If you will, please take a moment and make a mental list of all the labor-related things you can't-or won't-do yourself to your hot rod or custom. Hopefully, changing the oil wasn't on that list, otherwise, put the magazine down and get out in the garage! If, on the other hand, upholstery happened to be one of the items you won't ever see yourself doing, you may continue
Taking on the task of upholstering is taboo for many people. And that's completely understandable, as the majority of those individuals probably wouldn't even consider darning their own socks either. While there is an art to the trade, upholstery is not a form of rocket science. Still, not everyone's "cut" out for a career in automotive interior design, which is why it's not always easy to find the right person or shop to handle your stitching needs, especially in a hobby so diverse in upholstery styling and trends-from high-tech hardform to diamond-tuft, tweed to synthetic leather.
Fortunately, the traditional style of upholstering hasn't lost its mass appeal, and it's not likely that it ever will either. However, since the days of the first tuck 'n' roll jobs, where it was commonplace to stuff pleats with newspaper or even horse hair, not only have the methods of doing this type of interior improved with age, so too have the materials. While you can actually purchase pre-fabricated bulk rolls of tuck 'n' rolled vinyl, purveyors of the true old-style know there's only one way to get that period look-finding an upholstery artisan who's as good with an industrial sewing machine as Larry Watson was with a paint gun! On the flipside of that, upholsterers now have the resources of companies such as Auto Custom Carpets (ACC) and Original Parts Group (OPG) that offer new and improved materials that afford them the ability to create vintage-looking interiors without having to rely on vintage materials.
With the masters such as Eddie Martinez slowly fading into the history books, it's a good thing we've got a wave of young, up-and-coming talents like Roger Starkey-people with the desire to not only learn a trade, but perfect it, and to carry on the tradition of old-school upholstery for generations to come. Roger was kind enough to allow us to peek over his shoulder whilst he plied his craft, and he even let us in on his secrets to pleat success. Check it out, and see why upholstery might just remain on that "never to-do" list a bit longer.
