Sportsdad, I know what you mean, we like to do things ourselves also where we can. But sewing is something that most men don't usually do. I never could figure out how to fix or maintain my wife's sewing machines and she doesn't really care to know HOW they work, just IF they work. We've had to take the industrial machine in to a repair shop a number of times to have the timing set on it after it got jammed, which is something they don't and won't teach you or show you how to do in a manual.
For upholstery work you need an industrial sewing machine, a large work area, strong upholstery needles and strong upholstery thread, so you really need to do a lot of upholstery work to justify all the costs. Lucky for us, my wife has always done lots of sewing. She's made lots of clothes for all of us, outfits for our daughter's Barbie dolls, and once she made me a business suit, so she's not afraid to try something new. She's really good reupholstering cushions and once bought all new (expensive) foam and made all new cushions for a large sailboat for a friend. But I digress.
I've been following your work on your Class C also. Looks like you're doing a good job on it, and I enjoy seeing the pictures. You have a nice shop to do the work indoors, that helps a lot. It was so cold here in Minnesota in October that it's hard to get things done outside. November has actually been warmer than October here so I've been able to get a few more things done before we head south for the winter.