I began with a sheet of .063 aluminum, cut a half circle of 12" radius and rolled it until I got the shape I wanted, I brought it to a metalsmith who has a shop near mine to anneal the metal. Annealing allows working of the sheet after it becomes hard from rolling. I started to polish up the back, and welded the front on. I didn't worry too much about smoothing the front, as I hope that area will be covered by the upholstery. I'm trying my hand at sewing this too, I picked up a 100 year old (NO JOKE!) singer machine to do my sewing, and it really kicks ass. The machine weighs about 80lbs and is built like a tank, smooth as hell too!