I just installed 10 of my 13 newly-created cushions. Well, the covers at least, since I re-used the old foam material, which still looked pretty good to me. The fabric on many cushions was ripped in more places than was practical to repair, and they had maximized their absorption of “boat smell” according to some guests. With my new skills in sewing, about $400 in materials (not missing a zero there), and only 30 logged hours, I soon will have completely re-upholstered all interior cushions.
I have made fire.
That should save a few boat bucks. The first decision was, of course, the fabric to use. I selected “Covington Allegheny Smokey Blue,” which worked very well with the budget at $9.95/yard, looks decent, and has good properties for this application. The back side of the cushions merited additional consideration, however, given the repeated abrasion of cushions against wooden settees and bulkheads. I selected a polyester cushion underlining material sold by Sailrite, which has a light coating to prevent slipping and breathes to minimize moisture buildup.
I then decided on features. Each cushion would get:
A full-length zipper on one side for ease of installation/removal.
This hide-a-zipper feature on one end to keep things from getting caught on the zipper pull.
The back cushions would additionally get fabric buttons. You can see the button installed on this cushion. The buttons have a loop on the reverse side, used for tying off thread and inserting through the cushion, then looped onto these small white plastic pieces on the backside of the cushion. I reused these from the old set, and used waxed thread because it was thicker and the wax helped keep the knots from slipping when I was still tying them.
The reverse side of the back cushions also get sewn-in 2” wide Velcro strips to help keep them from flying around the cabin when things get interesting.
Each cushion got successively better as I made each one. Not awful, eh? Made those pillows too while I was at it.
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