Does this make sense .....?

Every few years I have to have new foam put into me settee cushions, reflex foam.
Did this recently, you have to send your covers and they fill them.
I phoned and said, I'm sending you zipped 'inner' covers, no - they say, need the outer covers - why, says I, they are both the same, both hold the foam. Oh yes they say - OK then.
So, I send them off, on return - we find them well stuffed with foam, so much so, when we applied the outer covers, took two of us to zip them up, crammed don't you know .....
So, I get in touch, cos I feel I'm rolling on the seat, its because you sent the inner covers they say. I say - what bloomin difference does that make, would still have been crammed to the hilt ! Just as well, me outer covers have stretch !

Re: Does this make sense .....?

It's possible the inner covers are a thinner material and therefore will stretch more when crammed with foam. When you try to put the inner cover into the outer cover that is a thicker material, it won't stretch as easily. Hence the difficulty in getting it in and then zipping it up.

Once the outer cover is zipped the foam is not in a settled seating position and has been distorted by the cramming and so you now feel like you're sitting on a ridge and rolling about.

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Fair point - but the reverse for me, the inner covers are cotton, the outer covers have stretch, thank goodness

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Inners are often bigger than the outers and just not filled to capacity, when they are made the inner is placed in the outer then filled to capacity. That's why they wanted both, the factory is set up to fill to capacity and needs the outer size to know when to stop.

Re: Does this make sense .....?

They didn't want 'both' Julie - just the outer covers
They would supply - at my cost - an inner cover ......

Re: Does this make sense .....?

That's because the inner is not very durable and when they fill it the machine can't pick up the material without it fraying - the machine would be fitted with the inner before the outer was added then both filled. It's just the way the technology in the factory works. From outside it looks like money making ploy but it makes perfect sense if you see the machinery and the process being done.

Anyone think I have spent far too long making campervan soft furnishings LOL

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Julie - the inner cover gives them the measurements, the block of foam is then cut to size, a stockinette is then sealed to the foam, then - the foam is put into my inner cover .......

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Yes but it is all mechanised you can't do one bit of the process and not another without there being discrepancies in size, I used to work in a factory where we made filters and number of times people requested us make things to the size of their gap only to find they didn't fit (needed to be made exactly to size of gap plus some but we could only know how much by fitting in the factory).

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Sorry Julie, I have their method in front of me, all done by hand.
I could have sent in the measurements of the cushions, next time I will do both ......

Re: Does this make sense .....?

Well if they do it by hand I will be amazed all the places we have visited for campervans only hand involved is to start the machinery