PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

psfred · #3 05-02-2003, 06:53 PM

No handstiching, except the recycled tack strip at the bottom edge, since my cheap (free for the taking) Japanese sewing maching won't sew through that. It did manage three layers of thin chipboard (not quite 1/8" if I took a run at it.

Total cost so far is $350 for leather, cloth, and heavy nylon upholstery thread (I'd like thicker, but will try this), and foam -- that is 3 1/2 navy blue leather hides, ranging from 45 to 55 sq ft, some cheap polyester remaindered curtain material (cotton doesn't do well with leather, appearantly), and some 1" foam from Hobby Lobby.

I'm looking at denser 0.5 inch foam -- the original padding is about 1/4 inch foam doubled on the outer (non perfed) parts of the seating areas, and cotton padding in the perfed pleats. It's gotten pretty hard, or I'd re-use it. The foam gives more loft and makes deeper pleats, I'm not sure I like the look as well as the original, but at this point, I'm ready to move one to something else (as in the rear seat).

I've also spent about $100 in various other materials for practice (the blue vinyl ones in the other post and cloth and vinyl "test" covers for the W115 chassis).

It takes about three evenings to make a set for the front seat -- I spend as much time marking up as sewing. The pleats are formed by flat sewing the leather to backing cloth, then sewing a narrow pleat on the back and sewing the channel together at the front edge of the bottom and the top of the seat back.

If anyone is interested, I can make paper copies of the patterns and write up some instructions. Making the covers isn't terribly difficult if you 've done any sewing, no really esoteric stuff. You will need a welting or cording foot (a zipper foot works, too, but it's harder to get the welring tight with it) and a leather needle. Worst part is wrestiling the seatback cover around while sewing the side panels in.

Peter