how do i go about and stuffing pillows and shit

[Dry then Catch]

i was about to by some sweet leather couches from a place called Copenhagen furniture, then i realized i'd rather keep my money rather than let my house environment (more of a youth hostel and dog boarding area) let it get torn up in 2 days cause some visiting dog yakked on it, or joe blow idiot drank too much and yakked on it.

i then realized my current couch is actually in great shape and cool looking.  its just dirty as all hell and then pillows are get deformed

I could A)   unzip the cases and throw them in the washer
          B)  then use that upholestry cleaner i bougt from ebay 5 years ago to clean the parts i can't fit in the washer
         
however the cushions will still be lumpy.
I unzipped them and saw a sort of bailed cotton ball as the stuffing.

what is the best way to go about redoing the pillows?

should I just stuff a bunch of material in to boost the exisisting bail?

should I buy a completely new pillow thing to stuff in?

if i do what dimensions of measurement do I need to take?


need advice for homework due tommorow


"If you want to be my lover you got to get with my friends..."
-Spice GIrls

[Beefy]

stuffing pillows with shit

i think you answered your own question

[dazie]

My recommendation is to take the outside of the pillow only, throw it in the wash and do not put it in the dryer.  Instead, put it somewhere flat and pull it until it is in the original shape, then pin it so it dries in that shape.  (often called "blocking")  Then let it dry.

After it's dry, take it with you and go to a craft store or somewhere that sells craft items, like Wal Mart.  Find someone there to help you.  There are all sorts of stuffing options including just the floofy stuff or premade pillows in various shapes.  If you don't want them to be smushy, you can also get foam rubber inserts, but I think you'd have to go to an upholstery shop for that.

Once you have purchased the new stuffing material AND have stuffed the pillows to your liking, then throw away the existing stuffing.  That way if it didn't turn out the way you wanted it too, you'd still have the original stuff to use.

[dazie]

PS- I'm going to stab you with a spork.  That lame ass Spice Girls song is now in my head.

[Dry then Catch]

My recommendation is to take the outside of the pillow only, throw it in the wash and do not put it in the dryer.  Instead, put it somewhere flat and pull it until it is in the original shape, then pin it so it dries in that shape.  (often called "blocking")  Then let it dry.

After it's dry, take it with you and go to a craft store or somewhere that sells craft items, like Wal Mart.  Find someone there to help you.  There are all sorts of stuffing options including just the floofy stuff or premade pillows in various shapes.  If you don't want them to be smushy, you can also get foam rubber inserts, but I think you'd have to go to an upholstery shop for that.

Once you have purchased the new stuffing material AND have stuffed the pillows to your liking, then throw away the existing stuffing.  That way if it didn't turn out the way you wanted it too, you'd still have the original stuff to use.

thanks so you would recommend totally removing the old stuffing and replacing it?  do you know of any good material that will retain it shape after much abuse?

[dazie]

Which material?  The outside cloth or the inside poofy parts?

If it's lumpy, there's not much that will un-lump it.  It may have been washed in the past and dried on too high of a heat, which will fuse acrylic fibers togeter, creating lumps.  It's just easier to get new poofy.

[Dry then Catch]

the poofy parts that go in the pillows.  whats a good type of stuffing

[dazie]

the poofy parts that go in the pillows.  whats a good type of stuffing

I'd just go with the acrylic stuffing you can get at WalMart or any other craft store.  Yeah- they're organic shade grown hand picked and Budda blessed cotton stuffing, or wool, but honestly- if you have as much traffic in your house as you say you do- the acrylic will work just as well and you can wash it when needed.

I think it's called "poly fill" or something like that.  The kind I'm used to has a picture of stuffed animals on the front and there's lots of pink and blue on the bag.

[Gamplayerx]

I didn't read this thread past the first couple of sentences.

Anything pillow or blanket or comforter-like that you want to wash, throw a pair of sneakers (not your sneakers, know any girls or kids?) in the dryer and you're golden.

