First Attempt.....

[mrzigazaga]

Mmm...A one fingered cross stitch.....So when I'm at the hospital waiting to be seen i can give the middle finger to the receptionist...Doctor and medical staff...And everyone else who is sitting there waiting to be seen....

[mrzigazaga]

Hi mate...After having all the trouble with the machine i have eventually sorted it out..It now has a proper size V belt..Positioned properly...I have found a service pdf manual online so i read that and set the machine up properly..I altered some parts so that i can actually have a said amount of stitches per inch...I now know if the thread is pulling out if its the top or bottom tension...And now I'm just waiting for some more material to arrive before i make my head rest covers and takle the seats...I have been practising the TVR logo as i had some templates made up...I have made some sunglass cases..The black one is vinyl and the dark grey is leather...
..

I also went to the trimmers last week and chatted to the lady that has been doing all the trimming for the past 35 years..She gave me a load of good tips as well as some proper needles..Thread..Small pieces of leather...(Which i used for the case) and some proper piping...I have bought a magnetic guide that helps steady the edge and help give a straight stitch...I need to biuy a few more bits for the machine so i can do the piping and straight french stitch.

The learning curve is varied but i know a lot more than i did a week ago...Ill update when i have successfully made something that fits how it should to a head rest or seat....Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

bluezeeland said:

Probably shouldn't be asking this, but what is a straight french stitch ? (If it means what i think it means, you'd better not describe ....)

Hi Frank...Trust you... Basically its the stitch that the gear gaiters have running down the side of the joining stitch....Its normally done with a twin needle machine..Ive only got one...But ill manage...Its also the stitch that the Wedge seems to have a lot of.....Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Well I'm still practising....Had a go at quilting this morning...Its only a rough trial so not symmetrical ...I going to attempt re-trimming my Wedge seats soon and might incorporate this in the middle lumber panel....



I made these for my female friends, Sisters and mum for christmas...Just a sideline really as the market is flooded with products like this....




I have also got some panels to re-cover for a mate...Im learning loads about how things are put together...Even been servicing my machines...They take an age to set up and calibrate....I have three machines now and realise to complete the whole package i still need another two...An arm machine and a twin needle machine...Theres already nowhere to sit in my front room...

[mrzigazaga]

adam quantrill said:

You'll soon become an expert on taking them apart and putting back together (I have mastered the first part of this...;^), if you aren't already.

Well that was one of the first mistakes i learnt....Taking stuff apart is okay as long as you mark the reverse side in certain places so that you know where they go when you put them back together...Good job i only de-constructed one headrest....

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Wilf....I purchased different feet for my walking foot machine but can cope nicely with the standard foot when doing zips and piping...Thankfully piping is available already made and you just order by the metre, It saves a lot of Pfaffing around...(Excuse the pun)...What i have realised is that to do most of the work comfortably you need a variety of machines...A twin needle machine would be great for most of the show thread like on top of the door caps or gaiters or around the dash and centre console...But its achievable with a bit of careful setting out...I have put a fair amount of hours in but need to put more in as i need to make a start at earning some money..I must of thrown away £200 worth of practise material....Unfortunately its one of the hazards of learning something new...I have been buying leather scraps to practise on lately and TBH its an affordable way of doing it...I never realised there are so many grades of leather...Then there are different hides from different animals..I love the reptile print and was thinking of hand making wallets/Belts in real gator as i have a contact in the states now, England is pants for that kind of thing....Trouble is there are so many people doing it these days..Car trimming has a bigger call, Especially where i am....I have work lined up on some mobile homes and caravans which should be interesting...Im going to have a go at the Wedge seats soon...Cheers...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

pasogrande said:

Small stuff like wallets are so cheap here as they come from China. The only things for me are to do with boats and maybe cars.

Definitely...The coin purses and laptop bags will eventually be made from the off-cuts from the hide for the cars...I have a few friends who run a family owned business which has always been a vehicle repair since the 30's, Its now an MOT garage, They are always working and always have on classic cars and will put work my way...I also know another chap who has been restoring classic cars for years...Once I'm confident then i will be putting myself out there...I have hopefully just bought a dark blue full hide which is going VERY cheap and although i was going to re-trim my seats in Saville grey outers and charcoal grey inner panels with black piping..Maybe a single lumber panel in quilt.

Now I'm wondering if the dark blue would look better than the charcoal...

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps..Well i got a pair of reading glasses which has helped tremendously with some of the close up work...Have been making up the templates that i will need later on...I made them for the headrest and its becoming easier to cover..I did this last night in black vinyl..There is no piping or TVR logo and to be fair i think its better if i get new headrest bolsters as the old ones are too out of shape so if i make a template from them then they might not fit others...If the price of new ones are feasible then thats the way i will go when i do get commissioned to work on someones car...Once I'm a bit more experienced then i could make new ones from the same type of foam used in the original install..




