Upholstery on Eames Aluminum Group Chair  

Just did this
I just did this. Retro-Redo was the ONLY place I found to do it. The results are mostly good, but it was expensive.

and i might add that it ...
and i might add that it is very difficult to do for some reason,
Herman Miller had that process down to a science with the fusing , and they never shared it with anyone as Lucifersum
can tell you they all have to be hand sewn and then refitted to a aluminum chair.

I once dismantled an aluminum group chair,
scrubbed the dirty upholstery, then reassembled it (I've always had a devil-may-care attitude with cheap thrift store finds).
This was ages ago and the chair's long gone, but I recall the reassembly being relatively easy-- the upholstery panel was held on by a multitude of small pins on both sides, folded over, and then fastened to the two spool devices at each end. Required dexterity, but not insanely difficult.
That said, I see no reason the pad can't be reattached facing the opposite direction (or, "flipped").

LRF & LuciferSum--
Do you mean that recreating a new upholstery pad is difficult, or that reassembly itself is difficult? I don't want to give the poster bum advice...

I didnt
I didn't do any of the work on it - but I asked around. My local dealer has an upholsterer who wouldnt to it. Another guy on the west coast simply said "too much work, too much money"
I think the biggest issue is getting the fabric taut enough between the frames. It requires a real precision, otherwise it sags a little bit. Also wrapping the ends very tightly seems to be difficult.
I'd love to find one cheap enough that I could pull it apart and play with it - see how it really works.

Hmm.
I don't recall a problem getting the tension right-- once the upholstery was reattached to the two free-floating "spine" side pieces, I think I then reattached that horizontal back bar, then attached each spine to the fixed points on the base.
GuyinSF-- I'm not sure whether you should try this yourself, depends on your skill level, patience, and aversion to risk. (Like I said, I had little to lose when I tackled the job.)

Now
Now you've got me cruising eBay to see if I can find another one to play with. : )

Wait 'til needful things cross your path,
don't go out looking for them! 🙂

the hardest part is ...
the hardest part is making it to current measurements and then assembling tightly around the frame.
I just dont think it would work if it was flipped but please let me know you may have found a complete new way to salvage the chair and save 700. to make a new cover.

I'll ask around to see if...
I'll ask around to see if someone can do for cheap, I don't have the skill level to do it myself. I appreciate everyone for your input!

photos of my experience
i started down the road of flipping the upholstery on my chair and thought i'd share some of the photos and info i gleaned. i decided to abandon the attempt because flipping the fabric would expose the seaming that is holding the rib which is sewn into the edges of the upholstery. it can be flipped but it will not result in the same aesthetic as the original design. removing the upholstery and cleaning it may be the best approach for my specific situation.
photos show the brass pins that go through the bar that is stitched into a pocket along the length of both left and right sides of the upholstery. there is also an extra flap of fabric that would be exposed if flipped. notice the black staining of the back side of the upholstery from years of friction against the aluminum. not sure if this would wash out or not.

removing brass pins
Hi just wondering how you removed the brass pins, also did you remove the stretcher bar at the back of the chair? If so, how?