[Dry then Catch]

now what the heck does sneakers clean comforters and such?

[Gamplayerx]

The sneakers don't clean it, they make it retain it's consistent poofyness.

[Jessie]

WTF Catchr, did you try to transform into Martha Stewart over the weekend or some shit?

[Alice]

The thing with the poofy filling is this:

The poofy filling retains the shape you put it in.  If you grab a chunk of it like a ball and shove it in a pillow, it will stay in that ball shape.  The key is to gently pull it apart a bit so that it's looser.  Then lay it inside the pillow instead of stuffing it.  You can do this by taking out the existing poofy filling (I'm assuming you're talking about polyester fiberfill) and flattening sections of it into flat rectangles, then you can pile them on top of eachother.

If this is too much work for you - at fabric stores they sell pillow forms.  These might be too small for your couch cushion, but you could buy a few of them, put them in the cushion and fill the holes with the fiberfill.

[Dry then Catch]

The thing with the poofy filling is this:

The poofy filling retains the shape you put it in.  If you grab a chunk of it like a ball and shove it in a pillow, it will stay in that ball shape.  The key is to gently pull it apart a bit so that it's looser.  Then lay it inside the pillow instead of stuffing it.  You can do this by taking out the existing poofy filling (I'm assuming you're talking about polyester fiberfill) and flattening sections of it into flat rectangles, then you can pile them on top of eachother.

If this is too much work for you - at fabric stores they sell pillow forms.  These might be too small for your couch cushion, but you could buy a few of them, put them in the cushion and fill the holes with the fiberfill.

oh thats a good idea.  do you just get bags of poof, pull them apart and lay them like tortillas in an enchilada casserole as opposed to shoving it up there like so much dirty laudnry in a hamper?

[Jessie]

The thing with the poofy filling is this:

The poofy filling retains the shape you put it in.  If you grab a chunk of it like a ball and shove it in a pillow, it will stay in that ball shape.  The key is to gently pull it apart a bit so that it's looser.  Then lay it inside the pillow instead of stuffing it.  You can do this by taking out the existing poofy filling (I'm assuming you're talking about polyester fiberfill) and flattening sections of it into flat rectangles, then you can pile them on top of eachother.

If this is too much work for you - at fabric stores they sell pillow forms.  These might be too small for your couch cushion, but you could buy a few of them, put them in the cushion and fill the holes with the fiberfill.

oh thats a good idea.  do you just get bags of poof, pull them apart and lay them like tortillas in an enchilada casserole as opposed to shoving it up there like so much dirty laudnry in a hamper?

Has gamp added you to her weird list yet, because she totally should.

[dazie]

The thing with the poofy filling is this:

The poofy filling retains the shape you put it in.  If you grab a chunk of it like a ball and shove it in a pillow, it will stay in that ball shape.  The key is to gently pull it apart a bit so that it's looser.  Then lay it inside the pillow instead of stuffing it.  You can do this by taking out the existing poofy filling (I'm assuming you're talking about polyester fiberfill) and flattening sections of it into flat rectangles, then you can pile them on top of eachother.

If this is too much work for you - at fabric stores they sell pillow forms.  These might be too small for your couch cushion, but you could buy a few of them, put them in the cushion and fill the holes with the fiberfill.

oh thats a good idea.  do you just get bags of poof, pull them apart and lay them like tortillas in an enchilada casserole as opposed to shoving it up there like so much dirty laudnry in a hamper?

Exactly.  Keep repeating "tortillas, not underoos" and you'll be fine.

[Alice]

The thing with the poofy filling is this:

The poofy filling retains the shape you put it in.  If you grab a chunk of it like a ball and shove it in a pillow, it will stay in that ball shape.  The key is to gently pull it apart a bit so that it's looser.  Then lay it inside the pillow instead of stuffing it.  You can do this by taking out the existing poofy filling (I'm assuming you're talking about polyester fiberfill) and flattening sections of it into flat rectangles, then you can pile them on top of eachother.

