Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubicon
Any recommendation for fixing a tear in a leather (actually probably more like vinyl) seat?
Is DIY even possible? If not where could I take it?
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Where is it? Superficially on the side? Or somewhere with active movement like the actual seat? DIY is totally possible, but sorta in the same vein of whether you are comfortable with DIY oil change or doing actual engine repairs or want it to look decent or if you're just able to feel comfortable with lower level repairs that are functional and don't have to be the prettiest. I personally only do tire swaps and wipers myself for anything structural or safety related/non cosmetic. I don't even do oil changes myself, but I'd repair a seat myself.
Superficial rips you can use patch kits/glue without sewing, color matched markers and then conditioner to blend it and make it hardly noticeable.
But areas with more movement, you'll probably want to combine patching with sewing and you may even want to consider creating a pattern using the sewing to make the area look better/innocuous.
Proper repair likely requires a thicker thread (not basic fabric thread) and a curved leather needle. You could probably do it yourself for <$10-15 worth of materials (needle and color matching or accenting thread) and patience for whatever time you need to slowly sew the section shut (10-15 minutes to several hours). I think the thread is the stuff that's harder to source than the needle. I don't even think you'd need an expensive hook needle. A thick enough straight needle you carefully bend with a pair of pliers is good enough. I'd also recommend spending around 5-10 minutes on random other fabric to get used to the basic movement before trying for the first time. Sewing honestly isn't as difficult as it seems and it's a useful skill. You probably want around 2-4mm of fabric on each side pulling inwards.
TBH, I wouldn't purely watch these upholstery videos to practice and get an idea how to repair the chair. I'd watch them last, but watch jeans repair/hemming videos first to get the basic skills and build up towards a repair on a seat. It's a great skill to have and I've helped address a fashion emergency or two on occasion and the occasional DIY hemming. I'm not as awesome as the video below and there's a few more types of stitches I think I'd need to research and practice, more... but yeah. A totally underrated life skill I'd actually recommend others to learn and something I will probably end up teaching my kids to do.
Barring DIY or paying someone to do it proper, the cheapest low skill required method if it's on the sitting area is a $10-30 seat cover or nice ish looking gel/foam cushion from wherever. You can sorta cover it up if you don't want to see it or if you don't want to spend big bucks repairing it.
Random...
I was going to sew a rip on a car seat myself, but I was in a rush to sell my car a few years ago during the pandemic to buy another vehicle and just did that a few weeks before to see if I could squeak it past someone in a private sale (cosmetic issue, not a safety one, I'm not that unethical). It was some $8-9 clearance special at Canadian tire for a cushion normally $25-30. Honestly though, I bought two and I still use one of them. Hiding damage and longer term protecting the seat wise, gel cushions are great, especially for road trips and not as cold in winter/hot for summer for vinyl and leather.
In the end, a family friend was looking for it for their niece, so I told them about the rip/let them keep the gel cushion (she just had to pop off cushion cover and wash before using). They were more happy with the fact the vehicle was in excellent mechanical condition vs the aesthetics (slight rip in seat plus hail damage that was really hard to notice without specialized lights).
"WTF DoubleF, how do you know how to sew/repair clothes this well?"
"Well, I was practicing towards repairing upholstery in my vehicle... didn't do the vehicle, but I did repair a suede loveseat and dining table chair I've had for a while that I really liked."
