Welcome to the board Koji. Man I love watching people work, specially when they know what they are doing.
And sometimes even when they don't because at least they can make you crack up. I can tell you I already learned something from you. I didn't even know what type of thread to use on something like that. I've never done it, but it's neat to see how it's done. Thanks.
Jaime
Quote:
Originally Posted by koji
Thanks! It's really good to be here. This is going to be a lot of fun. As for your questions:
1) I used a sewing machine. Doing that sort of thing by hand, on real leather, will be an exercise in wanting to bang your head against a wall. The only way I'd do that is with a sewing machine.
2) You can do that part first, or next to last, depending on how you sew it. If you do it first, it's cake. I did it next to last, so what you do is sew most of the way up the side but leave enough room for you to still be able to twist it, turn it right side in, fold over, sew them down, turn back inside out, then finish the seam on the side.
3) It depends what you're doing honestly. If you're just covering things - no special equippment is required except a sewing machine, upholstery thread, and heavy duty needles. I'd also recommend having on hand some good spray glue. If you're recovering seats - that becomes a bit more interesting because you need tools to stretch the leather so that when you do the stitching you actually keep the leather under compression. I don't have any of that stuff.
A side benefit of learning how to sew is being able to make tons of other stuff. My last project (before the final Subaru one) was making a Halloween costume for my three year old. The background on this is that I like Batman, and I love the ninja costume from Batman Begins. So...I made a copy of it...Sized for a three year old. I did mention I'm crazy right? Anyway, the finished product turned out quite well. Here's a few pictures of the Wee Ninja:
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