PREPARING THE SEAT BASE
The lining forms a dust cover underneath the finished seat. The linen is tacked to the frame using 13mm fine tacks and a cabriole hammer. Four centred tacks are lightly tacked initially, one at the front and back and one on each side. Excess fabric is carefully trimmed off. Then further tacks are added and driven fully in to secure the linen, spaced at 5cm intervals around the frame. The process of lightly tacking four evenly-spaced tacks on each edge of the frame is repeated when adding each of the layers of material. Lightly securing the tacks initially makes them easier to pull out if any readjustments are needed. The hessian forms the base for the stuffing. It is laid over the webbing and tacked with 13mm fine tacks, starting again with four centred tacks. The hessian is pulled very taut and secured with 5 tacks on each edge. The excess is then folded over and secured with more tacks, at a distance of no less than 1cm apart. Three rows of webbing are evenly spaced and stretched from back to front. Each strip is tacked at the back with three 16mm improved tacks, and stretched with a webbing stretcher before being secured with three more tacks at the front. Then the webbing is cut and the ends folded over and secured with two more tacks front and back. Three rows of webbing are added from left to right, interwoven with the first rows and attached in the same manner. Loosely looped stitches called bridle ties are used to hold the stuffing in place. Using mattress twine and a 7.5cm curved needle, four rows are sewn across the seat from left to right to form the bridle ties, each a hand’s width across. There are three stitches per row.