August 2010 Issue

• Eco-friendly fabrics slow to catch on

  Consumers have not been overly receptive to chemical and pesticide-free textiles.

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  How to build mission furniture

  "Mission Furniture: How to Make It" is being released for modern-day furniture makers.

• Ohio committee approves street rod, custom vehicle bill

  Legislation created classification for street rods and custom vehicles.

• Powersports industry segments up

  Powersports dealers reported that side-by-side utility vehicles (UTV) sales are up.

• California establishes new eco-textile certifier

  The Green Products Innovation Institute will now issue Cradle to Cradle certifications.

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  Easy-care outdoor fabrics increase in popularity

  Easy-care outdoor fabrics are increasing in popularity.

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  Dry-erasable fabric

  Sta-Kleen is an erasable polyurethane performance fabric.

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  Eco-friendly alternative leather

  The Enviro Hyde line of alternative leather offers eco-friendly designs.

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  Stain-resistant vinyl

  Visage Graffiti-Free vinyl provides the look of leather with a stain free surface.

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  Decorative trim

  Scroll Gimp adds a decorative element to upholstery, pillows and slip covers.

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  Protective backing for Xorel line

  X-Protect Barrier Backing from Carnegie is the latest addition to the Xorel line.

• Vinyl with silver ion technology

  Silvertex is a 100-percent polyester vinyl which uses silver ions to defend against bacteria.

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  Non-toxic stain remover

  WineOFF and CoffeeOFF offer natural options for removing tough stains.

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  Upholstery, industrial style

  Channels filled with high-density polyurethane foam make up Industrial Upholstery.

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  Lounge chair makeover

  A ho-hum lounge chair goes far-out with upholstered tubes.

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  Hand-sewn Swan Chair

  This classic Fritz Hansen Swan Chair was stripped down to reveal a broken shell.

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  Oversized wingback with chrome accents

  This chair is from our French Modernique collection.

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  Pattern-matched midcentury chairs

  The old vinyl was used as a pattern. Adjustments were made, as the old pattern was stretched out.

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  Self-skirted dining chairs

  The customer brought in a picture of the look she wanted for the piece.

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  Tacked and tufted antique chairs

  These chairs included new springs, 8-way ties, tufting over 2-inch foam and brass tacks.

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  Smooth pattern matching on antique

  The arms on this chair were fattened and fitted, inside and outside.

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  Heirloom chair mimics original

  Close attention is paid to using the same style as the original.

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  Upcycled couch

  The project was a complete restoration.

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  Couch with ruffle welting

  This was one of four pieces that were redone in white denim.

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  Two-tone couch

  Fabrics were railroaded to eliminate the seams on the inside back and deck.

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  Antique sofa restored from saltwater damage

  In Sept. 2008, Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, Texas.

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  Veneer patches on antique sofa

  This couch needed lots of veneer patches.

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  Restyled sofa uses doe hide

  The cushions and welting on this circa-1930s couch feature doe hide.

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  Custom seats in a Beretta

  The seats in this car were in terrible condition.

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  Two-tone uphosltery coordinates with paint job

  The original seat covers were taken off and the new seats were custom-upholstered.

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  Custom seating in a Tahoe

  These seats were made from a 1990 GMC Tahoe.

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  Hand-done Ford Roadster

  The interior work of this 1933 Ford Roadster is all hand-done.

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  Retro meets modern in a Roadster

  The interior of this 1934 Ford S Window Coupe was completely custom-built.

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  Truck interior built from ground up

  This truck was completely bare when received.

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  Custom tricycle seat

  A customer created a custom tricycle and contracted DC Auto Upholstery to do the seat.

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  Alligator-shaped motorcycle seat

  The seat on this 2007 Suzuki 65XR 1000 cc motorcycle was custom patterned.

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  Batman office chair

  The office chair was originally upholstered in black cloth.

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  Faux leather restaurant seating

  The customer had a certain look in mind.

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  Dining banquettes

  This dining banquette with under-seat storage was created from the ground up.

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  Hospital seating

  This project was created for the Floating Hospital in Long Island City, N.Y.

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  Embossed barber chair

  This barber chair was custom-patterned and included a two-tone inlay design.

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  Steam-bent frame for library seating

  This frame of this banquette was steam-bent and uses half-round molding.

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  100-inch tall banquette

  This banquette is 100 inches tall and used webbing the seats and backs.

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  Challenges to the upholsterer

  Upholsterers must change business habits to capture Generations X and Y.

• Market your way out of tough times

  Most upholstery businesses are making a mistake right now in these tough times.

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  Selling original furniture designs

  With knowledge, upholsterers can profit from selling original furniture designs.

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  Tapping commercial niche markets

  Big profits come from big jobs.

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