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DIY seatcovers: looking for tips

SgtZim

Well Known Member
I've bumbled around here for a while, searching for past posts on doing the seat covers and not coming up with much. I'd really like to hear from anyone who did their own covers over the Van's foam seats.

My wife is good and getting better with her sewing machine, and I think we can produce covers that will fit.

Anyone know how to best secure the cover to the "recessed" / center parts of the seat? Glue, run a seam of stitching along the edges of the center (through cover and foam), other ?

Thanks!
 
I have made the covers for many seat cushions through the years. I have not covered the Vans cushions, but had a set that came with a pattern. The pattern seemed way to big. To cover the foam, I would take a giant piece of 1" graph paper and trace top, bottom and each of the sides. Then add a 1/2 inch for seam allowance. At first I used velcro to close the cushion, but over time I learned how to insert a zipper and that helps with the fit.
I would caution on the sewing machine you use. I used a computerized machine with embroidery console. After several years when I took it in for service they told me that I had ruined the embroidery console by using the heavy fabrics. The other helpful tool is a walking foot for the machine.
Dave Leonard chronicled his upholstery experience in a number of posts on this website. The first is referenced below.
I will say there is a great sense of satisfaction from doing your own upholstery. Go for it.


http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=113508
 
I never glued the cover to the foam. If you make it tight it won't need it. Also if you glue it you will not be able to have heated seats as the pad goes between the cover and the foam.
 
Velcro to floor pans -

It may seem obvious to a builder but the upholstery guys I used didn't realize that side to side strips of Velcro to hold the bottom cushion to the floor pans only work at one position. They don't allow the seat back to be moved to other hinge positions. D'uh

The pattern should be based on moving/adjusting the seat bottom heights for the PAX, which is more likely to change than the pilot.

The front will overhang if your foam is not trimmed but you move the seat back forward later. Is the seat back foam going above or behind the seat bottom foam? How will the seat back foam be secured to the seat back? (snaps?) over the top and back under?

Will you let people step on the material, or use a towel? Or insist they step around the cushion?

visualize the entire environment. I went low budget to start and figure someday it will be higher on my list of things to be perfect.
 
Material selection

I'm not far off starting my upholstery, so I have spent far too long analyzing different fabrics for this purpose. After speaking with other builders in Australia, it's been unanimous call that the seats should be made of a breathable fabric. From a weight, fire resistance, off-gassing, , breathability, durability, cleanability perspective I don't think you can go past the Ultrafabrics Brisa range. Now I've just got to find someone who will sell it by the yard for a reasonable price. Given that this stuff is a little on the expensive side, I think I will do some of my sub cushions out of medium/light weight canvas.
https://www.ultrafabricsllc.com/brands/brisa

Tom.
 
Thanks very much for the ideas and considerations. It really helps to hear what others have come up with. I hadn't really thought much further than getting the fabric over the foam. My wife did procure some nice nomex cloth that seems fairly strong but not too heavy for her machine.

Thanks Carolsyracuse for the link. I had not seen that before and it is good to have some pictures.
 
When I bought the foam from Van's, they came with full size patterns that I just gave to my upholstery shop.

One thing I did that I am very thankful for was that I had the shop sew up all the pieces individually. This gave me the seat back, wedge, one inch section, and seat bottom.

With all those pieces, I can easily adjust the seat height for my passenger. I fly with the wedge and seat bottom but my wife and son both need the two extra one inch sections and a friend who is 6'-4" goes without the wedge.

As for the Velcro, I don't have any and don't feel I need it.
 
I am planning to make some what you might call starter seats to get me going and then maybe get pro made seats later. I have done some upholstery work and thought I might offer a few thoughts to go along with what has been said above.
As far as a sewing machine is concerned it should be capable of using #92 thread, most home machines will have a problem with this.
As far as a walking foot, ideally you would want a compound walking foot. If fabric is used with out scrim foam you can do with out the walking foot. The foam gives the seat cover a more luxurious feel. A good way to form a seat cover is to make it so that it fits pretty tight. If you have trouble getting it on the cushion spray it with silicone and it will slide on easier. It is not easy to make good looking seats without a lot of practice.
 
I also worried about how to get the seat cover to follow the contours of the seat. One way is to use contact adhesive, but I thought it would be difficult to get the cover where it was needed before it stuck, and would make it difficult to remove or replace the seat cover later. To some extent that would depend on the design you used. Another way is to use Velcro, but I wasn't sure it wouldn't be felt every time I sat in it. A third way is to come up with something similar to the hog ring and wire construction in auto seats. I think you could do this with a couple of stiff wires run through the lower portion of the seat cushion Otherwise sew string or thread to the seam allowance at the low points and use a long needle to thread it through the cushion and cinch it down to something that won't pull up through the foam. Like a washer or popsicle stick. In the end I abandoned all of those ideas and figured after sitting in the seats for a couple hundred hours they would start to look more contoured. Still waiting...but like Steven Wright once said, "I go by feel."

Dave
N102FM
 
Some folks who build show cars seats glue the covers to the cushion completely. To do this the cover is not slipped on like a sock but wrapped on and glued in place. The reason for doing it this way is that the cover stays in place without shifting and looking less show car like. I have been brainstorming building a seat for my -7 like a Ford model T had that wraps around the sides. The problem I am having is to keep it light.
 
If you want to DIY your seats, take a tape measure to your local automotive wrecker and see if you can find a pair small enough. I installed a pair from a Suzuki Swift in my -9 last week and they fit like a glove, don't weigh all that much, and are quite comfortable. My writeup on it.

34243805791_6f3153e6fc_c.jpg
 
Yes I use the 1/2 in scrim. If you are using material for your seats that is flame resistant, the following link shows a scrim that passes CA smolder tests. http://www.sailrite.com/Polyurethane-Foam-With-Fabric-Backing-1-2-Thickness

Most of the online scrim doesn't tell whether it is flame resistant, but sail rite shows the specs.

One hint on using the scrim. Pleat the material before you cut out the pattern from it. That way if the pleating causes the size to shrink you will be okay.
 
Thanks Carol. You are dead right that most places don't state specifications on the foam they sell. The foam I was looking at didn't even state the foam type, so thankyou for this source. I presume for a thread I should go with the UV stabilized polyester? My material will be Ultraleather Brisa sewn on a regular machine, so I'm thinking that at #69 thread and and a #16 needle will be the go.
Regards,
Tom.
 
Tom
Yes the uv poly 69 should work if your machine will take it. I had an old basic singer from 1977 that worked fine, however I ruined the embroidery function of a computerized machine by sewing through the thick layers of aircraft upholstery. I now have a dedicated machine for sewing seats as Vic rotates airplanes with some regularity.
Good luck and have fun with it.
 
If you're building for go instead of show, you can leave out the recess on the cover and just sew the cover as a rectangular slab. That's what I did. Not nearly as pretty as the ones linked up thread, but still very comfortable. Can't see them while you're sitting on it anyway.
 
As much as I want to keep things simple, I need these things to look at least semi professional. If they look too bad, my passengers may wonder if I bolted the wings on properly! My only concern is fitting the 1/2" batting through a regular sewing machine.
T.
 
Something to consider, you really need a walking foot machine. I bought one several years back for auto work and now using it for my own RV. If you were near by I would have no problem letting anyone use it. Since your more than a few miles away you might consider buying a good used machine (consew 226 is what I bought) once done with the project sell it, the machine will not loose any value and save you repair bills and frustration of your home machine. My consew eats through 2 layers of material and "sew foam". I personally use 1/4" though but have 1/2" also.
 
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