The outer edges look out of shape but its the piping that gives them shape..Onwards and upwards....Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

KKson said:

Looking excellent. When does the business website go live!

Hi Keith...Hopefully some time this year...

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps...Just been practising the edging for carpets...Not too shabby..Bit more practice...


I was concentrating more on the corners as this was how it turned out when i first did it..

I think it looks better with the stitch?

I have also found someone who can supply new head rest foam..Someone did post something up as regards to them but i can't find it so don't know if its the same thing...
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...
My old ones are too out of shape and it makes it difficult to cover them effectively...

Cheers...Ziga

PS: I will be attempting a seat soon but I'm glad i didn't rush in as i found something out yesterday that would be the difference between a pukka job and a shyte one...

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks Glen..I believe you are right...Is that Adrian Venn?.....

[mrzigazaga]

gmw9666 said:

Was Adrian@ exactly tvr that does the foams from memory

So is that memory foam....

[mrzigazaga]

Hi mate...Certainly has flown by...I will also want to get to the 280i seats and remove the runners as no-one wants as is...I will also take the pods out and the bumper off of the nosecone..The door will go as scrap also ..See you soon...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Hi mate...I have seen on some of the original vinyl's that they are stamped "ICI"..Not sure if the exact material is still available but the people i use for materials have been supplying to MG..Jag..Triumph..etc since 1976...Might be worth a look.

I have bought various vinyls from different suppliers and they do vary considerably...Some are just pure shyte as they rip when you try to stretch them....I don't normally buy the good stuff as most of it at my learning stage gets binned...Although thats slowly becoming a thing of the past...

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...

Mind you not all are poo...I have had a couple of types of leatherette..One was horrendous with a fleece backing..It was awful to work with and tore easily...Then i found another that was double the thickness with the correct cotton backing..Relatively cheap....

I use these people sometimes...

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...

Cheers...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Well i have been busy practising my crocodile...Whoops i mean gaiter skills...This is my 4th attempt in total, I actually gave up trying a while back but thought i should tackle it again...Getting easier and easier....






I remember when i bought a hand brake gaiter for delilah and it had something missing which iw ill add to these..As it should be...

Im definitely going to have a go at the seats soon...I know i keep putting it off but have realised now that they are not that complicated....(I think)...I have been watching some vids of some trim shops in the states...Well impressive!!


Still a massive learning curve...


Cheers...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers...I made these from vinyl...The red ones come out better due to it being fire retardant so is about as thick as a good gaiter leather..2mm, The grey vinyl was leatherette and although its effective in look its not as good to work with...It has a nice feel almost like a soft Napa.

I do have some Andrew Muirhead leather but that is a bit too thick for gaiters...Thats the good stuff....

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Phil....I did look into a double needle machine but it has its complications and most of the trimmers i have talked don't bother, I can get an even mirrored top/French stitch if I'm meticulous , I know they can save time but I'm no longer like a giant metal snail and can whizz up those gaiters in around 35 mins including marking out and cutting....What i DO need is an embroidery machine...

Should be able to afford one in about 10 years...

Cheers...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks for that Phil...I have looked at similar but they are restricted to the size of the hoop that is needed to hold the material and not all of them will stitch leather...Well maybe thin 0.5mm ..

I realised that a lot of getting it to look professional is to use certain parts/Areas of the foot as a guide and stick to it..Sometimes i watch the needle and others times i watch the edge of the foot...The gaiters are practise pieces and the vinyl is not really what you would use for them, I have some leather on order and will show how much better they look..Its also more expensive so more care is taken...

Having every machine known to man to cover every job would be nice but i wouldn't need it unless I'm doing 3-5 cars a week and have staff helping me...If only..

Im learning as much as i can with one machine for now...The embroidery would help with some other projects that I'm doing but i will have to make some beer tokens with what i have for the moment...Ive still to find the money for road tax at the end of this month and car insurance at the beginning of next....Wahhh

[mrzigazaga]

adam quantrill said:

Just looking again at the pics any chance of a gimp mask with the TVR logo across the helmet?

You are the second person to ask....Would you like just zips or would you like padlocks as well???

[mrzigazaga]

Just made another set out of the Andrew Muirhead leather..Bit thick at the top and i managed to drop a stitch which really pished me off...I then cut my thumb with the scissors so there was blood everywhere...FFS!!!...Shame my Wedge is not blue as i could have them for mine as mine are only vinyl....I will have to reduce the price of this one...If anyone wants the grey or red ones that i made then you could either make a donation to the fund or buy me a few Whiskeys at next years fest...(Cant drink beer)...





Cheers...Ziga