TheSamba.com :: View topic - The Official Westfalia Fabric/ Upholstery Topic

Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:14 pm

I wanted to start a thread specifically about Westfalia camper fabric. I've seen lots of Gallery photos and tons of Forum postings showing different colors and patterns. Some are original, some "look" original and some look like crap. This is the thread for seats, chairs, cushions, pillows, childcots, curtains, and any other camper interior piece that would have been covered in Westfalia upholstery.

I think there is need for a forum that clearly shows correct colors, stitch patterns, fabric patterns and the changes that occur between bus years and camper models. The Idea is to clear up confusion about what changed when, and where it originally went. For example I've heard of at least 4 different color patterns for flipseats cushions alone, but I'll be honest I don't know which went where. Hopefully questions like this can be answered in one place for everyone on this thread, without having to search through endless amounts of threads with pages of unrelated information.

I would ask that people who post information and or ask questions to have answered, post clear quality photos with detailed description of where it came from including year, model, and exterior paint colors so as to finally clear up some of these questions we all might have about Westy Fabric/Upholstery.

I thought I would start with posting two different so34 patterns. One is from a 61 the other from a 62.

This is the upholstery from a L53 sealing wax red/ L472 beige grey 61 so34 Flipseat, the colors seem to be 3 different values(shades) of cool brown, orange, and yellow. The most interesting thing about this fabric is that it seems to have the same stitching an so23. A mixture of randomly placed thick & thin stitches. Perhaps someone can post a good photo of the so23 curtains I'm referring to.

This is the upholstery from a 62 L53 sealing wax red/ L472 beige grey so34 flipseat. These colors also look like 3 values of orange light orange and yellow, but as you can see they are much warmer than the colors from the 61. This one also does not have the intricate stitch pattern.

I would love to see quality photos the blue/green flipseat pattern seen the brochure as well as the pattern that has blue and pink and yellow colors (I believe these to be two different patterns, I might be wrong)
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:32 pm

I also wanted to post this curtain fabric from a Oct 55 springframe Westy. The only problem is that the pattern is extremely faded. I unstitched a small section from one of the corners thinking there would be brighter colors inside but is seems to have even faded on the inside of the fabric. The only color that is more visible is the yellow. I know there are colors that were present when the curtain was new that are now completely gone. I saw a photo that Campingbox posted in the gallery that shows some of the colors my curtains are missing (assuming they are the same pattern). Perhaps he can post them here and fill us in as to where they came from.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:19 am

I wll snap a few close up photos of my curtains from the December 1955 built Westfalia I recently purchased....the cool thing is this bus sat in covered storage and not driven since the change of ownership in 1975 so the outside of the curtain is a little sunfaded...the inside is really nice....the cab divider curtain is near mint (Both L&R Pieces) as it sat nicely folded in the rear storage cabinet box....will post photos soon!

Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:43 am

OK westy people, what is the correct upholstery fabric for my May '65 Sea Blue / Blue white SO44? The og owner recovered everything and threw the original stuff out....

Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:45 am

KWZ wrote: OK westy people, what is the correct upholstery fabric for my May '65 Sea Blue / Blue white SO44? The og owner recovered everything and threw the original stuff out....

If it's a US spec bus I'd expect the tan naugahyde and if it's a euro bus I'd expect a plaid similar to the '62 plaid Santiago posted above.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:51 am

Michy328 wrote: I also wanted to post this curtain fabric from a Nov 55 springframe Westy. The only problem is that the pattern is extremely faded. I unstitched a small section from one of the corners thinking there would be brighter colors inside but is seems to have even faded on the inside of the fabric. The only color that is more visible is the yellow. I know there are colors that were present that when the curtain we new that are now completely gone. I saw a photo that Campingbox posted in the gallery that shows some of the colors my curtains are missing (assuming they are the same pattern). Perhaps he can post them here and fill us in as to where they came from.

The curtains from my October '55 subhatch 20-147419 bus look like this.

I have studied your curtains in person and they are definately a different color/pattern to the ones I have.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:06 am

campingbox wrote: KWZ wrote: OK westy people, what is the correct upholstery fabric for my May '65 Sea Blue / Blue white SO44? The og owner recovered everything and threw the original stuff out....

If it's a US spec bus I'd expect the tan naugahyde and if it's a euro bus I'd expect a plaid similar to the '62 plaid Santiago posted above.

I think all SO44s are technically Euro busses. Mine was bought new in Germany by a serviceman who ordered it with US spec bumpers, lights etc. The plaid sure looks better than the "ear Wax Gold" naugahyde. Is anyone making the plaid material, or something similar?

