Upholsteress/others need help with cushion batting pic fixed

[kjh9835]

I was asked to recover cushions from a 30 year old rocking chair for my boss. At first I said no, I can't do those since I have no experience with them but when I explained this project to my spouse he said no problem, bring them home. He's been working 12 hour shifts with no days off since Christmas so I'm doing the best I can. He goes back to 8 hr shifts next week on evenings and will be home in the mornings to help me get it done.

I'm getting new foam for the seat cushion tomorrow but I don't know what is in the back cushion. It is some type of batting. What is it called and where do I get it? Sorry if the pics are too big, I can't resize them since I have no software installed yet.





I think it is cotton batting sold in 27" widths for about $4/yard. How do I know how thick it is/how much to buy?

Kathy

[Upholsteress]

Hi Kathy,

You have a mess there. You will not want to use cotton (thats what ya got there) because you will not be able to stuff it properly or sew through it like the original was done. Assuming you have a domestic machine (not industrial) I can tell you about 4 different ways to do this. PM me if you still need help.

FYI for everyone else who runs into this type of redo. Unless the back cushion is just super sticky/dirty... an acceptable DIY solution is : Do not take the old cover off. Clip off the ties or snap tabs. Make a new pattern by measuring the existing cover. Glue a layer of dacron (batting of your choice)front and back, make the new cover, slip over the dacroned existing back cushion and stitch closed at the bottom. Use buttons to pull the fabric into the stitched grooves.

Newer rockers are all foam. But again -- you can't sew through them either.