I have the Midnight Sun upholstery and it looks great, but boy it grabs the fabric on your pants and makes it really hard to slide in and out of the dinette. I had guests over last evening and to much hilarity we practically had to push two people in and then pull them back out. The nylon upholstery on the CCD was a little grabby, but nothing compared to the Safari upholstery.
They also used a companion print to make the bedspread. It looks great but weighs a lot! I swear you can get ingrown toenails sleeping under it, so it's only useful for appearance, not as a working blanket.
I may end up with "grandma" plastic covers on the dinette cushions just to be slide easily... but of course those are murder if you're wearing shorts!
I really like the color scheme of the Midnight Sun... but boy... napped fabric is NOT good upholstery for the dinette seats. I think I'll go to the fabric store and get some brown leather look vinyl with a fabric back and see if I can concoct some "seat doilies" for the dinette.
We also have an '05 Safari FB with the Midnight Sun upholstery. We really like the colors for not showing dirt and stains, but it is kind of like sitting on Velcro. I have been laying a bath towel on the dinette seat to aid in extracation. It actually works pretty good.
After our first trip, we went out a found a very nice comforter for the bed in shades of brown and black. We have the Midnight Sun beadspread stored at home. Just removing that spead from the trailer reduced our tongue weight by 50 pounds.
The bedspreads supplied by Airstream are good only for selling trailers. They are way too bulky for everyday use. When I bought my trailer at International, I took the spread back to the dealer to makein my old trailer look good far resale. I now have a nice soft and light bedspread with matching pillow shams. I cut the covers off the Airstream-supplied pillows and used the material that matched my valances to decorate the trailer (see my 2005 Classic 25 thread). The Airstream pillows are now in the shams that match my new spread.
That said, I wish that I had kept the Airstream spread as a source of matching material for doing other decorating in the trailer.
__________________
John W. Irwin
2005 Classic 28 "Sabre-Dog III"
2004 Silverado 2500HD Duramax/Allison
WBCCI Region 9 Webmaster, #9632
We have the same problem with the dinette upholstery. I was thinking of covering the seats with a coordinated but less “grabby” fabric. Maybe making leather seat tops. Also the ratio of the seat and table heights & sizes had to be compromised to enable it to convert into a bed. So I thought of building a table that would be a little lower and more rounded at the open end. Haven’t done anything yet and still evaluating options.
And I have to agree that the bedspread is only for show. What were they thinking? Sales appeal? We put it in storage and use one of my wife’s many quilts. I’ve noticed that several hotels/motels stopped using those heavy bedspreads. Instead many now use a small strip of quilted fabric on the foot of the bed. Don’t know what its called, but it makes sense to me.
Let us know what you do to solve the seat problem.
My upholstery generates only limited friction on the backside, but even that is too much. I am having all dinette cushions, seats and backs, recovered primarily for aesthetic reasons. I'm using a lizard patterned embossed vinyl for the seat cushions and backs, and a coordinationg fabric on the curved bolsters and draperies. And about that bedspread! I found it useful as a template for making a new bedspread in a more suitable color; (the original spread is white!) Yikes! Like wearing a pair of white pants, it would take me approximately 3 nano seconds to get some indelible stain on it. As the thing is beautifully fitted to the curves of the trailer, I am having it altered (after it's used as a pattern) with elastic bands sewn on so I can use it as a mattress pad. Always the interior designer, I could not stop until the trailer was a little extension of our home! Hopefully the vinyl will be a success on the cushions; I thought leather might be too difficult to keep clean. You can simply wipe the vinyl down with a damp cloth.
Think about mom's toaster cover, make brown vinyl covers for each of the seat cushions (sort of like the bedspread, with edges all the way around, maybe some elastic straps that tuck under the cushions to hold them taut.) Use them to protect the regular upholstry and to allow you to slide in and out of the seats easily. Remove them for display purposes.
I found some decent sized chocolate nylon cushions in Wal-mart, about 15" square. The cushions supplied by Airstream are nice, but are generally so small they are useless. I may chop up the bedspread to make bigger versions of the small pillows that used that fabric.
I also find the seats to be too high compared to standard seats, I've always used a small stool as a footstool, but for the past week I've had some plastic container boxes under the table. The other night I realized that if I just used shallow ones (6-8" deep) they'd be perfect footstool height. I could use the bedspread to make footsie friendly comfortable covers for them too. Gee, my dinette could turn into a raised banquette, couldn't it?
