Thread: Upolstry sewing machine.

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Just thinking out loud. As some of you may remember I wasn't overly impressed with how my upolstry guy did my seat. I was thinking about re doing it in cloth instead because we hate the vinal cover as well. Our backs are sweaty after a 30 minute ride and that's with A\C on. Anyhow, I was thinking about taking a stab at it myself and wondering if it's worth it and wondering about sewing machines to look at. My mom has made and altered wedding dresses for years so maybe she passed on some talent to me.

I'd say go for it!! But I know it's one thing that'll drive you just crazy. Trying to stitch a straight line is one of those crafts that takes patience and practice to get it right. And if you want to get into the heavier cloths or vinyls / leathers , it takes a stout machine. A household unit won't last long if it can do it at all. I re-did our Mustang by myself, but the seat covers I just couldn't get them right so I bought a re-pop set. The coupe I did with my friend Mark, he has all the gear and did the door panels and headliner. I just can't get a straight line!

Maybe see if you can stitch on a home machine first, I tried and I suck at it, it's harder than it looks.

I got an older singer with the steel gears, and redid the upholstery in my Vega, I got pretty good results but it was a bit more than the machine was designed to accommodate. Makes for some very slow go when seams necessitate multiple layers.

Seth, sewing's not that difficult, but if you decide to do it get a good quality walking foot machine that's made for upholstery work, capable of slow stitching down to around a stitch a second or even slower. I picked up a machine from a guy who'd bought it at one of the big auto shows in CA,where they'd hired Ron Magnus to sit at a machine running stitches and talking to customers to sell the machines. The guy said he'd never really used it much, and it didn't take long to realize why - it's a piece of crap Chinese knock-off not intended for upholstery sewing. It's labeled "high speed lock stitch", and is all but impossible to slow down enough to sew any detail. Don't waste your money on a home maker's sewer made for sewing light clothing, mending, etc. They'll sew slow, but the key is the walking foot to not chew up heavy fabrics, and to provide consistent stitch length.

Or, I've got a fine machine here that I'll sell cheap! It's not been used much at all, is maybe 10 years old, and Ron Magnus sewed on one just like it at a GoodGuy's Show in Cali-Phoney! Come visit!!

no matter what first thing is to ditch the clutch motor for a digital one.

Thanks for the input guys, I'm going to do some more checking,at least now I know to look for a walker or digital machine.there was a couple on Facebook swap around me for stupid cheap but I don't want to buy a POS either. I sent you a pm Roger but now I see you're on the wrong side Kansas for my trip home.

Originally Posted by shine

no matter what first thing is to ditch the clutch motor for a digital one.

I may look into a replacement digital motor! That's a great suggestion!

Nevermind Roger, I re-read your post instead of just skimming over it in a hurry, maybe eBay would be a better place for that sewing machine LOL

most shops have an old one. i paid 750 for my pfaff machine . dig motor was 200 .

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

Nevermind Roger, I re-read your post instead of just skimming over it in a hurry, maybe eBay would be a better place for that sewing machine LOL

Yeah, that last line about selling you my old dog was tongue-in-cheek, with a dose of sarcasm. That said, I ordered a replacement motor a bit ago that I hope solves my problem, and if not I'll add a 3" to 9" reducing pulley set to it to drop to 33% of the new needle speed making it crawl. I think I paid $300 for the machine & table, and the motor today was just under $100. I may make this sow's ear into a silk purse yet!

Bigger than the machine is your attention to detail!

A small deviation from your pattern (the old covers) will show huge.

Take your time, and invest in a seam ripper, it will set you back a couple doll-hairs (yeah, AVE) but you'll be glad of it.

An hour on u tube looking at dooit yourselfers will also pay off handsomely.

I did the upholstery in my 48 with an old 1960s era Singer regular sewing machine. Bought it for $50 at a yard sale.

So Seth, I got the new digital servo and still wasn't happy with the turn down, so I replaced the driven pulley on the machine with an 8" - bought a standard pulley and a metric bit to drill it out to fit, and now the machine crawls! Gotta get it threaded and run some leather through it to see how it works!

Nice, aren't you glad I brought this topic up! LOL.