Name that vintage fabric!

August 4, 2009 9:56 PM

Trying to restore a 1951 factory prototype auto (US). Need to match some seat upholstery cloth (printed canvas - image here). Any textile folk that can help track down the manufacturer or a source for high quality reproduction?

Anecdote has it that the factory was known for their daring in design and manufacturers sent them samples hoping to have them used - this one was. It's a cotton canvas, two color print (not woven) and has a partial name in the selvage that appears to be "TEXTURA ?????" (even less sure about the 5 letter second word - thus the ?????).

The seats were reupholstered in the 60s, but pieces of the original fabric were used as scrap in the new upholstery - that's where the scanned image came from. We're looking for info on the manufacturer with the hope that we can find larger samples which have the complete repeat pattern so the cloth can be reproduced (or more ideally someone who has a roll-end of the cloth with enough fabric for the restoration).

posted by skyscraper to media & arts (4 answers total)

Perhaps a Seattle business that specializes in reupholstery would be able to help you. I would start here.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:36 AM on August 5, 2009

Maybe these people would be able to reproduce your upholstery?

SMS has recreated several hundred unique automobile fabrics for classic cars over the years. For many rare American and foreign cars, the original body cloth no longer exists anywhere. While we have recreated many of these original patterns, we frequently are asked to recreate fabrics that have not yet been made.


If you can't find any of the original, you could just create your own repeat from what you have. It's actually kind of strange that there is no repeat in the amount you have- there are parts that seem close, but they're not. It makes me wonder if there was some special printing technique for this fabric, like a machine that just made a bunch of squiggly lines somehow. Otherwise, why not just repeat sooner?

Any chance you could post a picture of the words?
posted by oneirodynia at 1:30 AM on August 5, 2009

I had the front seats of my '64 Rambler reupholstered about 2 years ago with fabric from SMS and left the back seat original. It's hard to tell the difference.
posted by Killick at 5:40 AM on August 5, 2009

Seconding SMS. Mr. Leezie is in the process of restoring a 1958 De Soto and they were able to send him exact matches for the headliner, fabric and vinyl. He was downright giddy.
posted by Leezie at 7:23 AM on August 5, 2009