I saw a SOB at the dealer that had a table that was NOT attached to the wall but had two "T" shaped fold down legs. You could carry it outdoors, or slide it from side to side so that mom and dad could have more room between themselves and the table and kids could have a table that snugged up to them. I've carried that one step farther... why not make the legs adjustable height? If I spend a day sewing it kills me to use a table that high, ditto for using a computer for a long time. I found a 2' x 4' at Sam's club with fold down legs that can be coffee table, desk height, or standard table height. Trouble is that the table top is less than 48 inches long. The leg assembly has two solid side rails that are 46 inches long and the legs meet in the center when they are folded down. I'm seriously planning to remove the assembly from the plastic top, cut it in half, install it on the standard table with the each side offset from the center of the original equipment table by 3/4" so that when the legs are folded they will bypass each other. I'll also round the back end of the table to match the front curves, and replace the flat side moulding with rubber curved molding so no one scrapes their arms on the table edges. I'll have to remove the current wall fastening system, or perhaps use industrial strength velcro to attach it to the back of the table so it can be removed when needed. I'd have to put it in the bed position when traveling or have SOME way to keep it from "walking" across the floor when underway.
Hi Paula,
Ya know I just finished touring a 25 like yours, sweeeet.
Now about your mods, how about some pictures of the areas you intend to mod, it would help us image oriented types
I thought I was the only one who was having a problem moving on the Midnight Sun fabric. It is good to know that I am normal (haha). And the bed cover, I wondered why my large toes were hurting after our last trip, Foil Again, thanks for solving the mystery. Anybody have a clue what it would cost to recover the dinette/lounge in a leather-like material in the 25FB?
Paula, sorry to hear this became a downer at your party. I've hosted quite an assortment of people in my '06 Midnight Sun and haven't had anything like this issue. We tend toward casual clothes and nothing unusual. I can say I've had rayon and silk Hawaiian shirts onboard without difficulty.
John, I know a member who bought a newer Safari with special ordered synth-leather. I get the impression all is not happy with that choice -- scratches, naugahyde sweatiness, maybe more...
Compared to the lovely new J.P. Ambruso drapes my Argosy wears, the stock Safari drapes are pretty weak. I don't believe the Midnight Sun fabric is real great either but don't know what you folks are wearing that snags so. Any particulars? Thanks!
don't know what you folks are wearing that snags so. Any particulars? Thanks!
I bet it's that after 5 evening wear, that sequins does grab hold.
The ultra leather does allow sliding but as Bob points out it also has it's inherent characteristics. I do like the AS chenille fabrics. I enjoyed "petting" it. The ultra leather feels like a kid glove though.
__________________ Carol
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller
If I wear denim jeans or shorts, and cotton T-shirts I stick to the midnight sun. When I'm wearing a nightie or caftan that's silky, sticking isn't a problem, but that doesn't fit with having company. Well, let us not go there!
Say, what about leopard print nylon slipcovers? (Not exactly a monument to quiet good taste!)
Just a little FYI for any of you interested...I am a seamstress and can make easy-on/easy-off washable slipcovers for just about any size/shape cushions. I did this for my own Bambi CCD model which came with simple black upholstered dinette cushions. I wanted to decorate the trailer a bit with my own personal touch so I created slipcovers designed like fitted sheets, and they come off easily for laundering and change the look of the trailer when I want a new style. I have a few different fabrics that I use depending on my mood! I'd be glad to sew up some covers (real cheap) for those of you having problems- just let me know if you want my help.
If I wear denim jeans or shorts, and cotton T-shirts I stick to the midnight sun. When I'm wearing a nightie or caftan that's silky, sticking isn't a problem, but that doesn't fit with having company.
That's good to hear, Paula. I was wondering if I was keeping company with the double-knit and velcro set...
With a sense of decorum and fair play -- okay, I won't lie -- I was almost "going there" but you beat me to it! Karma!!
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The nylon upholstery on the CCD was a little grabby, but nothing compared to the Safari upholstery. 
Hopefully the vinyl will be a success on the cushions; I thought leather might be too difficult to keep clean. You can simply wipe the vinyl down with a damp cloth.
Well, let us not go there!
Karma!!
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