Big Duck - Cushion Tops

Now that all her mechanical systems are in order, we'll begin to address limited cosmetics.

I thought I might tackle the sewing myself, but when my girls picked out a striped fabric to recover the tops of the cushions I went looking for a pro to do the work. We have 13 cushions and all of them needed to have the decayed Herculon tops removed and replaced. The rest of the cushion, sides and bottom are vinyl and in very good condition. A couple zippers needed work as well. I got a quote from a local Trim Shop for $30 for the small ones, then on up for the larger, and he didn't know when he could get to them. Ouch.

Got online and searched for other places near home that might do the work. Nothing.

In desperation I went to a sewing shop and asked if they knew anyone who was interested, thinking that someone there might want to take on the project. They weren't interested, but recommended a guy who works out of a garage in his back yard.

The backyard shop was anything but professional looking on the outside and the first view of the inside was equally disappointing. The shop was empty except for the single guy inside. The floor was a mess of fabric scraps and all the counters were cluttered with unfinished miscellaneous small projects. He said $15 for the small cushions and on up, and he would "work them in".

I was hesitant to take my $300 worth of fabric to him, wondering what his work looked like and if I'd ever see the finished product, but decided to take a chance.  I took him four cushions.

When I dropped off the cushions the next morning there were 4 people working in the shop. One fellow was putting a vinyl top on one of those Rapper Mobiles with a fancy paint job and almost no rubber on the huge wheels. Another guy was putting a new rag top on a BMW. The other guys were working on pontoon upholstery. I felt a little better after seeing this kind of activity, but wondered if/when they'd get to my 4 cushions.

I got a call later that day, "They're ready."

I grabbed several more cushions and went to the shop, figuring I'd have a look at the work before I gave him another batch of cushions. Then left the next batch with him.

Got a call the next morning, "They're ready."

Loaded the remainder of the cushions in the van and went to pick up the ones that were ready. The vinyl top and new convertible top were done, waiting in the yard. They had put a black rag top on the BMW and used white stitching which was pure art. The stitches were exactly uniform, perfectly straight, no skips no wiggles...beautiful.

Well, it was Friday afternoon so I figured maybe Monday, as this was the largest batch of the largest cushions.

Got a call Saturday noon, "They're ready."

All told I spent less than $400 for all the work, including some zippers. I'll let you decide if it was worth it.