I found a sofa on Craig's List that looks like some I've seen (and drooled over) with $6,000 price tags. I got this one for $40 from a young couple who had no idea how old it is - it was left behind in an old farmhouse they moved into. It's 6 feet long, has a tight back and 3 cushions on the seat, and has 4 legs across for support both front and back. I figured it was a long time since it was last upholstered - the seat cushions are pretty flat and as heavy as the ancient "feather" pillow my husband's grandmother brought with her from Lithuania around 1915. When I sat down on it I could feel the cross-supports of the frame right through the cushions. Since I'm going to reupholster anyway, I pulled up the deck fabric to see what was underneath - I expected to find broken springs. Instead I found, in order from top down, (1) the deck fabric covering, (2) a thin layer of batting, (3) stuff that looks like spanish moss, (4) another piece of fabric, seems to be duck, and finally (5) canvas-like webbing.

I know I must replace the webbing, but I need advice what sort of 21st century stuff to use between the webbing and the foam cushions to replace the old-fashioned padding. (Does anybody know what that spanish moss type stuff is?)

Also, for the actual seat cushion, does a 6 inch thick piece of good seat foam wrapped in Dacron covered batting sound OK?

This is my first re-upholstery project, but the lines of the couch are very straight and should be fairly easy to deal with.

Thanks.