Recovering saloon cushions

[flipper]

Had a search on this subject and can't see any posts on fabric only. Looked at Hawke House and nothing suitable there either. So - has anyone recently purchased fabric for upholstery? I have a suitable volunteer for making the covers, just need to source the fabric. Any idea of m2 cost would be helpful too.

Thanks

 

[Athene V30]

East Coast Bernie is the woman!

I recovered the cushions in the main cabin last winter - just went to local fabric shop and chose something easy to work with and affordable. Think I spent £7per meter so won't last for ever but in a small boat they get wet easily so if I sit on them in full foulies it isnt a great worry.

 

[flipper]

Thanks Peter

I would use Bernie but I'm on a budget and have someone willing to make them for free.

Patrick

 

[DJE]

Surprised that you couldn't find anything on the Hawke House site. SWMBO made a complete new set of cushions for our boat using their materials. I believe it was this fabric. She says it's the most expensive fabric she has ever worked with. At the bottom of the page it £37.20 per metre for 1.40 metres width.

Edit: Can't get that link to work directly. Click on "Upholstery" in the bar on the left then click on the "Microcare" fabric. Also note price is "from" £37.20!

 

[flipper]

Thanks - it was the £37.20/m bit that gave me a blind spot on the HH site

 

[Bobobolinsky]

There's a guy on Bury St Ed's market on saturdays who does a lot of boaty cushions, sells material and bonded foam. Andrew Akehurst 07920211209

 

[flipper]

There's a guy on Bury St Ed's market on saturdays who does a lot of boaty cushions, sells material and bonded foam. Andrew Akehurst 07920211209

Thanks - sounds ideal.

Patrick

 

[maxcampbell]

kayospruce

All the boaty fabrics and the necessary zips, catches, tools, etc at www.kayospruce.com only connection as satisfied customer (of Hawke House, too, for foam)>

 

[DJE]

Thanks - it was the £37.20/m bit that gave me a blind spot on the HH site

SWMBO's choice! But I have to say the finish is superb and they really do seem to repel water and dirt. But for the ones that get the worst treatment (navigator's seat and the one next to the galley that you always stand on when going below when on starboard tack) she used ordinary vinyl.

 

[planteater]

I used a roll of stretchy Denim look fabric I bought on Ebay (£30 for 10m X 138cm).

Probably not the toughest stuff out there but it looks good and the price was right.

 

[Dipper]

Mrs Dipper is currently making me new cushion covers for the whole boat. I bought 26m of material from Zebedee Fabrics in Bournemouth who specialise in discontinued material. It's too far for you but they have an Ebay shop. My material would have been around £35pm but I got it for about £8.50pm.

I'm going to have some left over which I may sell but I don't know when Mrs Dipper will have made them all. I think she is stringing it out so that I will keep doing DIY jobs because she knows that when she has finished I'll stop working.

 

[lustyd]

I bought some in fabric land for 3.35 a meter this week. The fabric is inch wide striped black and white. It's not boat fabric but it'll do for a few years and is a tenth the cost

 

[chewi]

Zebedee Fabrics in Bournemouth specialise in discontinued material. It's too far for you but they have an Ebay shop.

+1 for zebedee, I didnt know they did ebay.

 

[Dipper]

+1 for zebedee, I didnt know they did ebay.

They seem to sell their end of rolls on Ebay. I couldn't find enough for my needs there but when I called in to the shop they had a greater choice of full rolls.

Happy New Year Andrew.

 

[macd]

Had a search on this subject and can't see any posts on fabric only.

There are heaps of such posts, but the search facility on this site ain't very good.

Google (advanced) is much better. Searching for the phrase "upholstery fabric" within domain "ybw.com" works just fine.

Obviously it doesn't much matter now, thanks to all the helpful posts above. But for future reference...

P.S. your thread reminded me that I really need to do something abut my upholstery. This is a helpful post from EastcoastBernie from one of the threads that search threw up (http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158200):
Like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you want the waterproof, breathable, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-terrorist, etc. fabric, expect to pay around £30 a metre. If you get something off the market, bear in mind it was not designed to withstand a hostile marine environment. But if you just want a cheap makeover, that's a different matter.

If you choose a plain fabric you won't have to worry about pattern matching. Patterns hide the odd stain better but are a pain for matching. If you choose a pattern, make sure it's a small pattern. If you choose something with a pile (plush finish) you'll have to make sure the pile all goes in the same direction or the cushions won't match. Light colours reflect the light better and make the boat interior look lighter and more roomy. But light colours show up the dirt more.

You can use zips, but they usually sieze up in the marine environment. I use velcro fastenings.

Look for martindale (rub test) in excess of 40,000 rubs. Avoid fabrics designed for curtains. Choose tight weaves, low stretch fabrics. Best to choose a fabric that is stain resistant, but if you must have removeable covers, make sure they are washable. Ideally, the fabric should be flame retardant. Most washable fabrics are not. Or they start off FR but aren't FR once they are washed.

The foam should be cut slightly larger than the cushion covers so the finished cushion looks 'plumped up'. If you need to buy foam, make sure this is FR. Choose the right softness. Firm for sitting on, a bit softer for sleeping on and very soft for backrests.

When making up covers, use 8 to 12 stitches per inch, a denim type needle and a strong thread.

Most upholsterers (including me) use the expensive fabric on top and a cheaper vinyl on the bases. That way at least the base of the cushion is waterproof.

Hope some of this helps, if not, don't hesitate to PM me.