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oldsofas
264 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Jan 2007 : 10:18:21
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How can you tell which way round fabric is supposed to be? It's not easy when you're given a small piece from a roll, or; the times I most come across the dilema is when I've cut out a tiny circle to cover buttons with - it can be near impossible when faced with a fragment of a large pattern. Tricky stuff, but not something you usually need worry about when handed a large roll of fabric, especially if the fabric is rubber backed - well, you'd think so wouldn't you?
The Knoll below, waiting for its seat cushions, was upholstered by Ruth for a customer in Scarborough. The Knoll was ours and the customer spent a long time sourcing just the right fabric for it. The fabric she found wasn't fire retardent - not a problem all you do is put a fire retardent interliner under the fabric - but the customer wanted the fabric treated so it was sent off to be made fire retardent before being forwarded on to us.
When we took the finished Knoll up to Scarborough the customer seemed pleased, and made all the right noises, but we both sensed that there was something wrong. Ruth does beautiful work - look at the picture - so we were a bit baffled, but we left with a cheque and didn't think too much more about it. A week later the customer emailed us and said that we had put the fabric on the wrong way round. Impossible we said, and sent her a scrap of fabric. It had been a pig of a job for Ruth because of the masses of hand stitching needed to attach the braid and cover the pommels - stitching through rubber backed fabric is no fun. There was only one way round the fabric could go, the company who treated the fabric had applied the fire retardent rubber coating to the wrong side. I think the fabric cost around £750 - so what you see below is a sofa covered in the back of an expensive fabric - which only makes you wonder how much better the front looked!
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jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 07 Jan 2007 : 15:02:46
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| Well it looks amazing. Wish I had had the nerve to tackle something like that for a customer. I've still not gathered up enough Dutch courage to tackle the chesterfield I bought on ebay - and that was months ago! |
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Lorre
USA
107 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 07:22:46
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David . . . I can imagine what a horror it must have been to find out after the fact that the wrong side was used. But I have often used the "wrong" side, although I like to refer to it as the "reverse" side. Depending on the fabric, I think it can be an aesthetic preference, as to which side to use. Wovens can often be used this way, but definitely not anything screened fabrics.
Best to all,
Lorre |
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Fabric - wrong way round!
