a 'Tapestry' trim source, or leads?

[JonE]

If anyone has any information or sources of material or pattern for 'Tapestry' trim from 1928/30 please make contact!
Which company may have been responsible for supplying such, as it may be they still have a pattern in an archive somewhere.
https://sevenrk.wordpress.com/2018/07/06...im-option/

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Not a direct answer for you, may lead to more useful stuff.

I think Ray White had a contact for the braiding used in Swallows, this may be of use for the project.

Barry Clarke may be a good person to ask, he manufactured some original pattern carpet, but will have leads for the type of thing you are after.

Malcolm Parker obtained some suitable fabric for his SWB Saloon.

[Austin Carr]

Perhaps this is the answer:-

http://www.laurasloom.co.uk/bespoke/

[Derek Sheldon]

Talk to Lorna Mountfird Swallow Rev. She’s having some made

[JonE]

good good thanks. will follow those threads...

[Greig Smith]

Glad you posted this one Jon, I'd be interested in procuring the right stuff or as near as dammit.

Our '28 R Type was a tapestry car from new. The interior is still mostly original but heavily faded to a sort of uniform dirty / tatty beige and tears very easily. Door panels are rexine replacements.

Looking around, the local tapestry material available is dominated by heavy flowery stuff - definitely not suitable for a Seven...

Aye
Greig

Sunny South Africa

[Paul Govier]

Timely post as I'm also researching a source for upholstery fabric for a very early 1930 RL. I have samples of what I think is the original material which bears a remarkable similarity in design and colours to that in your photograph. The Heritage certificate for my car states 'Margate' trim.

JonE - happy to swap notes and would be very interested in obtaining some fabric. I've tried sending you an e-mail.

[JonE]

Paul - I don't think the email function works on here - haven't seen anything. pm me your address or send a contact through the sevenRK site?

[Chris KC]

I've just consulted an old friend (and long-time Austin Ten owner) on this, until recently she was in business making exclusive upholstery fabrics in small batches.

In her words "It is a simple design that could be woven on a handloom or a basic powerloom".

I've asked her if she might be interested in having a go. If the answer is yes she will of course need an indication of the level of interest, so anyone seriously interested in placing an order please message me with your requirements.

[JonE]

Excellent! I've emailed the Cumbrian woman too, but I must admit I thought it would be a more production process just because of the potential amount needed. How many metres of fabric would it need to do a car, and thus say 10 cars as a first run? The rears of the seats were in the same cloth too...

If we have samples, and the repeat pattern can thus be easily worked out - seems like a great project!

I would have thought that those cars picking high quality modern alternatives (someone mentioned trimming something in what they do railway seats in recently?) would be easily diverted to a proper Austin specification re-creation, even if they weren't originally in Tapestry.

I've put a couple more detailed pics of the cloth's edges up on the SevenRK site thread.


btw, is this sort of cloth we a re discussing 'Rep' as referred to in the Austin lists as 'wool rep'? I'd never heard of such but it seems to be a thing in its own right rather than a shortening of a word. They also refer to Bedford Cord and Moquette variously, as well as the leathery things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rep_(fabric)