101 - Open Cushion Seams

Dear Michael: The seams on my cushions are pulling apart so you can see the threads. Is the whole sofa falling apart? Is there anything I can do? Dave

Dear Dave: This same question came up in our shop a few weeks ago. A guy brought in the cushions in his sofa that were going flat. We noticed before we took them apart that the seams were also separating. The customer had noticed the seams, but was more concerned about the comfort of the cushions. He also didn't want to pay for new foam, he just wanted the cushions to have a little more loft.  In the shop, we pulled the foam out of the cushions and looked at the seams. When they were originally sewn, the stitches were 3 to 4 per inch! That stitch length doesn't hold much together. If we added the loft to the cushions, the seams might have burst.

We called the customer back and asked if he wanted the cushion seams re-sewn. With the foam taken out, this was a perfect time to run the cushions around under the machine. One issue may be how thick the seams are in the cushion. If there is welt along the seams, that adds two layers of fabric plus the welt cord may not allow you to get close to where it was originally sewn. If you have a welt foot on your machine, that will work the best or you can use a zipper foot. A zipper foot is just a little harder to control and maintain the correct distance. You may want to bring this cushion to a pro and have them stitch it up for you.

One other major thing to watch is if you unzip the cushion and your foam is crumbling – Beware! This will be a major mess. You'll need to consider replacing the foam that is inside the cushion. If you are not ready for that, re-zip the cushion and you can try to hand sew those seams to keep them from separating any further.

You may also have a cushion that is either down filled or bonded polyester filled. The shredded bonded poly is intended to feel like down, but I'm not sure that ever really feels that fluffy. These two types of cushions have a somewhat unique quality and the bonded may be tough to 'restuff'. With shredded foam, down or the shredded poly fill, you can always stitch the seams by hand using a curved needle.

If the foam is in great shape, you can do a few things to 'rejuvenate' it. In some cases, you can use your steam iron to re-fluff the foam. Take the foam out of the cover and steam the foam. If you do this, make sure to allow the foam to completely dry (overnight) before putting it back in the cover. On the cushions the customer brought in, we added loft by wrapping them in bonded polyester. We cut enough to go over the top, across the front and over the bottom. Leave an extra 1" on top and bottom at the back. We then glued this onto the foam so it wouldn't bunch up inside the cover. This also meant that the foam was now much thicker and harder to load into the cover.

Best trick in the world for this is to shrink the foam using your vacuum. Wrap the cushion in a dry cleaner bag or two, encasing it totally in the plastic. Attach the hose to your vacuum, and holding the nozzle at the back where the zipper is located in the cover, turn on the vacuum. As the air is sucked out of the foam, it will collapse by 50-60%. With the help of another person, carefully slip the cushion cover over the foam. Watch the zipper area since this may put a hole in the plastic and release the foam too soon. Make sure any angles to the foam are tucked into the corners. Turn off the vacuum, release the edge of plastic and the foam re-inflates to its full size.

Make sure you reach inside and remove all of the plastic (or at least as much as you can). The plastic will make a rustling sound if it is left in the cushion. New seams, thicker foam that has been re-fluffed and the cushions will feel like brand new!

Mike Rocheford can be contacted via the Web site,

http://www.upholsterystudio.com – click on Ask the Upholsterer