If this is too much work for you - at fabric stores they sell pillow forms.  These might be too small for your couch cushion, but you could buy a few of them, put them in the cushion and fill the holes with the fiberfill.

oh thats a good idea.  do you just get bags of poof, pull them apart and lay them like tortillas in an enchilada casserole as opposed to shoving it up there like so much dirty laudnry in a hamper?

Yes.  It's time consuming, but will have better results.

[Dry then Catch]

also...
if i wanted to buy preformed pillows (more solid as Dazie initially recommended) to stuff inside the ravioli (as opposed to making enchiladas), are they one size fits all?  everyone has different sized pillow backings so i could imagine it having to be custom ordered?

how thick should i stuff the pillows?   

[cnamon]

Just buy a new couch.  It will make your life easier.

[Alice]

also...
if i wanted to buy preformed pillows (more solid as Dazie initially recommended) to stuff inside the ravioli (as opposed to making enchiladas), are they one size fits all?  everyone has different sized pillow backings so i could imagine it having to be custom ordered?

how thick should i stuff the pillows?   

They come in different sizes - like these.

[Dry then Catch]

sweet so they are called "pillow forms".   i can't wait to delve into this fascintinating world.  so basically i just choose the closests size, and then cut or append to the pillow?

[dazie]

sweet so they are called "pillow forms".   i can't wait to delve into this fascintinating world.  so basically i just choose the closests size, and then cut or append to the pillow?

You can pick the closest size, but if it's the back cushion on a couch, they might not have it.

[Jessie]

Just let your boyfriend pick out the pillows, Drew.

[Alice]

sweet so they are called "pillow forms".   i can't wait to delve into this fascintinating world.  so basically i just choose the closests size, and then cut or append to the pillow?

You won't be able to cut these.  But you can probably find one that fits - or two that would fit side by side.  If there is any gaps on the sides, use the old poly fiberfill and fill up the empty space.

[Dry then Catch]

im going to take pictures tonight or tommorow of said task

[DownSouth]

FABULOUS!!

[cnamon]

[Dry then Catch]

so i yanked off all the covers and shoved them in the washing machine.  they smell good and feel clean, but now they look worn out...  the lint basket had a huge amount of reddish lint.  Then for the non-removable parts I used an upholstery cleaner



so we were discussing the pillow back shapes.

this one is pretty much a rectangle.  the pillow is sewn up, but instead just feels like a punch of beat up cotton balls.


this one is a larger trapezoid.  inside actually feels like the wound stuffing dazie and alice were talking about.


I found the pillow forms that alice was talking about...however they only came in squares, not strange rectangles.

this is a severe pain in the ass, i was going to buy a whole new living room sofa set, but honestly other than the upholstery and the pillows, the sofa is great.  the frame and springs are in excellent shape.  i considered reupholstery, but isn't that sort of polishing a turd? 

[dazie]

Mmm.  Turd polishing.  Makes it shiny.

Have you tried stuffing an actual bed pillow into the cases to see if it would fit?  They look about the same size.

[ReBurn]

This reminds me, I need to call about the status of my new sofa cushions.

[Gamplayerx]

Catchr, I think you win the award for biggest pictures on teh interweb

[DownSouth]

This reminds me, I need to call about the status of my new sofa cushions.

Couldn't get those jizz stains out?

[ReBurn]

This reminds me, I need to call about the status of my new sofa cushions.

Couldn't get those jizz stains out?

I'll have you know that I've never left peter tracks on my sofa.

[Dry then Catch]

This reminds me, I need to call about the status of my new sofa cushions.

Couldn't get those jizz stains out?

I'll have you know that I've never left peter tracks on my sofa.

is that a type of bluebunny ice cream.
i could have sworn i resized those pics

[Dry then Catch]

Factoring in the geometry and estimating the fatigue (stress per cycle), would it be prudent to fill the pillows with a dense foam as sold in Joann's?  I think they would lump less than little cotton balls. 

