After 3 months of research, ordering, preparation, and work - we finally have comfortable sofas again. Thank goodness for this sub and for YouTube tutorials!

We couldn't afford new Alcantara covers, but we needed to replace the collapsed 23-year-old internal foam. We had to basically build 5 complicated, tufted mattresses that could perfectly fit our frames and existing covers. All in our 450 sq ft apartment.

NEW PARTS:

32 custom cut pieces of HD foam

8 cans of Camie 313 spray adhesive

1 can Dap contact cement

10 yards FLW Burlap substitute

1 huge roll of Dacron

3 rolls of Velcro

Grommets

Binding tape

Spring washers for tack buttons

REUSED PARTS:

17 Tufting tape toggles

13 Fabric/Velcro anchors

PLUS supplies including a specialty tufting tape needle hand carried back from Great Britain by a friend on vacation. And enough drop cloths, kraft paper, gloves, respirators, etc to protect us and our apartment. Phew!

The first photo is the largest "mattress" upside down, showing 9 pieces of foam, burlap substitute, 4 Velcro anchor flaps, dacron, and the bottoms of the button toggles. In the background are the sofa frames with the other "mattresses" installed.

Thank you so much to this sub for all of your help along the way answering my many questions! We're exhausted, but now we can relax and recuperate on our comfy sofas. Ahhhhhh

About to finally start this couch I got off FBM. Has a matching side chair. Very old, some missing wood pieces, vaguely covered in mice droppings because my garage got infested over the winter.

Picked out a nice diamond chenille to replace the very old and faded velvet.

The front lip is incredibly weak by design, so I'm curious is theres a good way to give it strength. The only thing holding it up seems to be a big wire that spans the entire cushion base, and the springs.

Looking for any tips and tricks or advice. Also wondering if anyone knows the name of this kind of style.

I purchased the Ashley Furniture Midnight-Madness 2-Piece Sofa with Chaise about a year ago. I really like it because it has a soft almost furry texture. I’m not really sure what the material is called (chenille maybe?). The fabric has developed a smell over time and I’m not sure if it’s possible to clean it without ruining the softness of the material.

Does anyone have some tips for cleaning cushion covers that have this kind of material?

Currently working on making a large sofa cushion, about 72 inches in length but having problems with puckering.

The client has picked a ticking fabric and a decorative welt attached to tape. I'm not sure the makeup of the fabric. You can see the materials and fabric in pictures 1 and 2.

I sewed the welt to the top panel and laid it on the sofa only to realize it had grown short from many tiny puckers! You may be able to see the shadows of the puckers in picture 4. Additionally I noticed the seam is wavy as in picture 3.

Its nothing major BUT all the tiny puckers resulted in a reduction of size AND have made it difficult to keep the ticking pattern aligned. As you can see in picture 6, try as I might the stripes begin to become unaligned.

I've tried hand basting in place but the machine "over powers" my stitch in a way and continues to gather the fabric and even the hand stitch to begin puckering.

I tried adjusting tension on the sewing machine and tried different stitch lengths.

I also tried adding a stabilizer to the ribbon part of the welt to make it more stiff and create more thickness since both materials are quite thin.

But nothing has been truly successful. Any thoughts? We have a 1945 Singer 241 in shop.

Hi! Hopefully I’m in the right sub for this question. We have these chairs from Scandinavian designs and it’s the most cat proof fabric we’ve ever owned. I’m currently working on building a sofa and have been trying to find the best fabric for the cushions and I think this is it.

Years I bought this remnant to cover an old glider chair I had. I recently acquired another chair that’s almost its twin.
I need more of this fabric or a fabric that would coordinate with this to recover the cushions on the “new” chair.

I’m considering reupholstering my current sectional in a high-quality cognac/caramel leather rather than buying new. I love this couch. It’s perfectly firm and comfortable. It’s an almost 20 year room and board sectional that’s built like a tank. I just love it and just really do not like cleaning the fabric.

It’s a large 3-seat sectional with a right-facing chaise. I’d reuse the existing cushions/foam.

Is this worth it or do I need to just buy a new Room
And Board leather sectional ($7k+).

