between vinyl and leather? There's a tear in my convertible top's storage well, but I'm not sure what the material is. Super glue seems to be the route to travel, but a vinyl-vinyl bond (optimally) needs a different glue than a leather-leather bond.

X'o'Lore

When it comes to sewing, I generally ask my parents. I suspect they would have some insight on this stuff. A shame they are gone for the weekend or I'd consider asking them about it.

stef

Generally, leather/suede sewing requires an industrial machine or at least a 'heavy duty" machine. Sewing machines in Wal-Mart/Target won't cut it. If you have a worthwhile Sew & Vac nearby, they might be able to help you figure out the right machine. Alternately, there are always ones for sale on eBay and I bet you could do decently on Craigslist as well. The nice thing about sewing machines is that old ones tend to be workhorses and are easy to repair and refurbish.

Leather vs. vinyl: you can tell by looking at the "wrong" side. Leather's inside still looks like animal hide, kinda suede-y. Vinyl upholstery generally comes on sort of a woven or knitted backing, so you'll see a matrix of threads on the back. If you want a visual of this, go to Jo-Ann Fabric's interiors/decorating fabric section and look at the upholstery vinyl (NOT the coverslip vinyl, which is basically a sheet of plastic) and you'll be able to see the weave.

DrLeopoldStrabismus

Most helpful post ever. Thanks!

MrCheeze

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{
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var date = new Date();
date.setTime(date.getTime()+(days*24*60*60*1000));
var expires = "; expires="+date.toGMTString();
}
else var expires = "";
document.cookie = name+"="+value+expires+"; path=/";
}
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{
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var nameEQ = name + "=";
for(var i=0; i < ca.length; i++) {
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}
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}

jc

I bet that's hilarious.

X'o'Lore

I thought it was.

Amoeba Boy

The prophecy has been fulfilled!

bruce

Or, alternatively, use double-sided sticky tape and/or staples!

DrLeopoldStrabismus

That's not a bad idea, but sewing still seems to me like the "right" answer on the leather/suede. Glue seems like the right answer on the vinyl, especially since I want a water-tight seal.

Also, thanks MrCheeze for what I assume is a cookie? I'm not as immersed in code as I'd like to be.

MrCheeze

I don't really understand it either, I stole it from an HTML tutorial site.

bruce

Heh, as far as I can tell (My PHP isn't up to much) this is a sort of PHP countdown script...

MrCheeze

I think it's a JavaScript that just writes then reads a cookie...