New sewer! Please help

April 6, 2008

Hi. I've been sewing here and there my whole life, but have now just started seriously on my cars interior. I've covered some of my interior panels in leather, but they don't requie sewing. Example.

But this is the thing I'm having a problem with. I know how to sew a french seam, but how do I join them at a turn? As you can see in the picture below, the turn is to stressfull for the leather or vinyl. The red lines are where I need to sew it (I think). But how do I sew that to the french seams that are going straight? Thanks for any help. :dunno

April 9, 2008

Anybuddy????????????

carolinatinter · April 9, 2008

put a relief in at the turn.

Cuttingedge · April 9, 2008

heat that beech or use a more stretchable/pliable leather...

April 10, 2008

I guess I'm not seeing the red lines that you're referring too that well. Can you make them more defined?

First things first, though. On that top French Seam, did you pattern the pieces right to your console? Where it's stretched and bungled, it almost looks like you sewed two long flat pieces together, and then tried to bend them around the inner curve going up the console. That's just what it looks like in the pic. I hope that's not what you did. Right?? ANd also assuming those are just test pieces that are sewn there. There's no reason to make thin strips like that and try to add to it. Really, I don't see why you need any more seams other than along the ege like you have done. Just make the whole side one big piece. Unless it's just for decoration. Then you can put seams anywhere you like.

I'm doing a console very similar right now. I'll try to post a couple pics if it will help. But I may be misreading the whole pic and not clear on what the trouble is. Get rid of your test strips, and actually pattern out each side and it will lay fine.

April 10, 2008

I guess I'm not seeing the red lines that you're referring too that well. Can you make them more defined?
First things first, though. On that top French Seam, did you pattern the pieces right to your console? Where it's stretched and bungled, it almost looks like you sewed two long flat pieces together, and then tried to bend them around the inner curve going up the console. That's just what it looks like in the pic. I hope that's not what you did. Right?? ANd also assuming those are just test pieces that are sewn there. There's no reason to make thin strips like that and try to add to it. Really, I don't see why you need any more seams other than along the ege like you have done. Just make the whole side one big piece. Unless it's just for decoration. Then you can put seams anywhere you like.

I'm doing a console very similar right now. I'll try to post a couple pics if it will help. But I may be misreading the whole pic and not clear on what the trouble is. Get rid of your test strips, and actually pattern out each side and it will lay fine.

I'll try to make them more visible.

No, I followed the lines of the console, I didn't just sew two straight pieces, that was my first thought though, lol. They are just test pieces (vinyl). Do I just need more elbow grease to get it to bend around that corner? Heat gun?

Thanks for your help. :evilgrin

April 19, 2008

I gotta agree with Sewing Guy. I know you said that you did not sew straight pieces together, but it looks like it. I am guessing that if you did draw the pattern to fit the side of the console, that as you sewed it up, either the material stretched, or the pattern may be off. But I will also add that if you had the whole side of the console rather than just the thin strips, you could probably do wonders by heating and stretching the material to lay down flat.