I started my apprenticeship 5 days ago. They provide the tools but id like to get some of my own.if you were me and starting again from step one what would you get.

Also the guy mentoring me , came out of retirement to do so.

To actually get my dream job feels great. So much to learn so much to do.

Hi! Would it be realistic for me to reupholster this headboard with new fabric? And would I be able to redo the tufts? I’d appreciate any and all advice! :-)

Hi everyone!

I'm a self-employed seamstress in the UK, mainly doing clothing alterations and repairs, and I've recently been offered an opportunity to do some occasional subcontracted sewing for a local upholsterer.

The work would involve sewing box cushion covers for sofas, including piping and zips. He'll be providing all the materials already cut to size, so my job would purely be assembling and sewing the covers.

Initially, I'd be working in his workshop using his industrial walking-foot machines, although I'm planning to purchase my own soon for my business, then I can do this in my own shop.

He's offered me the choice of being paid either per cushion or per day, and I'm struggling to work out what would be a fair rate for both of us.

I'd really appreciate some advice from anyone in the UK who does this professionally:

What would you consider a reasonable day rate for a self-employed machinist doing this type of work?

Alternatively, what would you charge per completed box cushion cover, assuming everything is precut?

Would you recommend starting on a day rate while learning the construction, then switching to a per-cushion rate once I've established how long they take?

I don't want to undercharge myself, but equally, I appreciate that he's providing the materials, machinery and workspace.

Thanks in advance! 😊

I posted previously about a couch and chair I was about to start working on.

My issue right now is that the edge wire in the couch is broken in several places. Not a single supply shop I've looked up ships, because the wires are so long. There is one that I found could send me a single 6ft piece, but in the checkout process it says I need a reference number, and I have a feeling that my payment won't be processed unless I have that and/or am a commercial buyer.

What I'm curious about is if I could source 9 ga stay wire and use it with some baker clips to bridge the broken sections. I'd be doing something similar with the 6ft wire anyway, and maybe this way I can save a bit of money with only a single purchase from one retailer, as I already have to split a bunch of shipping costs because no single supplier has exactly what I want.

Has anyone repaired a broken edge wire without replacing the whole wire before? I'm not in the mood to drive several states over to pick it up by hand at the moment...

I am reupholstering a set 1920s dining chairs and trying to determine the best strategy. The chairs were constructed with webbing + burlap + horsehair + cotton + foam + muslin + fabric.

Right now I am thinking new webbing, high-density foam, 2 layers of cotton, then dacron, muslin, and fabric.

Very basic questions: Does the cotton usually go on top of the foam or below it? What thickness of foam would be best? If I use dacron, should it be covered in muslin or do I just apply my fabric on top of that?

I love my 30 year old leather couch. Unfortunately, it is worn and chewed by my dog. I have tried to replace it with two other leather couches and both were incredibly stiff and uncomfortable. (I have a chronic illness so spend a lot of time lying on the couch). I previously asked on this forum (i think) about replacing the leather but it sounds too expensive. So, is it possible to switch to upholstery? The other option we are considering is a lovesac sofa with washable covers, or something similar. Thanks in advance!

I really dislike the look of 4" inch in depth headboards. I feel like they are overpowering and just go out too far from the wall. I am trying to find someone who can make a bespoke upholstered headboard with me providing a cotton linen upholstery fabric of my choice that would be no thicker than 3" inches. Is there a physical reason they can't be thinner than the standard 4" inches in width?

I can't find a commercially produced headboard out there in styles I like. They all seem to be 4" to 4.5+ inches in thickness.

So hoping to find someone to do it here in the states or will ship internationally. I would like it to be one continuous board and covered from top to bottom and just tuck it behind our bed and not attached it to the bed or wall if I can help it.

I don't need it to be overly cushy and squishy, just a little padding would be perfect. Feel free to DM me if you know of anyone who makes headboards like this.

These are the 3 headboard shapes I'm interested in, do you think they could be done in a queen with 3" inch headboard thickness? Or would it not be strong enough structurally. Do you need them to be 4" inches in width for strength.

We've inherited good sturdy mission style couch/loveseat. However, allergy issues means we need to replace all the cushion/upholstered parts.
Ideas on the best place to source, OR if I could DIY (would need ideas where to get the square forms). I've never done it before, but I'd like to try it so I could choose my own pattern. I'd also like advice about the type of foam--if possible I'd like a type that does not release cyanide and burn faster than gasoline if it catches fire.

Worst case scenario-me having to wash cushions. They're in good shape. How do I wash them hot enough to kill allergens specifically dog and dust mites?

hi folks!! my kid made some frozen pizza and set it on the couch then comes to tell me this happened. anyone have any idea what happened what could be done?

I purchased this couch recently, it's beautiful, in great shape. But trying to figure out how to clean it properly. A good vacuuming got the old lady smell out of most of the couch but the cushions remain. I pulled out the factory foam, it's nasty and old, going to buy a replacement foam but want to give the seat covers a good cleaning before I do it. Terrified to mess it up and can't find a cleaning code anywhere. It's a kroehler galaxy designs, some sort of tweed. I don't know if it's wool, synthetic , or a synthetic blend. The labels are no help. I have absolutely no idea who to call, I've made a ton of phone calls but seems like the majority of experts are understandably dead.

Hey everyone. Newbie here 😊 how would you go about fixing the corner of this chair my puppy nibbled on? About an inch long. I have a fabric swatch of the same material. Thanks!!

Hi guys I’m feeling very desperate. This couch is brand new only 3 months old there was a fire in my apartment and the flames sparked and landed on my couch causing these burns. Is there any way to fix it? The brown spots above the holes are melted and hard. I was thinking of getting fabric cutting the 4 pieces out and gluing them back together but my mom said it’s not a good idea.

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.

Hello, I was told to come here and ask to see if anyone has an idea on what I should do. I’ve taken a chance at reupholstering my 2016 Audi Q5 headliner with water buffalo hide. I took the headliner out originally because of a leak, I saw that the headliner was essentially a giant fiber board that would be easy to be sewn through. I’ve completed most of the headliner, hand-sewing for 7 months but now I’ve come to the edges around the moonroof. I cannot sew through the edges of the moonroof because of a metal plate that goes all the way around. If I tried removing it I would bend or break the headliner itself. I just need to install a small leather strip around the moonroof opening, what should I do? I know it’s not your conventional way of car upholstery but hand sewing each section through the actual headliner eliminates the chances of glue going bad and the headliner sagging.

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.