Making Upholstered Furniture

Our house is mostly furnished with Arts-and-Crafts-style pieces, most of which look great but (I am embarrassed to admit) are made of plywood and/or particle board. We really like the Mission influence on Craftsman design, so I have been planning to build some Stickley-style cabinetry, namely an entertainment center for a large flat-screen TV, some bookshelves, serving buffet, and a wine/chine cabinet. My collection of magazines have some great plans in them, which I look forward to building.

However, our couches are getting pretty shabby, so this got me to thinking about an aspect of household decor that I have never considered before--building upholstered furniture and reupholstering some of our less-attractive seating.

I visited my local library to borrow a variety of upholstery books. After browsing through a few of the books, the techniques don't seem too difficult and I already have most of the tools required, so decided to give it a try.

I acquired some scrap leather from a friend in the furniture business and tuned up my grandmother's sewing machine. Luckily, these old gear-driven Singers are good for leather.

I decided to start with a simple project--recover my motorcycle seat. The stitching has deteriorated and welded vinyl seams have separated in the sunlight.

After that, I will try to recover an arm-chair from my daughter's room.