Hi. I want to spice up my interior a bit. The dashboard is black (leather? Leatherette?) and the lower trim is Alcantara or equivalent. Both have black stitching. My GP2 steering wheel and shifter boot have red stitching.

Has anyone dyed with a fabric pen or sharpie their stitching? I'm sure from white to red it's easy but can you go from black to red? (I probably would not take the risk with the alcantara as I'm sure mistakes would be an issue).

Appreciate it's not the correct way to do it but don't want to spend $$$ restitching.

 

The black thread can't be dyed to red and removing the threads to restitch will be expensive, a ton of work, and ends up looking like a bad repair job if the new thread does not perfectly align with the existing holes.

IMO, the best and cheapest way for you to "change" your stitching from red to black is to add red thread as shown in this link: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showth...olor-Stitching

 

Thanks for your response. That link is amazing, many thanks.

Seems doable albeit painful. And seems low risk and easy to undo. And it would allow me to do it in the lower trim / Alcantara section. Will report back...only if I get it right.

 

First attempt, not too bad. Sorry for the lighting. I will continue slowly as it's mind numbing. Now sure how to remove or tilt forward tachometer to gain enough space.




Only tricky part is hiding the knots under the trim. Well, and not scratching the leather or leatherette I guess.

 

That looks great! Can’t wait to see the finished interior. Any details like brand/weight/source on the thread and needle you are using?

Here’s A link on removing the tach: https://www.pelicanparts.com/techart...eplacement.htm

 

Thanks! I will chip away slowly and see how it turns out. The lower trim is Alcantara so need to test to see if the needle leaves a mark. And thanks for the link.

I got everything at Thread Exchange. See picture below. I was worried about the red matching the steering wheel and it worked out OK. I will have plenty of thread left so let me know if you need more and I can send you; min spool size is 375yds...although it's inexpensive, it's a bit of a waste. The thread has a bit of a waxed surface so it's hard to tighten a knot like when using a non-nylon thread. It comes undone so best to leave a little extra on the ends and tuck it.

I used the 20 gauge needle.

It's important not to over tighten the red/new thread because when you do so the original stitching also tightens and it becomes harder to insert the needle without damaging the dashboard.

 

Thanks for the info and offer for some of your extra thread. Unfortunately, I would be going with blue thread if I end up doing this.

Have you started on the Alcantara sections yet? I would think the fuzzy surface might hide more and be less prone to showing damage than the smooth surface of the leather.

Also, I remember reading a tip about starting this process somewhere in the middle of the panel and working both ways to reduce the amount of thread pulled through each stitch. It’s supposed to make the thread easier to manage and save some time. Have you tried this, or are you just going from one end to the other?

 

I can only tackle these mods during the weekend unfortunately, so no further progress. You may be right about the Alcantara.

I think the process is slow regardless of where you start. Re starting in the middle, I'd be concerned about the knots being visible. Maybe, if you take that approach on the seats, it would be much less noticeable. But the dashboard is one of those things you see every time you get in the car.

 

I think they meant to start in the middle with a single piece of thread with enough to go both ways. However, it’s coming out great so I would just continue doing it the way you are.

Once you post pics of your completed interior I’m sure this will be another item added to my long list of MINI projects.

 

Oh, I see. That's not a bad idea, I wonder if the thread gets a little loose as there is no knot but I get it now.

 

Finished front part of dashboard. I think I will skip the stitching on the very top of the dashboard close to the windshield, it's barely visible. I'm yet to do the glovebox area. Good little project.