[dazie]

Factoring in the geometry and estimating the fatigue (stress per cycle), would it be prudent to fill the pillows with a dense foam as sold in Joann's?  I think they would lump less than little cotton balls. 

Possibly.  Did you try the bed pillow approach?

[nallen]

When I lived in Ohio (um...2 years ago?  no 3....)  I re-did a sofa, replaced everything.  I highly reccomend the dense foam from JoAnn's, it's the way to go.   BUT  there is something else you need to do, you get teh dense foam, but put a layer of the softer polyfill around the dense foam, that gives it inital softness.  There are books at JoAnn's showing exactly what I am talking about.  Cushions for sofas are not regular pillows and need to be quite a bit firmer to hold up to the constant abuse.   

[Dry then Catch]

Factoring in the geometry and estimating the fatigue (stress per cycle), would it be prudent to fill the pillows with a dense foam as sold in Joann's?  I think they would lump less than little cotton balls. 

Possibly.  Did you try the bed pillow approach?

Yes, they were too soft as Dr. Allen pointed out.  Does Joann cut to a particular size and shape or do I just buy a large sheet?

[dazie]

Factoring in the geometry and estimating the fatigue (stress per cycle), would it be prudent to fill the pillows with a dense foam as sold in Joann's?  I think they would lump less than little cotton balls. 

Possibly.  Did you try the bed pillow approach?

Yes, they were too soft as Dr. Allen pointed out.  Does Joann cut to a particular size and shape or do I just buy a large sheet?

As I am unacquainted with the procedural tendancies of the Joanne chain, I would highly recommend you approach one of the establishment's talented and knowledgeable sales representatives to ascertain the correct response to your inquiry.

HAH.  I can do it too.

[Dry then Catch]

doing what?  oh this is how I normally speak, that other dialogue was from my crude fraternal twin.  Whom some of you had met in Austin, Kentucky and DC.

[nallen]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

[dazie]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

so... um...  how YOU doin?

[Dry then Catch]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

i like them to come in 7 piece sectionals so all my friends can sit on them.  also i enjoy finding change in their crevices. 

[Alice]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

i like them to come in 7 piece sectionals so all my friends can sit on them.  also i enjoy finding change in their crevices. 

Oh dear god.  You made me snort.

[BigDun]

By the way, I own that same couch.

[Dry then Catch]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

ok you said to sandwich the two densest foams with a softer foam in the middle.  what should the ratio of  dense foam : light foam : dense foam be? 

[dazie]

They sell several different sizes, I just got one bigger and cut it down with a razor blade.   There are also a couple of different densities of foam, I went with the firmest, 'cause I like my sofa like my women, firm cushions.

ok you said to sandwich the two densest foams with a softer foam in the middle.  what should the ratio of  dense foam : light foam : dense foam be? 

This is what he said: 

BUT there is something else you need to do, you get teh dense foam, but put a layer of the softer polyfill around the dense foam, that gives it inital softness.

Put some of the foof around the foam.

[Dry then Catch]

see what happens when i don't read meticulously?  so its a layer of hard foam, surrounded by poly foam? 

[Beefy]

see what happens when i don't read meticulously?  so its a layer of hard foam, surrounded by poly foam? 

It's a turducken.

[nishi]

see what happens when i don't read meticulously?  so its a layer of hard foam, surrounded by poly foam? 

yes. and it is, in fact, the turducken of upholstery.

[DownSouth]

By the way, I own that same couch.

Why does Catchr have it then?

[BigDun]

By the way, I own that same couch.

Why does Catchr have it then?

I don't know. I inherited it from my mom who originally purchased it in 1981. We got a new couch 5 years ago but my wife won't let us get rid of it because that is where I asked her to marry me. Right now there are three of the sections in my upstairs room and the other four sections in our guest room.

If it is the same as mine, it's over 20 years old. Get a new couch dude.

[Dry then Catch]

i have no idea how it old it is i got i from my roommates wealthy parents, who had literally a 4 car garage full of barely used furniture.  what is the brand name, I'll check when i get home