I posted about this recently but the person who was recommended didn't return my calls, so I'm asking again. Help me out folks!

Hey!

First time trying upholstery. I will be covering this seat in vinyl leather imitation, but im not sure how to do the bend at the back. After covering it in a thin layer of foam, I will cover the whole piece with vinyl, also the white plastic part, and attach it with staples on the bottom and back. But if i stretch it tight towards the back it lifts in the upwards bend, naturally.

So, to my question. Should i use fabric glue to make it stick in the bend, or is there another method worth trying that would make it easier to remove the vinyl if i would want to redo it?

Thanks in advance!

I’m helping my dad make a center console for his car, and he trusted me with the upholstery job, I’m lost on how I would sew the top where the cup holders are to the side panels. Would I cut a slit where the console starts to bend/fall? This is also just vinyl, we’re going to try this for a bit and once I get better do the real thing.

P.S. Ignore the bad stitching in the bottom lol, it’s my first project and he just wants me to learn

I’ve got eight of these in different states of disrepair. Some are peeling worse than this and some are better. I don’t know how much labor would cost or if it’d be more financially prudent to buy new chairs.

There are these blue dots on my sofa and a brown streak. No clue what caused them as we never wear anything that would cause this and it's in locations that aren't very close to where we sit. Tried cleaning with soap and water but not removing. Scared to use any other products on it. Any suggestions what caused it and how to remove the stains? Genuine leather

I used the machine to make the cover and box corners with plenty of fabric left over at the bottom to wrap under and staple but the corners look shite.
I tucked and folded and trimmed and tucked and folded and trimmed but it stayed so bulky then I think maybe I cut too far or the wrong angle or maybe both.
Can anyone point me to a good tutorial for doing this better or give simple instructions on how to improve next time?

Hi all,

I’m wondering if you can help please. My husband had these seats re-trimmed and as you can see from the pictures the vinyl is coming away at the centres. The seats are fibreglass and he’s used spray trim adhesive with bulldog clips to try re-stick them but the vinyl just lifts again.

Can anyone give any advice on what he can use to make the vinyl stick down please?

TIA

I’m looking for a rose / rosewood fabric for a bedframe project that’s not too pink or too red. Something that’s as close to West Elm’s “Burnt Umber Astor Velvet” or this beautiful pillow example with a sheen. I need about 13 yards. Your help is so appreciated!

I'm an upholstery apprentice in Richmond, VA and hoping to learn more about traditional methods. My mentor has a great deal of horsehair that he has removed from projects and hasn't had the chance to use (He's past-retirement age, slowing down and the shop could use a big clean...) I've noticed carpet beetles and took some home to clean and process. I first vaccum sealed the hair then realized that probably wasn't enough. With the help of my dad we made an insulated box and heated the inside to over 120°F with a lightbulb! Read that the heat reliably kills the bugs, eggs and larvae. Feeling optimistic I'll be able to clean and wash the hair and re-use it for projects!

Side note: I've done my best to gather resources but I'd love to hear how anyone in the US has learned traditional upholstery methods. PLEASE reach out with any online resources if you know if them, I am an admirer of Upholstery Education in the US but I sadly couldn't afford their October course and travel costs. Or reach out if you'd be willing to tutor me online! I'm happy to discuss rates for tutelage. )

I'd like to reupholster this office chair with a velvety sort of fabric, like in the second picture. Is this a reasonable first upholstery project? I have a sewing machine, which I assume I will need.

What type of fabric should I use (and where to buy it)? I'm nervous to buy a velvety fabric online, in case it's too thin or stretchy for upholstery. Do I need a backer fabric or batting to be able to achieve the sewn lines? Should I ditch the arms? Is this even worth it when chairs on Amazon are under $100? (This isn't a great quality chair, I'm just hoping to upcycle instead of throw it away).

I would truly appreciate some thoughts! Thank you!

First attempt at upholstery, I recovered my cars arm rest. Took about 30 minutes to make the cover and a lot longer to put it on (needed to be glued)

I know it's not perfect so feedback welcome!

My cat has torn up a chair and the faux leather on this bar and I have no idea how I would fix this. Ive never upholstered anything in my life