red or black?




starting on the steering wheel

 

Hah! I was gonna say you're nuts to try to take that on, but I see how you are "cheating". What kind of needle is that and what size to you recommend?

The closeup of the wheel doesn't look as good as the more distant shot of the cover. I think that is just a factor of being a close up though and expect it will look as good at a distance as the cover does. What is your exterior color? Maybe (assuming it's not black or red ) a thread color that approximates the exterior color could look cool.

I think I'll have to copy you on this one and my wife shouldn't be able to complain too much as there won't me much cost associated to this mod

Now what would look good with a DBM exterior and Black interior? I do like that GTS Peridot color...

As far as colors, I'm not sure. I think the black looks better against the tan, but obviously black on the wheel would be rather pointless and I think a different color on the wheel than the rest of the car would look cheesy.

 

the needle is just a curved upholstery needle. the thread is the thickest I can find from Johann's fabric. the inner red one is single thread and the rest are double thread. my exterior is black. going to use black on the seats and finish the steering wheel in red (maybe add orange for the german flag color). the thread is <$1/spool. took 20min to do the arm rest and about 5min for the small section of the steering wheel. trying to avoid taking down the steering wheel if I don't have to. completely reversible just time consuming.

 

Are you going to do the seats and all other stitched areas too? When/if I do it I'll tackle all the stitching, but I wonder how it will hold up on the seating surfaces (especially the entry side edges of the seats).

Nice cheap mod for a very personal touch.

 

black interior is so easy to do. you can't mess it up. red, orange, yellow, green....etc. they have even metallic and fluorescent threads. love to see some metallic orange or green stitching. those threads are a crazy $3 per spool for 20yds so, go nuts.

 

I guess I am a little confused. Are you actually punching through the leather or simply threading it through the stitching that is already there...?

 

they will hold up just fine. these threads are so strong that I can't break them without a pair of scissors. plus, they are "cheat" threads, well protected by the real ones.

 

just through the old threads. see the steering wheel pic.

 

I'd like to know this too, black leather want to change to red stitch?

 

Yeah but even the factory exposed stitching will loosen as it ages and wears. Since this isn't anchored down I just wonder if it will do that a bit more readily, but I suppose since it isn't anchored down it's also much easier to fix

 

Hmmm... Metallic orange huh...

The choice of thread color might be the hardest part of this

 

This isn't technically changing the stitching, just running new thread through the loops of the existing stitching.

This approach will be tedious and time consuming, but easy enough for someone with the patience to do it.

You just run the needle through the existing loop and then pull the new thread through. An upholster's needle like is shown in the first pic will make the process easier. You just need to be careful not to gouge the leather with the needle and make sure the new thread gets tucked down as close to the leather as possible.

 

Ok, I'll give you more than 2 choices

Here are some samples from what my wife just has on hand. After the first 10 or so stitches you find a rhythm and get a good feel for the stitching. I did nick the leather a few times though, but not bad.

So we have:
Darkish red
Flat teal
Metallic gold (need thicker thread or to quadruple it)
Red
White
Peach
Teal
Flat peridot
Plum

The pics didn't turn out well. The peach actually looks surprisingly good and while I love the plum, it is difficult to see in all but direct light.

I think I'm leaning towards teal, peach, and light peridot in that order. If I can find a brighter peridot at the store that could jump to the head of the class though.

What do you guys think?

 

after much research, this is what i like the most:
http://www.store.jewelsinfiber.com/nylon.html

wish they are polyester for uv resistance but the size is perfect and so much easier to use. only found limited color locally. got a red to try out the size but i like yellow the most for black. the peridot is killer though.

 

the four on the left are the thickest 30wt thread i can find at Joann's. the orange and red metallic ones are regular 40wt embroidery threads. c-lon is the thick one.




close up for size comparison.




see the shine from Porsche thread and size difference. this is the closest you can get. tex210 bonded nylon 0.5mm diameter.




i'm leaning towards the yellow but c-lon does not have a regular yellow. i ordered 8 different color c-lon's yesterday. will see next wk.