I am in the Tampa area and this week I bought a PFAFF sewing machine paid good money for it and was under the impression that it came with a little education ,now I still feel like I got a fair deal but I am in need of some education in the auto uhpolstery would love to learn the trade so if anyone in the area would be willing to teach me some I would really appreciate it. Man it sucks to be young and dumb!
Check with your local Junior Colleges. Probably have a auto upholstering course for beginners. Will save you a lot of time on the learning curve. The FOGGER
Buy Don taylor's books: http://www.amazon.com/Automotive-Upholstery-Handbook-Don-Taylor/dp/1931128006 Lots of great instructions for the newbie (like me). I did my complete interior having never sewn before. These books really helped.
Thats a good idea I have looked for a class locally but nothing but I will be checking with some shops and will offer to work for free thats a great idea thank you.
It's all about practice...classes are great, but it takes a while to get it really down to the point that you can whip out something with a good result. The more you do, the more natural it becomes!
The only business to do in Tampa is with the working girls. The others get your money leave you with that loved feeling.
Thats not as bad a deal as you may think.I think almost every thing I ever learned to do with auto motive, I learned how to do it after I got the tools to do it with. I have attended my share of schools and classes but the "Desire" has to come first and if you have the money to by the tools I say go for it. The experience will come later. The Idea of working for a shop for free or cheap is also a great way to go and it might turn in to a permanent job.There's a world of help right here on the HAMB in social groupes....UPHOLSTERY,pictures ,inspiration
I read the above mentioned book and a Friend came over for a day and showed me some sewing techniques and now I can do a mediocre job, with practice I'll get better.
No not really, everyone starts off young and Dumb...It takes years and luck to become old and dumb... Good Luck- Check the threads and you'll find alot of useful information.
If you got a nice machine that works well , that's a great start. I've been teaching myself as well, and the hardest part in the beginning was just getting the mechanics of the machine worked out and troubleshooting it. Gil Gonzales has really been burning up the HAMB with his links to tech writeups in the upholstery social group, and teh fantastic techs he's written himself. I've got the regular rod upholstery books, they help but honestly I've gotten more out of Gil's stuff. Actually, *HE* should write a book! I'll have to suggest that to him. I also posted a link to a sewing machine troubleshooting/maint. guide in the upholstery social group if that's any help. I've basically been looking for little projects around here to do as practice, and I've learned *SO* much from that, both the right and the wrong ways to do stuff I figure I wanna get some mistakes out of the way before I start working on my car interior. Good luck
There are a few things in the Tech Archives, mine among them. See the signature below for the link. Like others have said, practice, practice, practice.
Just make sure you have an industrial machine that is capable of sewing heavy vinyl and leather. Not all machines are industrial and not all industrial machines can do heavy stuff. A good industrial used will set you back $300 or more (and weigh damn near as much)depending on the machine. I service sewing machines and also collect and restore vintage and antique sewing machines (1860-1940's) so I have a little insight as to what to look for. You cant go wrong with a Pfaff, an excellent choice if you did get an industrial. But that said I wish you all the luck in starting a business sewing and look forward in seeing what you do in the future!
Well I bought a Pfaff 1245 but I located a little older one made in Germany not the new China made and yes your right it weighs like I paid its a heavy mother I run across alot of Singers that dont have a walking foot useless to me but what were they made for if you dont mind me asking?
Did you ever notice that Evian spelled backwards is naive? Which is what you are if you really think that stuff comes from a spring in the French Alps. Sorry, didn't intend to hijack. Good luck with your stitching career.
Those industrial machines without the walking foot were used in clothing manufacture that, for the most part, is done offshore now.
ha ha thats my problem, i bought a juki ddl 555, it sat around while i built the car and the kids kept making there own adjustments to it followed by me making a few adjustments, i put on a beefier feeder plate and got some heevier needles, piping foot and a slower pulley for the motor and now the hook clashes with the needle and breaks it, ive been trying to sort this one out on and off all year so i can start my interior, or atleast start practicing to do my interior.
Since you have that nice beaver pelt practice with it and the stitching will come natural. You have the artistic talent so the rest will come with practice.
The best education would be to work for a upholstery shop,23 years ago I started at one knowing nothing about the trade. since I was mechanically inclined I started out by taking the seats out of the cars and apart and I started to do office and kitchen furiture and got the hang of it.
In that area you might not only check for automotive upholstry classes but boat upholstry classes also as there may be more chances to find on there. same principle, different vehicle. From a google search on that machine it looks like you got a good one.
Yep for the most part they were but a few were used for tarps, sails and umbrellas. They even had some really weird looking ones for sewing socks, buttons, corsets, and hats. And it was very common to have one machine for each process of manufacture, so like a machine shop you had several machines to use to get to the end product. I have a Singer Model 24 chain stitch from 1900, that machines model number was originally dedicated for domestic use but they also made them for several industrial applications. Mine is an industrial that has a double needle and tension assembly and was used for sewing stirrups for garter belts. But the real kicker of it is if you set it next to a Singer Model 20(the toy machine Singer offered for kids) it is not much bigger. If the machine was laying on its side its about the size of a Carter AFB
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