US Patent 9278500 Vehicle interior panels with sealed stitching

A vehicle interior panel includes stitching sewn through a decorative skin layer of the panel. The associated sewing needle holes are sealed by an elastomeric material before a foam layer is formed on the non-visible side of the skin layer to prevent the expanding foam from leaking through the needle holes and becoming visible at the visible side of the panel. The elastomeric material is initially applied as a viscous liquid formulated to solidify and can be applied by spraying, enabling lines of stitching to be located along complex contours of the panel. A latex emulsion is one suitable type of viscous liquid.