How to Recover Boat Cushions
Those beautiful cushions on your boat, after spending time in the rain and the spray and the sun, start to look worn and yellow. Look carefully and you may find cracks, tears and stains. Give them a sniff and you will probably find mildew! With a few simple sewing skills you can recover your cushions using modern materials and fabrics.
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Things You'll Need
- Vinyl material
- Sewing machine
- Marking pen
- Scissors
- Seam ripper
- Velcro strips
Instructions
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1
Take the stitching out of the cushion cover using a seam ripper. Keep the cover for use as a template. Examine the foam material for damage and mildew, and decide whether to replace it.
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2
Using the old cover as a reference, plan the amount of covering material you will need. Purchase the material (and foam too) making sure you allow a few extra inches to work with.
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3
Use scissors or a cutting iron to cut the material. Spread the old cover on the back side of the new material, and mark the shape. Cut the material allowing a one inch margin for sewing. Yachtsman Gord May recommends either plastic sliders or Velcro for the closure, because they don't rust.
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4
A home sewing machine will do the job. Drape the material reversed over the foam, pin the seams and corners, and allow for the closure. The sewing is done on a home sewing machine using Dacron thread.
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Turn your work right side out, and stuff with medium density foam.
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Tips & Warnings
The foam almost always needs to be replaced. Yacht owner S. V. Makai says "consider using multiple layers of different density foam...softer on top and firm on the bottom.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit sewing image by Aleksandr Ugorenkov from Fotolia.com Sewing machine image by Kumar RR from Fotolia.com
