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Build Update January 7th 2020: The Bottom Seat Cushion

The back cushion was just a practice run for the bottom cushion. The stick wells make this shape far more complex and dynamic. I started by sewing all the top pieces together so that I had 1 top and 1 bottom. 



Then I started sewing the orange side parts on and oh boy there were a lot of them. Once I had all the sides on, except the very back part where I would out the zipper, I started the arduous process of matching the top to the bottom. I carefully aligned it, pinned it, and sewed it. Everything lined up within my tolerances and all that remained was the zipper.


Zippers are very tricky. At first I thought it would be no hassle to install but even with my experience from the test piece and the back cushion it was the hardest part of the upholstery job. After the zipper was on, I pulled then cover over my foam and put both cushions in the cockpit. 



I am very satisfied with how my color palate interacts. My design philosophy when refining my paint job was to have something very clean and sleek looking. To achieve that I use a base of white on everything. That's the main color. Then all the mechanical details are black to really highlight them. For example, instead of trying to hide my fuel door I am giving it a black outline to make it pop and look purposeful. The last color in my palate is the orange, which I use for trim and to add lines that the eye can follow. For example the stick wells are orange and then have that orange line, which extends backwards along the seat. In my cockpit side panels I will have a similar trim line that follows the natural lines of the airplane. The orange will also be used on all the leading edges. This kinda of gives the white a border which enhances both the white and the orange as they contrast each other. 

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