Our Next Reupholstery project.

[CJF]

Picked up our Mercedes Benz leather today...two large skins 42 square they say.
Cliff was worried our machine couldn’t sew it cause the leather is so thick, he tested a piece
and it sews up fine...This will be the second chair he has done in leather. The first leather
chair was his Grandpa’s chair for his Grandpa's "man hunting cave." He took the old leather from
our old leather den sofa. (this leather was much thinner)

Since he has done a chair in leather before, he is aware of the challenges leather proposes.
One good thing about leather, there is no matching of pattern or need to pay attention
which way the fabric runs...One bad thing about leather is it is impossible to stretch.
It will be a challenge. But, since we bought it home his enthusiasm has increased ten fold.
Actually, he wasn’t so enthused because he reupholstered my chair several years ago
and did a perfect matching job, and he also made a small tufted footstool.

Anyhow, he plans on making a cardboard template of each piece -- to place on the leather so
that he can move it around to get the optimum cuts from the leather. I’m not sure if he’s
going to tuft the back or pull it tight? He likes it pulled tight like he did his grandpa’s chair.

I do want the seat to be a hard fitted seat and not a cushion. (another challenge)

One good thing is he’ll be able to work outside on the deck.

I'll post pic's later.

[CJF]

This is the chair and ottoman.



close-up of the back



This is his Grandpa's chair, He's reupholstered every chair in our house,
but this is the only one he ever did in leather.
Also, his grandfather made that little horn footed footstool.
It's such a sweet little chair.



This is the hydes...there are two of them.





This is Cliff's Machine, it's a Singer 31-15 commercial machine.
My machine is a Brothers sewing machine.

[JJOLD]

Great pictures, the template idea is the best for a layout glad there is no matching, I have done a few regular chairs and what a pain to match.
How old is Cliffs sewing machine? still looks in good condition, could use a new tape measure on it.

[CJF]

JJ, that is a pic I pulled off the net. Cliff's machine is black and he put a red
cover over the top...The machine was made somewhere between 1850 -1950
It has a foot pedal. I'll get you a pic of his machine, with the box of parts.

I was looking at leather chairs on the net and agree with him that a tight
back is better than a tufted back. Just the footstool will be tufted.

[CJF]

Ok, here we go...This is Cliff's Red Baron. I'd love to be able to sew on this machine, but it's so fast and powerful Cliff
won't let me near it.
He's afraid I'll sew my fingers, as the needle is high and the foot is different; your fingers can easily get in the way of the needle,
thus, he does all the heavy duty sewing.

As far as the age, no idea, but it sure is very old.





here's a close-up of the foot stool...I love tufted footstools, he's made three tufted footstools
two I love, and one I don't like. I made a footstool too...mine is ugly.

[TowMater]

Nice work, I bet that leather feels good to sit on.

[NN]

Wow, that is a nice stool. I won't be trying anything sewn or tuffted anytime soon if ever.

I did redo the back of the last chair and it looked so much better, I would take a picture but they have moved on to thier new home.

[CJF]

Thanks Towmater and Glenn...

The coil springs in the seat were re-tied and re-webbed. His going to
try and do the solid seat that I want rather than the cushion, that's why
he has the fox edging in the front.

He has done seats before like this, actually he did all our dining room chairs
like this instead of welted cushions, but doing it in leather is a challenge.

[JJOLD]

Interesting project keep the pictures coming.

[CJF]

Oh, I will...He built the new seat and this wrinkly fabric is
what he used to cut a seat pattern for the leather.



This is the finished seat covered...so far so good...



if you notice in the first pic...there is a magnet on a string, he put a small
swatch of fabric on the magnet and then the magnet picks up all
the tacks, nails and stables on the floor, then he peels away the swatch of fabric over
the garbage pail with all the staples and tacks on it...Cliff calls it "walking the dog"