Wed Apr 02, 2008 9:27 am

KWZ wrote: campingbox wrote: KWZ wrote: OK westy people, what is the correct upholstery fabric for my May '65 Sea Blue / Blue white SO44? The og owner recovered everything and threw the original stuff out....

If it's a US spec bus I'd expect the tan naugahyde and if it's a euro bus I'd expect a plaid similar to the '62 plaid Santiago posted above.

I think all SO44s are technically Euro busses. Mine was bought new in Germany by a serviceman who ordered it with US spec bumpers, lights etc. The plaid sure looks better than the "ear Wax Gold" naugahyde. Is anyone making the plaid material, or something similar?

Alex / So-23westfalia.com was making the orange plaid stuff several years ago but he ran out. I'm not sure if he plans to do more. I think it was a very large investment and it took a long time for him to see a return. His reproduction wasn't perfect, but it looks the part.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:44 pm

campingbox wrote: KWZ wrote: campingbox wrote: KWZ wrote: OK westy people, what is the correct upholstery fabric for my May '65 Sea Blue / Blue white SO44? The og owner recovered everything and threw the original stuff out....

If it's a US spec bus I'd expect the tan naugahyde and if it's a euro bus I'd expect a plaid similar to the '62 plaid Santiago posted above.

I think all SO44s are technically Euro busses. Mine was bought new in Germany by a serviceman who ordered it with US spec bumpers, lights etc. The plaid sure looks better than the "ear Wax Gold" naugahyde. Is anyone making the plaid material, or something similar?

Alex / So-23westfalia.com was making the orange plaid stuff several years ago but he ran out. I'm not sure if he plans to do more. I think it was a very large investment and it took a long time for him to see a return. His reproduction wasn't perfect, but it looks the part.

Below is some orange/yellow plaid I had made a few years ago. It came out nice though repro just does not feel quite like original. The company did a good job matching the colors. Below is the repro fabric as it came off the weaving looms with the sample piece that Joe Crocket donated to me for the cause.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:56 pm

I need some blue/green fabric for my 61 flipseat and I have never seen some in person or good pics taken of some. please if you have any take some good pics or maybe sell a strip to me or anything. This is what I have seen.

Ive also seen pics of blue/green with pink or something like santiago was talking about but not any good pics. again post some pics or sell me something. thanks
here is a crapy pic of that.

Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:08 pm

if you refabrik this plaid i take a kit :D :D

Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:04 am

Christophe, what year of bus is that interior in? Is it original to that bus? Would it be possible for you to post close up photos of the fabric? I'm curious to see if it has the SO23 stitching I mention in my first post, like the upholstery that came out of the 61. GREAT PHOTO!!

Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:28 pm

hi michy!! the bus of the pics it's a french so34 of 1962!!!
you can can refabrik this plaid????

Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:33 pm

The two pillows are original fabric. The orange plaid pillow is from the dove blue SO34. The blue green plaid pillow is from a turquoise and blue white SO34.

The orange plaid fabric draped over the cushions is from Alex.

Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:07 am

A question I have always had is, are these the same colors? I don't see a "pink or rose" colored stripe on the brochure seats. But that could be lighting or any number of things. I've always thought they were different colors. Does anyone know of or seen a blue green upholstery without the pink/rose stripe? A photo would be great.

Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:17 am

this is the plaid on a friends rhd flipseat.

i've only ever seen this colour on a bus in the westfalia museum.
also.... that seat base has leather handles underneath to lift it from it's storage space.is this unusual???

Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:39 pm

katastrophenshutzwagen wrote: that seat base has leather handles underneath to lift it from it's storage space.is this unusual???

that is standard

Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:46 pm

This seat has seen better days. Maybe it will get new threads one day.

Tue Apr 08, 2008 8:47 am

Mango Juice wrote: I wll snap a few close up photos of my curtains from the December 1955 built Westfalia I recently purchased....the cool thing is this bus sat in covered storage and not driven since the change of ownership in 1975 so the outside of the curtain is a little sunfaded...the inside is really nice....the cab divider curtain is near mint (Both L&R Pieces) as it sat nicely folded in the rear storage cabinet box....will post photos soon!

Were you going to post those pics? I'm curious to see the colors

Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:22 am

Here's is a picture of an original paint euro delivery SO-45 Westfalia.
The original fabric is on the back bed cushion, and it also has a small pillow:

Not a good pic of the fabric, but it looks like Susan's Zapper (66 Dormobile SO-42) has the orangey plaid:

Here is a euro-delivered two-tone '65 Dormobile SO-42 Westfalia, but with mustard vinyl:

The mustard vinyl is more common than the plaid among euro-delivered 65 & later westies.

They even used plaid on the less common 68-72 westies:
here's a '70 westy:

I have seen the orangey plaid on early bays as well.