I have settled on a khaki leather or imitation leather for both the seats and interior panels. I want to do something a little different, however, so we are experimenting with contrasting top stitching. I visited Air Mod recently to talk with one of their designers about alternatives. They were able to show me some work they did for a Bonanza owner that wanted olive top stitching on a tope colored leather. I really liked the look so Connie bought some khaki imitation leather, some batting, and some backing material along with some heavier olive thread.
The photo isn't great but you can see the quilted effect you get by stitching the diamond pattern in the material. She is going to make up one sample panel to install in the plane to see how it looks against the olive drab interior. I am expecting it to look pretty good and at least mimic the insulating material that was used in planes back in the 30s and 40s. Of course, if it works I will have to find a company willing to do the extra stitching on the interior panels. I expect the cost will be a bit more due to the extra labor.
